Matthew Saad Muhammad vs John Conteh

Matthew Saad Muhammad retained the World Boxing Council light-heavyweight championship by a unanimous 15-round decision over John Conteh at Resorts International in Atlantic City on August 18, 1979, but the result did not settle their rivalry. Saad Muhammad was awarded the contest by scores of 146–142 from referee Carlos Padilla, 146–141 from judge Charlie Spina and 144–143 from British judge Harry Gibbs. The champion had been badly cut by an accidental clash of heads in the fifth round and survived a long period in which Conteh appeared capable of stopping him. He recovered sufficiently to take command during the closing stages and dropped the challenger twice in the 14th. The WBC later declared the bout a no-contest for championship purposes and ordered an immediate return after Saad Muhammad’s cornermen were found to have used an unauthorised mixture on his damaged eye. BoxRec nevertheless lists the original verdict as a unanimous decision, accompanied by the WBC ruling.

It was Saad Muhammad’s first defence of the title he had won from Marvin Johnson four months earlier in Indianapolis. The Philadelphia fighter, then carrying a record of 23 wins, three defeats and two draws, weighed 172½ pounds and received a purse reported as $150,000. Conteh, at the light-heavyweight limit of 175 pounds, entered with 33 victories, two defeats and one draw and was paid $50,000. The Englishman had held the WBC championship from 1974 until 1977, when inactivity and disputes outside the ring led to his being stripped of the title. He had subsequently lost a narrow decision to Mate Parlov in Belgrade while attempting to recover the championship, but remained a gifted and experienced boxer. Conteh possessed the quicker jab and the more polished long-range technique. Saad Muhammad was the stronger puncher and had already established his reputation for recovering from serious punishment before overwhelming an opponent late.

Conteh began with assurance, using his left jab repeatedly and refusing to allow Saad Muhammad to settle into an attacking rhythm. He doubled and occasionally tripled the punch, stepped aside from the champion’s wider swings and countered when Saad Muhammad reached for him. The champion advanced steadily but was inaccurate during the opening rounds, often falling short or missing across Conteh’s shoulders as the Englishman moved away. Conteh also brought the right hand into use during the third and appeared the more composed fighter. His speed allowed him to strike first and withdraw before Saad Muhammad could place his heavier combinations. The British contingent in the arena responded noisily as their man established control, and through the early stages Conteh was boxing the contest expected of him: keeping the champion at long range, forcing him to reset his feet and refusing prolonged exchanges.

The course of the match changed sharply in the fifth round. As the fighters came together, Conteh drove forward, his head lowered, and collided with Saad Muhammad. Referee Padilla ruled the contact accidental, but the champion suffered a serious cut above the left eye and another wound along the side of his nose. Saad Muhammad immediately complained and carried an open glove towards the injured eye as the round ended. Conteh recognised the extent of the damage and attacked it without delay. In the sixth and seventh rounds he snapped the jab into the wound and followed with straight right hands, forcing Saad Muhammad backwards and leaving blood spread across the champion’s face and trunks. Saad Muhammad’s vision was impaired, his defence became ragged, and Conteh appeared to be building a substantial lead. The champion’s corner worked repeatedly on the cut between rounds, eventually forming a dark covering over the damaged brow, which sufficiently restricted the bleeding for the contest to continue.

Conteh entered the eighth round looking fresh and in command, but he did not maintain the same degree of movement and accuracy. Saad Muhammad, although still marked and bloodied, began to close the distance more effectively. His jab remained less precise than Conteh’s, but he used it to occupy the challenger before bringing the right hand and left hook into the body. Conteh could still score cleanly when he had space, yet he was being forced to work harder to hold his ground. Saad Muhammad’s attack gathered weight through the middle and later rounds. He continued to come forward, accepting Conteh’s straight punches to deliver heavier blows underneath and around the guard. Conteh’s boxing had given him the better of much of the first half, but the champion’s physical strength was now reducing the room in which the challenger could operate.

The 11th was closely fought, and the 12th brought a temporary recovery from Conteh, who again found room for his jab and right hand. Saad Muhammad resumed his pressure in the 13th, concentrating on the body before landing a hard right near the close which left Conteh hurt and holding. The champion had by then transformed the contest from a long-range boxing match into a trial of strength and endurance. Conteh remained clever enough to frustrate him in passages, but his legs were no longer carrying him clear after every exchange. Saad Muhammad was able to remain close, work to the ribs and force the challenger towards the ropes, where Conteh’s speed was of less value.

The decisive scoring came in the 14th round. Saad Muhammad missed with a looping right uppercut, then followed up with a left hook that Conteh did not see. The challenger was shaken, and a second left sent him to his knees. He rose at seven, still badly dazed, and Saad Muhammad attacked with both hands. Conteh was driven down for a second time and again managed to beat the count. He survived the remainder of the round by holding, wrestling and denying the champion enough room to land a finishing blow. Without those two knockdowns, the official scoring would have been considerably closer; Gibbs’s card, which gave Saad Muhammad the contest by a single point, demonstrated how important they were. Conteh attempted one final effort in the 15th, but he was tired and repeatedly came forward with his head low. Saad Muhammad retained his advantage and reached the final bell with the stronger finish.

The decision itself was soon overshadowed by the treatment applied to Saad Muhammad’s cut. His cornermen, Adolph Ritacco and Nick Belflore, were suspended by the New Jersey State Athletic Commission after using a solution of adrenaline chloride mixed with ground tea leaves. The WBC permitted only petroleum jelly or an approved adrenaline chloride solution on cuts and therefore refused to allow the championship result to stand without further action. The organisation declared the bout a no-contest and ordered a rematch, although the original unanimous-decision verdict remained in the fighters’ professional records, with a note explaining the ruling. The controversy should not obscure the course of the fight. Conteh had boxed impressively for long stretches and had taken advantage of a genuine injury caused by an accidental butt. Saad Muhammad had nevertheless survived the damage, forced the contest into close quarters and secured the two knockdowns which separated the men on the official cards. Their second meeting was held at the same Atlantic City venue on March 29, 1980, when Saad Muhammad ended the dispute by flooring Conteh five times in the fourth round and winning by stoppage.

I’ve always rated Conteh as one of Britain’s most naturally gifted light-heavyweights. Early on, he showed why: sharp jab, clever feet and clean right-hand counters, making Saad Muhammad look crude at times. After the accidental clash opened Saad’s left eye in the fifth, Conteh took control and appeared close to regaining the title. But Saad was one of boxing’s great survivors. The worse matters became, the harder he fought. Conteh slowed, Saad dragged him into a physical contest, then dropped him twice with left hooks in the 14th to secure the decision. Those knockdowns settled it for me. The illegal cut treatment rightly caused controversy and forced a rematch, but Conteh still allowed a badly damaged champion to escape. Against Saad Muhammad, that was fatal.