John Conteh's Kirkby ABC vest

Many boxing fans consider John Conteh to be Britain’s greatest ever fighter. Born in Toxteth in 1951, he started boxing from an early age at Kirkby Amateur Boxing Club (ABC). This is the vest he wore while boxing for the Club as a teenager in the late 1960s. By 1970, Conteh’s natural talent had made him the Amateur Boxing Association's senior middleweight champion. In the same year he won a gold medal at the British Commonwealth Games. Turning professional in 1971, Conteh’s decision to move to the light-heavyweight category paid off when he became World Champion in 1974. The high point of his career came in 1977 when he beat American Len Hutchins at Liverpool Stadium to retain his world championship title. “…the night I beat Lennie Hutchins in front of my own crowd was unbelievable”. His last professional fight was in 1980. He was awarded an MBE in 2017 for services to boxing.