Aug. 18, 1979: Muhammad vs Conteh I

Does Matthew Saad Muhammad qualify as, pound-for-pound, a truly “great” fighter in terms of skill and talent? Maybe not, but strictly in regards to heart, courage, excitement and the ability to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, few warriors in boxing’s long history surpass him. His prime was relatively short, but what thrills “Miracle Matthew” gave us while it lasted.

In April of 1979 he went by the name Matthew Franklin and he took the WBC light heavyweight championship from tough Marvin Johnson in as gutsy and gory a championship fight as boxing had ever seen. That title-winning performance further established Matthew’s growing reputation as a courageous slugger in the “Philly” mode, with an almost super-human ability to absorb punishment before coming back to overwhelm his opponent.

Matthew Saad Muhammad: 1954--2014
Matthew Saad Muhammad: 1954–2014

Four months later, having converted to the Muslim faith and changed his name, Matthew Saad Muhammad set to defend his title against former champion John Conteh of England. If Muhammad had a reputation for durability and excitement, Conteh had one too, both for possessing one of the best left jabs in the division, and for regular and effective, albeit illegal, use of his skull. Prior to the match, Muhammad referred with some displeasure to the challenger’s tendency to imitate an angry “billy goat.” Conteh pleaded innocence, claiming he didn’t so much intentionally butt people as utilize what he liked to refer to as “advantageous head placement.”

John Conteh
John Conteh

Saad Muhammad vs Conteh, broadcast live on ABC’s Wide World of Sports, proved to be an engrossing battle, one that reinforced the public perceptions of both men. The early rounds belonged to the more experienced challenger who started off boxing beautifully, snapping in his potent left hand, often doubling and tripling up on it, while deftly avoiding the champion’s power shots. Conteh set the terms: a fast-paced and long-range fight, both men throwing plenty of jabs, Muhammad’s largely ineffective. At times the champion looked nothing short of amateurish as he missed by two or more feet with wide punches which Conteh easily anticipated and countered. In the third round the challenger started to land right hands and the British fans in Atlantic City’s Resorts International cheered and chanted their man on.

Conteh-jabs-Muhammad
Conteh lands his sharp left jab.

But as was often the case with Saad Muhammad, whose ring style involved an unmistakable streak of masochism, clean shots to his handsome visage actually helped him to get going. Like a manual labourer whose morning coffee was finally kicking in, Matthew began to pick up the pace in round four, his advantages in strength and power rising to the surface, and in the fifth he threatened to seize control. His left hook was landing and now the champion began to shoot the right hand in behind it. Conteh had no choice but to give ground as Matthew unloaded a series of hard blows, until the very end of the round when the Briton abruptly charged forward. With his head down.

“Oh, come on!” exclaimed Muhammad as the round ended and he brought an open glove to his left eye, an eye whose brow quickly puffed up and soon began to leak blood. Conteh wasted no time seizing his opportunity. With renewed zeal he snapped in both his stinging jab and the straight right, targeting the wounded eye and battering a stunned champion about the ring. Rounds six and seven were huge for the challenger and it appeared he had not only regained control of the contest but was building up an insurmountable lead on the scorecards.

Muhammad-Conteh-cover

If appearances were anything to go by as round eight began, Conteh was about to regain the title which had been stripped from him the year before. He appeared fresh and confident and was clearly ahead on points, while Muhammad presented a pitiful sight, the left side of his face resembling a rotten piece of meat with blood streaming down and an ugly, glistening glob of coagulant over his eye, his once white trunks a butcher’s apron. But the moment when it seemed Muhammad had reached the point of no return proved the right time for the champion to finally get his attack in gear. Over the next few rounds Matthew gradually took command, doggedly coming forward and finding the range again for his heavy artillery. Through sheer guts and determination the defending champ reasserted himself, while Conteh just didn’t have the necessary brute strength to slug it out with “Miracle Matthew.”

Saad Muhammad vs Conteh
Conteh down a second time in round fourteen.

With the grueling struggle deadly close, the final rounds came down to Conteh’s experience vs Muhammad’s power. Round eleven was a toss-up and the twelfth belonged to the challenger, but in round thirteen Muhammad landed a series of painful-looking body blows and then a vicious right hand at its end had a hurt Conteh holding on.

Then, in round fourteen, the dramatic plot twist. Since round eight, the champion had sought to score the jackpot with his left hook and in the fourteenth, he finally did. Two minutes in he missed with a looping right uppercut which effectively acted as a decoy; Conteh never saw the huge hook coming behind it. The punch stunned Conteh and a follow-up left dropped him to his knees. Up at the count of seven, he was soon sent down a second time. Somehow Conteh beat the count again and, badly dazed, clinched and wrestled his way to the bell.

saad muhammad vs conteh

In the fifteenth and final round of a memorable war, Muhammad maintained his advantage while a desperate Conteh reverted to his “billy goat” self and, perhaps thinking he could somehow force a stoppage if he did more damage with his head, repeatedly attempted to butt the champion; at the final bell, Saad Muhammad embraced his opponent somewhat reluctantly. And while it had been a dramatic, see-saw affair, the knockdowns sealed a narrow unanimous decision for the champion.

The winner and still champion at the post-fight press conference.
The winner and still champion at the post-fight press conference.

However, the end result was undermined by the discovery afterwards that Muhammad’s corner had used an illegal coagulant on that wicked cut above his left eye. At different times during the fight Conteh had been seen blinking his eyes and afterwards he and his corner claimed that the substance in question had impaired his vision and impeded the Briton’s performance. The WBC ordered a rematch which took place seven months later. And this time, Muhammad, enraged by both the controversy and Conteh’s billy-goat ways, dominated from the opening bell, knocking the challenger down five times in round four to score a convincing stoppage win, during which he suffered no cuts.        

— Michael Carbert

Become a patron at Patreon!

5 thoughts on “Aug. 18, 1979: Muhammad vs Conteh I

  • January 30, 2017 at 11:40 am
    Permalink

    I remember this fight and at the time I feared for Conteh as he was clearly past his best. A love of the London night life had seen to that. However, he managed to regain some of his prime form and almost won. He was an empty shell by the second fight. For me, a prime Conteh outpoints Saad.

    Reply
    • March 7, 2020 at 11:11 am
      Permalink

      I agree Martin. Conteh was definitely past his best but I thought he beat Muhammad and Mate Parlov too. The article mentions Conteh using head unfairly but most people in the UK would’ve found it ironic that we had a fighter who not prepared to be a gallant British loser. Muhammad was rock hard though, but the sort of wars he had with Johnson, Lopez and Conteh can’t be sustained. Having only been an amateur boxer myself I can only look up with awe at fighters like these. Matthew Saad Muhammad will never be forgotten. I can remember when he was Matthew Franklin and he seemed indestructible in those days. Desperately sad to see him ending up as a punching bag for younger fighters to feast on.

      Reply
    • December 28, 2023 at 12:37 pm
      Permalink

      Well said Martin. Conteh’s trainer, George Martin says in his autobiography that he really took Conteh to town in training, even more than his beastly normal and isolated him far from the temptations which were his undoing at other times. I don’t know if he deserved to win or not but he left much of his fighting self in the ring for good that night, as you say.

      Reply
  • August 18, 2019 at 2:26 pm
    Permalink

    👆 my those grapes are sour 😁

    Reply
  • August 10, 2022 at 11:32 am
    Permalink

    I believe Saad did enough to win the first fight against Conteh, but I also think in his prime Conteh beats both Saad and Victor Galindez. I have to say Marvin Johnson would have been John’s toughest ever opponent if they had met. I think Johnson would have prevailed over the distance. Parlov did enough to beat Conteh in my opinion, but it was very close.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *