John Conteh vs Saad Muhammed

It wasn't a robbery as such but it could have gone either way. It was Saad's storming finish that gave him the duke, a 10-7 round in the 14th and a big final finish did it. But the cuts Muhammad had on his face were illegally stopped with some kind of 'cement' substance that prevented the stoppage. The most laughable moment came when the ringside doctor allowed the fight to go on...this was after the ringside doctor said if he had to look at it again he'd stop it. What happened? ANOTHER 'ringside doctor' examined it and let the fight commence . Totally laughable.

This was John's last stand and he'd tattoed Saad's face for most of the bout with his great jab. Yes, he was past his best and would have easily outboxed Muhammad in his prime. No dubt there. Check out his fights with Ahumada, Schmitdke, Finnegan and Bennett for his best work. :good

 

The corner used something like Monsels solution ,which sets like cement and has to be chiseled out,its banned because it promotes scarring ,and if you get it in an eye it is bad news.Funny Conteh had two fights where illegal substances were used to potentilally rob him of victory ,remember that mask of liquid skin Mate Parlov had on his eyebrows?

 

Entering round 14, I felt that Conteh had the match won on points if he could keep his feet. As soon as Matt dropped him though, I was convinced (and at the time, disappointed) that he had succeeded in pulling out the decision.

The scoring was more one-sided in favor of Matt than it should have been, although I agree that a UD was an accurate reflection of how the action unfolded. Harry Gibbs got it about right with his 144-143 verdict in favor of the champion.

What's disquieting to me is that Matt apparently did not need to floor John to take the scorecards of Padilla and Spina. Even with those knockdowns, 146-142 and 146-141 were far too one-sided on behalf of Matt. To win the title, a challenger must supposedly go out and take it from the defender, and Conteh had certainly done that entering the championship stretch, before fading late.

If Conteh had been defending that title against Matt in London, he probably would have retained it. This contest was competitive enough to produce a close judgement either way.

Should Saad Muhammad/Conteh I have taken place with no title on the line, in neutral territory with neutral judges, I surmise that a UD in favor of Matt by one to three points on all three scorecards would have been the result.

 

CLASSY CONTEH...( Pt 1)

i watched John Conteh's career unfold and in my humble opinion John Conteh was a fabulous fighter, I hesitate to say at his best, because just when he was approaching what should have been his best, and consolidation period on the world stage, he eroded his talent and focus with injuries to the right hand ( further aggravated through a Car accident after leaving a night club apparently,) managerial disputes that saw him stripped of his world title for refusing to go through with an apparent formality defence against Miguel Cuello at the 11th hour, Letting family get involved and dabble in the management side, and generally enjoying his superstar status ( yes, he even won the British Superstars Competition) to the detriment of his dedication which would probably, in my opinion have seen him emerge as the clear successor to Bob foster, he was that good

He looked like a Bronzed Errol Flynn so with those looks he was an instant hit with the Media, but in the ring he could certainly back it up, with class, think of a larger version of Jose Napoles, Conteh was smooth, Beautiful movement, Cobra-esque Head movement saw him slip punches beautifully, a wonderful Jab, which he often Doubled up on, a wicked left hook, and a Crunching right hand, but these shots were rarely displayed in isolation, he did drop Len Hucthins with a peach of a Left Hook, and he flattened Leonardo Rogers with a Stunning Right, but Generally when "Letting-Rip" Conteh would go from Boxing to Attack mode extremely quickly and with vicious combinations..

He started off trying to be a Heavyweight but could not beef up to any more the 14 stone region ( I don’t think pharmaceuticals were used in those days !? and certainly never in Conteh's camp) but he ran through an assortment of heavy's using his speed and skills against these naturally bigger, opponents, but some did prove harder to budge due to their size advantage, only Eddie Duncan notched a points win against Conteh, Much disputed, Conteh chased him the whole way and a more stern Ref would certainly have got on Duncan's case for his Hit (?) and Flit tactics, good quality trialhorses, Joe Gholston, Sam McGill, Bill Drover Johnny Mac were taken care of, Big Dave Matthews outfinessed, and Terry Danials impressively Hammered in six, not bad for a natural lightheavy, you could see that they really felt Contehs Shots, and it was interesting to speculate what would happen if an opponent Conteh's own size was on the receiving end…we didn’t have long to wait…

After Hammering Danials, on Ali - Bugner 1 undercard as I recall, Dundee and Ali voiced the wise opinion that Conteh would not be able to compete with the top
heavy's (- this was the golden 70's !) so a drop to Lightheavy followed, Streight away Conteh Classily Ripped the European Tiltle off of the Head of Rud Schimiker (?) who had taken that title off of Finnegan with a Cuts stoppage, the Natural match-up took place with Conteh beating the Tough Excellent Finnegan on Points in a classy encounter, Conteh often liked to see the whites of the eyes before taking the other person out so sometimes got criticised, Also on his roster, he Hammered Vicente Rondon in 9 after it appeared he could of done it several round earlier, beat Baby Boy Rolle and Stopped the durable and crafty Tom Bogs, and of course met up for the inevitable rematch with Finnegan, and Chris was boxing like a Dream and with Conteh in cautious mode Finnegan took an early Lead, when Contehs attack came in the six it led to Finnegans Swift and bloody dismissal, One daily newspaper referred to Contehs "Jungle Cat Ferocity" Finnegan was Covered in Blood and the cut was found to be Behind Chris's Ear, in amongst those vicious Combinations it seems Conteh's Head had made a nuisance of itself, there were examples in the past, and would be in the future of this classy champions ruthless streak….

With Bob Foster accepting the Gift against the rugged argentinian contender Jorge Ahumada and retiring, Conteh and Jorge met at Wembley England to settle Fosters successor, John was only 23 and still some way short of his prime, Ahumada was 28, bang in his prime and had physical strength and maturity on Conteh, and over 15 rounds many thought that this would tell. But in these days, with Task Master George francis at the training helm, and Conteh eager and fuelled with desire to succeed, alternately outboxed, outpunched, and outlasted Ahumada, withstanding Jorge's Last third Charge to outlast him in a thriller…

Conteh was on his way, Conteh turned back the Challenge of Lonnie "Magic Man" Bennett , similar to his second Finnegan Victory, first four rounds of cagy boxing the on goes the Sudden "Jungle Cat Ferocity" and Bennetts eyebrow was ripped open,after he had been badly staggered, Conteh's Head seemed a contributory factor once more. Certainly according to the Bennett Camp. But this fight did show what an intuitive thinker Could be in the Ring, in the first couple of rounds Conteh was being outjabbed by Bennetts Heavy Rakish Jab, Contehs remedy was to Jab Short, this made Bennett think he was out of range, Bennett would step forward then Bam..Bam
Conteh's second and third Jab would ram home leaving Lonnie looking somewhat bemused, Conteh knew he did not want a long Range snipeing war with this man,
Conteh was just biding his time until the 5th

A state-side non title Win over Willie the Bull Taylor was a bitter-sweet affair, good reviews for style and presentation, but also gained a busted right hand that would seem to haunt him in the future and make him a bit shy to pull the trigger on occasion,

After a layoff a Rusty John boxed / Jabbed Yaqui Lopez Silly over 15, considering the Hell Yaqui Gave Saad, Rossman, Scott and Galindez, a great result for an under-par Conteh, and Conteh did Away with Len Hutchins in 3 rounds, Contehs thunderous 3rd round left hook being preceded by a first round clash of heads which the Hutchins camp protested about ( it does seem conteh could of taught Holyfield a thing or two about er…Advantageous head placement ?)

And that’s where John should have consolidated and gone on to forfill his true potential, Sadly the disputes Highlife and lowlife all conspired to erode his talent
He walked out on the Cuello defence and was stripped , flattened Leo Rogers, tried to mend bridges, and was rewarded with a world title shot against the new champ
National Hero Mate Parlov - and the shot would be …in Belgrade…..Was someone doing Conteh a favour..or just trying to remove him from serious Contention ?

After 15 gruelling rounds many thought Conteh had done enough, as I recall the Ref had Conteh substantially in front, and the scores were NOT announced from the ring,
Conteh was being picked off to a degree early, in the last 5 rounds Conteh was fully the aggressor, and sank vicious shots to Parlov's body round after round, But at the End it seems Parlov's More Ametuer Fiddle - Faddle work was more appreciated (by Some) then the Pro Skills of Conteh, The british Trade Paper Boxing News Headlined its review ROBBERY ! But perhaps Conteh's Bodywork left Parlov a reminder, Parlov Next fought Marv Johnson who continued with the Body Attack and Parlov folded…

 

(Classy Conteh Pt 2)

Conteh was now on the downside, depression over the deemed Belgrade heist perhaps, ? A few Fights highlighted that this precision fighter was losing his instinctual balance and timing and cohesion, and that Vicious rip-you-apart-in-a-classy-Manner Mentality, A lucky draw with Jesse Burnett ( who had also broken his hand on Wille the bull taylors head !) Conteh was floored twice, luckily near the end of rounds, again Floored also in a laboured Points win Over Poison Ivy Brown, and a laboured points win over Joe Cokes all sent the message to the worlds Lt Heavy Elite
- here was a good name for your record, a spectacular win going for the begging, New Champ powerhouse Saad Muhammed answered the call, and was licking his lips in expectation of a easy victory…

The Saad fight perhaps hints at what Conteh could have been like with the discipline and Focus his later career lacked, He tried to turn the clock back it was a valiant effort, with a mental block about letting the right hand go as freely as in his earlier career, Not having the old Aggressive attitude to punish opponents, and on the evidence of his last few fights little in the way of punch resistance, legs, or timing The fear was that this was simply a welcome to the throne offering to new king Saad
- but Conteh didn’t read the script, resurrecting his boxing skills if not his aggression, Conteh boxed superbly, Jabbed Saad silly on many occasions, and had the heavy handed champion fanning the air on many occasions with his cute moves, Saad was cut in the 9th, ( Conteh Head involved again) and his corner used banned monzel (?) solution to plaster the Gash, in most other locations Saad would have been stopped in a round or two more by the sharp-shooting Conteh, but the illegal pack held, Conteh was ahead after 12 rounds, but Saad was making his usual big Finish, he floored Conteh in the 14th but couldn’t quite line him up for the coup-de-grace in the 15th, Saad won the Close decision, the 14th being the clincher for Saad, in the only defence of the big hitting Saad to go the full route, and a remarkable Lazarus type display by the Much Faded Conteh.

The return match should never have taken place, but the controversy over the Illegal substence used on Saad's cut eye was as good reason as any to argue for a rematch, But Conteh really was an empty husk by this time, as soon as Saad Starts to apply Pressure Conteh Folded, Like Honeygan against Breland, there was no resistence left Physically or mentally, it was over, and Saad got a very Easy 4 round win…but this was not the real Conteh….he belonged in the past, Conteh apparently had something of a disturbing breakdown that night back at the hotel, perhaps the sudden stark realisation that there were no more tomorrows..

Conteh, to exercise these demons took a final fight at Cruiser, Dismissed James Dixon in 5 and retired, and as far as i know appears to enjoy a happy retirement.

Conteh could box like a dream, was well co-ordinated could Punch with either hand ( until the right hand troubles) was intelligent in the ring, had a good chin, had a mean attitude, and excellent 15 round stamina, he was careless with his head, but made sure he was not the recipient of any damage, and often the headwork was not apparent until after the fights stoppage, when slo-mo replays revealed the head following in Amongst combination punches..
That’s because he was also very fast !

could he have beaten Galindez..based on Victors struggles with Lopez, Kates and Gregory, neither of whom employed Contehs Venom or Zest, I think so, John would have kept Pace Rationer Victor Working, and I fear John may have inflicted some damage with his head against the sometimes cut victor, Not altogether sportingly, but I think Conteh could do it.. Rossman, ? His Straight Line work off the Jab routine worked with an out of sorts Galindez, I don’t think that upright stance will prevail with Conteh ( it didn’t against Lopez !) Marv Johnson ? Conteh beat him as an ametuer, and could handle most aggressors through his boxing ability and mobility Gregory/Muhammed ? Could be the hardest of the lot, two hard hitting cuties, Conteh certainly wouldn’t give Gregory the Menu of targets Johnson presented, perhaps home advantage may swing it Contehs way.? And we saw how close a faded Conteh ran SAAD himself. One can only speculate what a Prime Conteh may have achieved. For Me Conteh is a Woulda Shoulda Coulda been Great, if he could have kept it all together, I certainly think he would have gone on to confirm it on the world Stage,
but suspect that he will be destined to only be rated a " Pretty Good'un "...

 

Duodenum, I remember watching that fight and rooting for Conteh, and being confident for the first 12 rounds or so that he would pull it off. But, as was the case with so many Saad Muhammad bouts, I realized that truly "the opera ain't over until the fat lady sings", and sure enough, when those knockdowns started happening, I knew that the pedulum would surely swing in favor of Saad, and it would be the main factor in a successful defense for Matt. The rematch, of course, was a complete blowout, and pointed Conteh to the way of all flesh. He was a fine fighter in his prime, and were it not for some hand injuries and some bad management decisions, I think John would have had a much more memorable career.

 

You can actually see brief highlights of Both Conteh Saad bouts on youtube-albeit in terrible quality.

Conteh was technically a lot like Napoles and Dejesus with a bit of Wilfredo Gomez athleticism and dirtyness thrown in.

 

great stuff from area 53.i remember both the saad muhammed fights and after the first 1 just remember having the impression that conteh boxed his head off.i suppose the 3 point 14th round and the last obvoiusly went a long way to winning it for matt and the decision was just,but for 13 rounds conteh was the govener.the 2nd fight was as sad a sight that you could see with a mere shell of a fighter being bounced up and down off the canvas.he still remains one of my favourite fighters.

 

Hi Ron, many thanks indeed, it is always a pleasure remembering John's exploits, of course rather frustrating after the Cuello walkout !

Re the Saad 1st fight, certainly after the 14th round Saad had the momentum, and was awarded the 15th round, as i recall, but i seem to remember thinking at the time that if you look at the 15th round in isolation, and not simply as a extension of the 14th, Conteh may of been adjudged to of shared the round, on making Saad Miss and lashing back,? i must rewatch it to see if my old memory of it is not distorted by time (hopefully not favoritism !!)

As an aside, i remember watching emerging superstar Ray Leonard see off Pistol Pete Ranzany, and the commentators went wild when Ray blitzed Pete with a combination that comprised of ifive consecutive left hooks ! and they wondered who had ever loosened a similar Combination ...i yelled at the TV screen "John Conteh against Bill Drover.."... I can not offhand recall ever seeing that Five Consec left Hook Combo anywhere else.. .( i am sure someone will know other examples..!!??)

Regards
Area 53

 

if i remember rightly mate,did john's head "innocently" do some damage to drover, the result a grotesque egg shape on drovers noggin or was that in another fight?

 

Hi Ron

You are very much correct ! Drover Dropped Conteh and upon arising Conteh seemed to switch from trying to outbox Bill to taking it inside with Bill, in between John's classy bursts of Punches John was very very naughty with the head, in the guise of working bill over on the ropes, and Bill ended up with this nasty egg sized lump on his forehead. It was probably the first time Conteh was er.."Excessively Careless..." with the head, of course it was not to be the last complaint from a visiting opponent of Conteh. Sadly John never really need that type of assist,

 

Conteh on a late stoppage,on account of Saads' Face being busted up.

 

The first fight was no robbery, although it was close. Saad decked John twice in the 14th and had won enough rounds previous to that to secure him a close, but deserved decision. In the return Saad just blew him away and dropped him 5 times in the 4th round to end the fight, and was in command from the start.

I am not so sure that John would have beaten Saad even at his peak, as Saad was always dangerous and had some of the best late round stamina of any fighter I have ever seen. He always got stronger as the fight wore on, and often overwhelmed his tired opponents late in the bout.

He could knock you out with either hand, could take a licking and keep on ticking, and most important of all he would never stop coming and throwing bombs, although often telegraphed. Conteh had the goods to outbox Matthew most of the time, but Matt always had that punchers chance and along with his iron will and incredible stamina he would have always given John a hard nights work.

 

The Conteh of 1979 is not the Conteh of 1974, he'd have easily beat Muhammad. People call this a robbery because of the illegal usage of cement (probably just called 'opportunism' to Yanks) and the 'ringside doctor' who was actually a New Jersey commissioner who let the fight go on. What's so galling is after all this 'cheating' the same state gets to hold the rematch. Disgraceful and typical of American fair play (i.e one that seldom exists). :huh


Even Boxing News's preview of the fight gave John no chance, saying he was too far gone to win. Even the half-shot version boxed Saad's head off for the most part, the peak version had far more talent than Franklin had.