Liverpool's world light heavyweight champion, charismatic and undefeated at his peak
BoxingFor a few years in the mid 1970s, John Conteh was arguably the most stylish fighter in Britain.
Born in Liverpool in 1951 to an Irish mother and Sierra Leonean father, Conteh came up through Kirkby Amateur Boxing Club and announced himself with a gold medal at the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh. He turned professional the following year and set about the light heavyweight division with a rare combination of speed, bravado and boxing intelligence.
In October 1974 he outpointed Jorge Ahumada at Wembley to win the vacant WBC world light heavyweight title, making him only the third British boxer in the modern era to hold a world crown. He defended it three times before a contractual dispute cost him the belt outside the ring. The Ring magazine named him Fighter of the Year in 1975.
Conteh was as famous for his film star looks and King's Road lifestyle as for his jab, a genuine crossover celebrity in an era when Britain produced very few. The high living eventually caught up with him, and he has been refreshingly open about his long journey to sobriety, which he now speaks about alongside the boxing stories.
Today he is one of the most sought after boxing speakers in the country, a natural raconteur who weaves laughs, candour and a Liverpudlian warmth into every room he walks into.
Two decades of world class speakers in the basement at EC3. Want to book John Conteh or someone like them? Tell us what you need and we will come back with a plan.
Start an enquiry