John Conteh-Boxer

John Conteh was born in Liverpool in 1951 to an Irish mother and a Sierra Leonean father. He was raised in a rough neighbourhood, and his father encouraged him to box at the Kirkby Athletic Club when he was 10 to keep him from joining the local gangs. John excelled in boxing,

As an amateur boxer, John remarkably notched up wins against the world’s best at the 1970 Commonwealth Games. He won a record three Gold Medals at the Commonwealth Games and quickly followed up by winning ABA titles at middleweight in 1970 and light-heavyweight in 1971.

The early promise shown by John as an amateur soon blossomed and developed into a prolific career at a professional level. Taking on the world’s best, he defeated at light heavyweight, British, European and Commonwealth champions before becoming the WBC World Boxing Council’s World Crown Holder in 1973, defeating Jorge Ahumada of Argentina.

After successfully defending his world title three times, he eventually lost his title in 1977. John tried in vain to regain his title three times.

He was rightly hailed as the most talented British boxer for many years, however, persistent hand injuries and unsettling relationships with various managers unfortunately shortened John’s boxing career.

As his all-around ability showed by winning the all-sports British Superstars TV competition in 1974, John is no slouch when it comes to playing other sports. He is a serious golfer playing off a handicap of eight. John is asked regularly to play on celebrity golf days, John always puts a smile on everyone’s face with his own brand of jokes, observations and hilarious stories.

Related Links
John Conteh – Official Site