John Conteh Appreciation Thread

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by McGrain, Aug 13, 2021.


  1. Jel

    Jel Obsessive list maker Full Member

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    Plenty of people who have scored this have it a one or two point fight, including Harry Gibbs on his official card. I had it a bit wider than that, more in line with Carlos Padilla and Charlie Spina's tallies.

    Now, I've scored this once but in a bit of a weird way - first time I watched it I saw it with several rounds missing and had it much wider for Saad. I then rewatched the missing rounds which closed the gap a bit. I'll rewatch it again some other time in full to see what I come up with. Interesting footnote is that the WBC ruled this a no contest after the fight d

    Anyway, this is how I had it:

    Matthew Saad Muhammad v John Conteh 1

    I rewatched this after finding a complete version (the previous one had 3 rounds missing). I didn't rescore everything, just the rounds I missed and I think that made a big difference to my perception of the fight. I had this 7-6 Saad going into the 14th and it was clearly nip and tuck all the way. The commentator was a bit of a Conteh fan and managed to still have him in the lead after the 14th, which I personally found hard to understand.

    Without the knockdowns it would have been close - very close, although I think Saad would probably have still shaded it, probably on a split. But in a fight like this, the knockdowns really matter. It was a bit like Winstone-Saldivar 2 in that way. Conteh undoubtedly showed some nice moves and slick counters but Saad outworked him in my view and the knockdowns sealed Conteh's fate.

    1 10-9
    2 10-9 (close)
    3 9-10
    4 10-9 (Conteh showed some nice defense but needs to up his workrate)
    5 10-9
    6 9-10 (big round for Conteh - landing overhand rights that seemed to stun Saad and also cut him)
    7 9-10
    8 10-9 (close)
    9 9-10
    10 10-9
    11 10-9
    12 9-10
    13 9-10
    14 10-7 (big round for Saad - 2 knockdowns and Conte does well to survive)
    15 10-9
    Saad Muhammad 144-139 Conteh
     
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  2. McGrain

    McGrain Diamond Dog Staff Member

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    Without the KDs, i have Conteh winning!
     
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  3. Jel

    Jel Obsessive list maker Full Member

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    Yeah, I noticed that!

    I probably need to score it again just to see how that stacks up with my original card. It does seem that lots of people, yourself included, had Saad only just edging this based on a strong finish and the two KDs. Worth a rescore on my part at least.
     
  4. Stevie G

    Stevie G Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Lol! About ten thousand peoploids on this site have wondered if I'm from Liverpool. No. I actually hail from south London.
     
  5. Stevie G

    Stevie G Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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  6. McGrain

    McGrain Diamond Dog Staff Member

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    "The Best I Faced"
    https://www.ringtv.com/181643-best-ive-faced-john-conteh/

    Best overall: Matthew Saad Muhammad was the best opponent I ever fought. His record speaks for itself and he had some of his best moments after our two fights. Matthew was a great all-rounder, he could punch, strategically he was sound and what a chin he had. The first fight was competitive but my best was behind me by the time we had the rematch. I only had one fight after that (a decision win over James Dixon in May 1980).

    Best boxer: Chris Finnegan was a great boxer. He had the British and Commonwealth titles and I had the European when we met in 1973. It was funny because I took Fastest hands: You would have to go some to cause me trouble with fast hands because I was quick. I relied on speed and endurance and worked behind a good left jab. When I got tagged I responded as quickly as I could with fast hands. Saad Muhammad and Chris Finnegan were two of the faster guys I fought. Chris was very fast but he was also clever and, as I said, left handed. That made life awkward for me. Again, Schmidtke was quick but that suited me because I relied on my speed to beat his speed.the European title from Rudiger Schmidtke, from Germany, who had beaten Chris for it. Schmidtke was technically very good but he suited my style and I stopped him whereas I always found Finnegan very difficult. Styles make fights I guess but Chris was technically brilliant and his background as a gold medalist in the 1968 Olympics proved that. He utilized all of that experience in the pros and used his southpaw stance to his advantage. We met again a year later and I stopped him on cuts.

    Best puncher: Matthew Saad Muhammad because he was the only fighter who ever stopped me. I can’t tell you how hard he punched because I didn’t really feel much (laughs). I’m not taking anything away from Saad but I was coming towards the end of my career in 1980. Jorge Victor Ahumada, who I won the title against, was another big puncher and he could also take a shot.

    Best defense: There was a fighter I met on the way up called Eddie Duncan (September 1972). He was hard to hit but that was mostly down to inexperience on my part. It was only my 12th professional fight and I found him very awkward and cagey. He used his knowledge and although we didn’t get a return fight, it was an important learning curve for me. Mate Parlov was good defensively and although I thought I won that fight (Conteh lost by disputed split decision in June 1978) you can’t really complain. I was fighting away from home and I needed a knockout to get a draw over there (Belgrade, Serbia). Still, it must be said that Parlov was a brilliant boxer. He was also southpaw and another former Olympic gold medalist (Munich 1972). Yaqui Lopez was hard to hit and he reminded me a lot of Carlos Monzon but that was maybe down to the way he looked.

    Fastest feet: John Conteh, straight to the pub after a fight (laughs). As soon as I got out that ring it would be down to Soho in the West End of London (laughs). No seriously, it’s an interesting question because I’ve never really thought about it. In a boxing match you’re more worried about an opponent’s hands but Ali had very fast feet and made that work for him. There was a fighter called Bunny Sterling, who was a British and European middleweight champion, and we did a lot of sparring together. We had the same trainer (the late George Francis) and Bunny brought me along nicely due to his speed and movement. He was a terrific fighter and his losses were mostly to the very top guys in the division.

    Best chin: Jorge Ahumada because I knew before the fight I wasn’t going to knock him out. He had pushed Bob Foster to a draw in Albuquerque four months earlier and Foster retired and left the title vacant. Jorge was incredible but there were other guys I faced on the way up who I couldn’t stop unless it was on cuts. Billy Aird, a heavyweight from Liverpool, had a great chin when we fought at the Royal Albert Hall in 1972.

    Best jab: Again you would have to go some to beat my jab because I had developed that shot from childhood. Matthew Saad Muhammad had a great left hand and he used that to set up power punches. He preferred a scrap but he had the ability to stand up and throw straight shots. I was able to give him a good fight first time round but in the rematch I just wasn’t there. My lifestyle let me down and I wasn’t as hungry as I had been before. Finnegan had a great right jab from the southpaw stance but for the most part I would be able to counter an opponent’s jab with my own.

    Strongest: Jorge Ahumada was extremely strong. The heavyweights I fought on the way up didn’t get a chance to use their strength because I was too fast for them and I could punch my weight and compete with them on that basis. Ahumada, Yaqui Lopez and Mate Parlov were amongst the strongest opponents I ever faced. I went 15 rounds with all three of them and incidentally I think that cutting back to twelve was good for the sport. When medical professionals make the decision to do that for a fighter’s safety that can only be a good thing. I was super fit in those days and I knew I could go the distance because it was just another human being I was in there with. If you’re 100 percent fit then you can always respond but you’re in trouble if you haven’t trained properly. If I’d done the work then I was like a Formula 1 car and the tank was never going to let me down. As my trainer always said, a fight is won and lost in the training ground. I never ran out of fuel.

    Smartest: The tax man (laughs). He’s got more power than the police. I came at him with a pair of gloves and he said you’ll f____in’ need more than that (laughs hysterically). No I would say Mate Parlov and Chris Finnegan strictly because of their amateur back ground. You can’t beat Olympic experience and they acquired their smarts before turning professional. Parlov and Finnegan used strategy and boxed smart. We’re not talking about Marciano or Tyson prototypes, but technically gifted boxers.



    How honest, not to mention warm, does Conteh come across here? Very refreshing.

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  7. Richard M Murrieta

    Richard M Murrieta Now Deceased 2/4/25 Full Member

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    John Conteh was one of my favorite fighters as was Matthew Saad Muhammad.
     
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  8. Clinton

    Clinton Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Great stuff, Mike. Thanks. I love John and thought he was fantastic.
     
  9. Clinton

    Clinton Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Me too, Richard. Cheers my friend
     
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  10. Clinton

    Clinton Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Superb thread, Matt. Thanks. And superb contris across the board, Lads. Great job!!!
     
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  11. Kamikaze

    Kamikaze Bye for now! banned Full Member

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    I wish there was context to this photo. Lol
     
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  12. Clinton

    Clinton Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Post of the decade, Jel
     
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  13. Clinton

    Clinton Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Btw Lads, John did a SUPERB Muhammad Ali impersonation.
     
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  14. Tin_Ribs

    Tin_Ribs Me Full Member

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    Great post Mike
     
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  15. McGrain

    McGrain Diamond Dog Staff Member

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