Nassau – Thursday evening The light middleweight World Champion Everette “Elisha Obed” Ferguson, passed away. He was 66 years old.
With his successful life’s journey which began in Acklins Obed had been suffering a long illness, which slowed him down over the years. But his life was full and his triumphs were many.
Around 1976, Obed was declared a national hero in the Parliament by the Pindling Government, an honour that also celebrated his achievements around the country.
In January 2016 The Christie Government upon recognition of his contributions to the Bahamas advanced Obed as recipient of the British Empire Medal in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List.
Obed was an early inductee into the National Hall of Fame. He is in the Florida Hall of Fame. As late as 2009, special tribute was paid to Obed regionally.
The Pan American Caribbean Boxing Organization (PACBO), of which veteran Fredrick Sturrup had the privilege to be the president, sponsored Obed’s trip to Jamaica, where he was showered and saluted at the inaugural Caribbean Sports Icons Awards affair.
Obed was a great fighter, entering the ring first at age 12 years.
By the time he joined the US circuit, Obed had 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 when he quit the fight, claiming he had blurred vision.
During his career Obed had 115 fights, his last in 1988 at the age of 36.
Bahamas Press salutes the life of a great Bahamian who shined on the world stage. Rest Eternal Grant unto him O LORD! Amen!
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