Bell tolls for final time for former Conteh foe by Kevin Taylor Jul 30th 2008

Former John Conteh opponent Mate Parlov has died in Pula aged 59. The former Olympic champion decisioned Conteh over fifteen rounds in Belgrade just over thirty years ago for the WBC light-heavyweight title. Conteh had been stripped of the title for refusing to defend against Miguel Cuello. Parlov won a gold medal at the 1972 Munich Olympics and was also the 1974 World Amateur champions and twice European champion. In the 1968 Olympic Games he lost to Chris Finnegan in the quarter-finals, Finnegan of course went on to capture the gold at middleweight. Conteh to this day still believes he won the fight with Parlov at the Red Star Stadium in Belgrade, "Yes, I thought I won that fight but I know I wouldn't get the decision over there in front of his home crowd. "No reflection on Mate, just the judges. It was a close fight but I was in his backyard in Belgrade." After his boxing career Parlov owned a cafe in his hometown of Pula where he died on Tuesday, five months after being diagnosed with lung cancer.

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