Elisha Obed
Everette Ferguson BEM (21 February 1952 – 28 June 2018), better known as Elisha Obed was a Bahamian light middleweight boxer.[1] He is the only professional world boxing champion in history to come from the Bahamas.
| Elisha Obed | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Everette Ferguson |
| Weight(s) | Light middleweight |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) |
| Reach | 72 in (183 cm) |
| Nationality | Bahamian |
| Born | 21 February 1952 Nassau, Bahamas |
| Died | 28 June 2018 (aged 66) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 120 |
| Wins | 91 |
| Wins by KO | 60 |
| Losses | 22 |
| Draws | 4 |
| No contests | 3 |
Boxing career
Amateur career
Obed entered the amateur ranks at age 12. Fighting almost weekly, he ran up an undefeated record of 46-0 (16 knockouts). At the age of 14, he became a professional boxer.[2]
Professional career
For almost 6 years, he lingered on small promotions on the island of Nassau, in the Bahamas. He was billed as undefeated, but he had lost a fight by knockout to veteran Kid Carew. His loss to Kid Carew was unlisted for almost 8 years, as he was reported incorrectly as undefeated in the press until his loss to Eckhard Dagge.
Veteran trainer and promoter Moe Fleischer travelled to Nassau to "check-out" this upcoming prospect. Mike Dundee, nephew of Angelo Dundee, came in as his manager.
Soon after, Obed was fighting main events. He earned a top ten ranking by knocking out former title contender Bunny Grant. Obed made his U.S. debut in Florida. Knocked out every top middleweight boxer in Florida in the early 1970s, including state Champion Dennis Riggs and former champion Jimmy Williams.
In 1975, he captured the WBC Light Middleweight Title by defeating Miguel de Oliveira. He defended the title twice before losing the belt to Germany's Eckhard Dagge in 1976,[3] after which he quit, claiming he had blurred vision. Obed stated that he had been thumbed in the eye by a Dagge. In actuality, he was later found to have a detached retina and was legally blind in that eye.
Obed decided to enter the middleweight ranks. He later fought Australian Rocky Mattioli for the world championship title but was knocked out in the seventh round. By 27, he was back to where he started from, fighting on local fight cards in Nassau. He retired in 1988.
Professional boxing record
| 120 fights | 91 wins | 22 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 60 | 9 |
| By decision | 31 | 12 |
| By disqualification | 0 | 1 |
| Draws | 4 | |
| No contests | 3 | |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 120 | Win | 91–22–4 (3) | James Coakley | PTS | 10 (10) | 06/03/1988 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 119 | Loss | 90–22–4 (3) | James Coakley | PTS | 10 (10) | 21/03/1987 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 118 | Loss | 90–21–4 (3) | Arnold Neal | KO | 4 (?) | 02/02/1986 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 117 | Loss | 90–20–4 (3) | Earl Boger | TKO | 8 (10) | 22/01/1986 | Sheraton Charleston Hotel, Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. | |
| 116 | Loss | 90–19–4 (3) | Arnold Neal | KO | 5 (?) | 17/05/1985 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 115 | Win | 90–18–4 (3) | Rocky Fabrizio | PTS | 10 (10) | 28/09/1984 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 114 | Loss | 89–18–4 (3) | Jeff Nelson | TKO | 8 (10) | 18/06/1984 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 113 | Win | 89–17–4 (3) | Eddie Flanning | PTS | 10 (10) | 31/03/1984 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 112 | Loss | 88–17–4 (3) | Samuel Whyms | PTS | 10 (10) | 16/09/1983 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 111 | Win | 88–16–4 (3) | Allen Briscoe | KO | 3 (?) | 01/07/1983 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 110 | Loss | 87–16–4 (3) | Jeff Nelson | PTS | 10 (10) | 22/03/1983 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 109 | Win | 87–15–4 (3) | Lonnie Wilcox | KO | 3 (?) | 05/11/1982 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 108 | Loss | 86–15–4 (3) | Willie Ray Taylor | PTS | 8 (8) | 15/05/1982 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 107 | Loss | 86–14–4 (3) | Homer Jackson | PTS | 10 (10) | 16/02/1982 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 106 | Loss | 86–13–4 (3) | Bobby Czyz | DQ | 6 (10) | 12/11/1981 | Meadowlands Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| 105 | Loss | 86–12–4 (3) | Ralph Hollett | UD | 10 (10) | 25/08/1981 | Halifax Metro Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada | |
| 104 | Win | 86–11–4 (3) | Edison Stubbs | KO | 2 (?) | 10/08/1981 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 103 | Win | 85–11–4 (3) | Sherwin Johnson | PTS | 10 (10) | 01/05/1981 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 102 | Win | 84–11–4 (3) | Homer Jackson | PTS | 10 (10) | 25/03/1981 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 101 | Win | 83–11–4 (3) | Eddie McNeeley | KO | 4 (?) | 14/03/1981 | Freeport, Bahamas | |
| 100 | Win | 82–11–4 (3) | Rocky Stevens | TKO | 9 (10) | 30/01/1981 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 99 | Win | 81–11–4 (3) | Sammy Masias | KO | 5 (10) | 07/10/1980 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 98 | Loss | 80–11–4 (3) | Steve Gregory | UD | 10 (10) | 24/07/1980 | Downtown Sheraton Hotel Ballroom, Columbus, Ohio, U.S. | |
| 97 | Win | 80–10–4 (3) | Apakuki Sakuru | PTS | 10 (10) | 30/05/1980 | Suva, Fiji | |
| 96 | Loss | 79–10–4 (3) | Fulgencio Obelmejias | TKO | 3 (10) | 03/03/1980 | Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 95 | Win | 79–9–4 (3) | Willie Featherstone | SD | 10 (10) | 12/02/1980 | Paul Sauvé Arena, Montreal, Quebec, Canada | |
| 94 | Win | 78–9–4 (3) | Sammy Barr | KO | 4 (?) | 26/12/1979 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 93 | NC | 77–9–4 (3) | Sammy Barr | NC | 6 (?) | 23/11/1979 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 92 | Win | 77–9–4 (2) | Richie Lee Roberts | PTS | 10 (10) | 19/10/1979 | Freeport, Bahamas | |
| 91 | Loss | 76–9–4 (2) | Curtis Parker | TKO | 7 (10) | 11/09/1979 | Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| 90 | Win | 76–8–4 (2) | Charlie Grimmett | KO | 9 (10) | 17/08/1979 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 89 | Win | 75–8–4 (2) | Hector Maldonado | KO | 5 (?) | 22/06/1979 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 88 | Win | 74–8–4 (2) | Terry Rondeau | KO | 6 (10) | 04/05/1979 | Nassau Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 87 | Win | 73–8–4 (2) | Pablo Rodriguez | KO | 5 (10) | 21/04/1979 | Freeport, Bahamas | |
| 86 | Win | 72–8–4 (2) | Juan Serrano | PTS | 10 (10) | 30/03/1979 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 85 | Win | 71–8–4 (2) | Lionel Cameron | KO | 4 (?) | 23/02/1979 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 84 | NC | 70–8–4 (2) | A W Muhammad | NC | 4 (?) | 13/01/1979 | Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 83 | Loss | 70–8–4 (1) | Tony Chiaverini | UD | 10 (10) | 02/12/1978 | Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. | |
| 82 | Loss | 70–7–4 (1) | Georg Steinherr | PTS | 10 (10) | 31/10/1978 | Munich, West Germany | |
| 81 | Loss | 70–6–4 (1) | Marijan Beneš | PTS | 10 (10) | 02/09/1978 | Berlin, West Germany | |
| 80 | Win | 70–5–4 (1) | Henry Tiger Hall | TKO | 7 (?) | 28/04/1978 | Nassau Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 79 | Loss | 69–5–4 (1) | Rocky Mattioli | KO | 7 (15) | 11/03/1978 | Kooyong Stadium, Melbourne, Australia | For WBC light middleweight title |
| 78 | Loss | 69–4–4 (1) | Joao Mendonca | UD | 10 (10) | 02/12/1977 | Ginásio do Ibirapuera, Sao Paulo, Brazil | |
| 77 | Win | 69–3–4 (1) | Henry Mitchell | KO | 3 (10) | 23/10/1977 | California Beach Club, Miami, Florida, U.S. | |
| 76 | Loss | 68–3–4 (1) | Ayub Kalule | PTS | 10 (10) | 02/06/1977 | Randers Hallen, Randers, Denmark | |
| 75 | Draw | 68–2–4 (1) | Jean Claude LeClair | SD | 10 (10) | 22/02/1977 | Paul Sauvé Arena, Montreal, Quebec, Canada | |
| 74 | Win | 68–2–3 (1) | Fernand Marcotte | UD | 10 (10) | 18/01/1977 | Forum, Montreal, Quebec, Canada | |
| 73 | Win | 67–2–3 (1) | Sammy Barr | SD | 10 (10) | 19/11/1976 | Nassau Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 72 | Draw | 66–2–3 (1) | Sammy Barr | PTS | 10 (10) | 24/09/1976 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 71 | Win | 66–2–2 (1) | Victor Taco Perez | UD | 10 (10) | 21/09/1976 | Orlando Sports Stadium, Orlando, Florida, U.S. | |
| 70 | Win | 65–2–2 (1) | Larry Brasier | KO | 1 (10) | 07/08/1976 | Freeport, Bahamas | |
| 69 | Loss | 64–2–2 (1) | Eckhard Dagge | TKO | 10 (15) | 18/06/1976 | Deutschlandhalle, Charlottenburg, West Germany | Lost WBC light middleweight title |
| 68 | Win | 64–1–2 (1) | Sea Robinson | UD | 15 (15) | 24/04/1976 | Palais des Sports de Treichville, Abidjan, Ivory Coast | Retained WBC light middleweight title |
| 67 | Win | 63–1–2 (1) | Tony Gardner | KO | 2 (15) | 28/02/1976 | Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre, Nassau, Bahamas | Retained WBC light middleweight title |
| 66 | Win | 62–1–2 (1) | Miguel de Oliveira | RTD | 10 (15) | 13/11/1975 | Nouvelle Hippodrome, Paris, France | Won WBC light middleweight title |
| 65 | Win | 61–1–2 (1) | Nick Peoples | KO | 6 (10) | 13/10/1975 | Nassau Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 64 | Win | 60–1–2 (1) | Gene Wells | KO | 5 (10) | 22/07/1975 | Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 63 | Win | 59–1–2 (1) | Chucho Garcia | TKO | 5 (10) | 20/06/1975 | Freeport, Bahamas | |
| 62 | Win | 58–1–2 (1) | Nat King | KO | 8 (?) | 30/05/1975 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 61 | Win | 57–1–2 (1) | Marcel Clay | KO | 8 (10) | 29/04/1975 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 60 | Win | 56–1–2 (1) | Manuel Elizondo | KO | 10 (10) | 22/02/1975 | Community Center, Tucson, Arizona, U.S. | |
| 59 | Win | 55–1–2 (1) | Fernand Marcotte | TKO | 11 (12) | 21/01/1975 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | Won vacant NABF light middleweight title |
| 58 | Win | 54–1–2 (1) | Sammy Rookard | UD | 10 (10) | 25/12/1974 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 57 | Win | 53–1–2 (1) | Renato Garcia | UD | 10 (10) | 16/11/1974 | Community Center, Tucson, Arizona, U.S. | |
| 56 | Win | 52–1–2 (1) | Johnny Rico | KO | 2 (10) | 19/10/1974 | Community Center, Tucson, Arizona, U.S. | |
| 55 | Win | 51–1–2 (1) | Bobby Williams | TKO | 5 (10) | 27/09/1974 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 54 | Win | 50–1–2 (1) | Guillermo Escalera | KO | 5 (10) | 06/09/1974 | Freeport, Bahamas | |
| 53 | Win | 49–1–2 (1) | Frank Flores | KO | 5 (10) | 16/08/1974 | Community Center, Tucson, Arizona, U.S. | |
| 52 | Win | 48–1–2 (1) | Carlos Marks | UD | 10 (10) | 11/07/1974 | A.F. Adderley Auditorium, Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 51 | Draw | 47–1–2 (1) | Dario Hidalgo | MD | 10 (10) | 11/06/1974 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 50 | Win | 47–1–1 (1) | Chucho Garcia | PTS | 10 (10) | 31/05/1974 | Freeport, Bahamas | |
| 49 | Win | 46–1–1 (1) | Roy Lee | UD | 10 (10) | 26/04/1974 | Nassau Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 48 | Win | 45–1–1 (1) | Jesse Rios | KO | 2 (10) | 09/04/1974 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 47 | Win | 44–1–1 (1) | Eddie Davis | TKO | 5 (10) | 15/03/1974 | Nassau Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 46 | Win | 43–1–1 (1) | Vicente Medina | TKO | 7 (10) | 26/02/1974 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 45 | Win | 42–1–1 (1) | Windell Spencer | TKO | 3 (10) | 15/02/1974 | Nassau Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 44 | Win | 41–1–1 (1) | Tom Von Hatten | TKO | 2 (10) | 15/01/1974 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 43 | Win | 40–1–1 (1) | Saulo Hernandez | TKO | 1 (10) | 14/12/1973 | Nassau Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 42 | Win | 39–1–1 (1) | Mike Lankester | RTD | 7 (10) | 04/12/1973 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 41 | Win | 38–1–1 (1) | Dennis Riggs | KO | 4 (10) | 13/11/1973 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
| 40 | Win | 37–1–1 (1) | Jose Papo Melendez | RTD | 7 (10) | 19/10/1973 | Boca Raton Resort & Club, Boca Raton, Florida, U.S. | |
| 39 | Win | 36–1–1 (1) | Bunny Grant | UD | 10 (10) | 28/09/1973 | Nassau Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 38 | Win | 35–1–1 (1) | Doug Rogers | TKO | 4 (10) | 06/08/1973 | A.F. Adderley Auditorium, Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 37 | Win | 34–1–1 (1) | Jimmy Williams | KO | 1 (10) | 19/07/1973 | Camelot Room, Freeport, Bahamas | |
| 36 | Win | 33–1–1 (1) | Cliff Johnson | TKO | 3 (10) | 25/05/1973 | Nassau Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 35 | Win | 32–1–1 (1) | Roy Goss | UD | 10 (10) | 23/04/1973 | Nassau Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 34 | Win | 31–1–1 (1) | Al Cook | TKO | 6 (10) | 29/03/1973 | Nassau Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 33 | Win | 30–1–1 (1) | Terry Hayward | KO | 1 (10) | 23/02/1973 | Nassau Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 32 | Win | 29–1–1 (1) | Sandy Torres | KO | 8 (10) | 26/01/1973 | Nassau Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 31 | Win | 28–1–1 (1) | Joe Hooks | KO | 6 (10) | 17/11/1972 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 30 | Win | 27–1–1 (1) | Prince Jimmy Hamm | KO | 8 (10) | 26/08/1972 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 29 | Win | 26–1–1 (1) | Roscoe Bell | PTS | 10 (10) | 15/07/1972 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 28 | Win | 25–1–1 (1) | Dorman Crawford | KO | 10 (?) | 26/05/1972 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 27 | Win | 24–1–1 (1) | Sugar Cliff | TKO | 6 (12) | 08/04/1972 | Nassau, Bahamas | Won Bahamas Welterweight Title |
| 26 | Win | 23–1–1 (1) | Larry Adkins | PTS | 10 (10) | 25/09/1971 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 25 | Win | 22–1–1 (1) | Ray Minus | UD | 15 (15) | 05/06/1971 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 24 | Win | 21–1–1 (1) | Carl Starling | KO | 3 (10) | 01/05/1971 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 23 | Win | 20–1–1 (1) | Don Fraser | KO | 10 (10) | 20/12/1970 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 22 | Win | 19–1–1 (1) | Buddy Taylor | PTS | 10 (10) | 27/11/1970 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 21 | Win | 18–1–1 (1) | Droopy Davis | TKO | 7 (10) | 29/08/1970 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 20 | Win | 17–1–1 (1) | Bert Woods | KO | 3 (?) | 15/05/1970 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 19 | Win | 16–1–1 (1) | Milton Hall | KO | 2 (?) | 03/04/1970 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 18 | Win | 15–1–1 (1) | Don Fraser | PTS | 8 (8) | 08/12/1969 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 17 | Win | 14–1–1 (1) | Sandy Ronnie Jeffries | PTS | 8 (8) | 31/10/1969 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 16 | Win | 13–1–1 (1) | Winston Green | PTS | 8 (8) | 26/09/1969 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 15 | Win | 12–1–1 (1) | Sugarboy Monroe | KO | 1 (?) | 15/08/1969 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 14 | Win | 11–1–1 (1) | Droopy Davis | PTS | 8 (8) | 11/07/1969 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 13 | Win | 10–1–1 (1) | Kid Joe | KO | 6 (?) | 14/03/1969 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 12 | Win | 9–1–1 (1) | Cornbread Rhamina | KO | 5 (?) | 21/02/1969 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 11 | Win | 8–1–1 (1) | Roscoe Russell | KO | 2 (?) | 07/02/1969 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 10 | Win | 7–1–1 (1) | Mike Whymms | KO | 1 (?) | 20/01/1969 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 9 | Win | 6–1–1 (1) | Taylor Ventura | KO | 2 (?) | 02/12/1968 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 8 | Win | 5–1–1 (1) | Mike Whymms | KO | 3 (?) | 22/11/1968 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 7 | Win | 4–1–1 (1) | Freddie Major | PTS | 4 (4) | 10/08/1968 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 6 | Win | 3–1–1 (1) | Tony Mortimer | PTS | 4 (4) | 16/02/1968 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 5 | Loss | 2–1–1 (1) | Kid Carew | KO | 2 (?) | 11/12/1967 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 4 | Draw | 2–0–1 (1) | Taylor Ventura | PTS | 4 (4) | 10/11/1967 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 3 | NC | 2–0 (1) | Pino Romano | NC | 3 (4) | 13/10/1967 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Taylor Ventura | KO | 1 (?) | 15/09/1967 | Nassau, Bahamas | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Edison Stubbs | PTS | 4 (4) | 10/08/1967 | Nassau, Bahamas |
Later life
Obed received a British Empire Medal for services to sport in the 2016 New Year Honours. He passed away on 28 June 2018 after a long illness.[4]
References
- Elisha Obed was known as a hard-hitting boxer (PDF), Bahamas.gov.bs, retrieved October 11, 2013
- "Tributes paid to boxing icon 'Elisha Obed'". www.tribune242.com. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
- "Elisha Obed passes at age 66". Eye Witness News. 2018-06-30. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
- "Boxing Champion Everette "Elisha Obed" Ferguson passes at 66". Bahamas Press. Retrieved 2022-10-09.
External links
- Boxing record for Elisha Obed from BoxRec (registration required)
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