By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net THIS year will mark the 50th anniversary since Everette “Elisha Obed” Ferguson claimed the world boxing title, but Wellington Miller said the boxing fraternity is still disappointed that the Bahamas Government has not yet honoured him. On November 12, 1975, Ferguson captured the World Boxing Council’s light middleweight title by defeating Miguel de Oliveira in Paris, France and defended it twice before losing it to Germany’s Eckhard Dragge on June 18, 1976 in Charlottenburg, Germany. Miller, a former heavyweight champion who has gone on to become the president of the Bahamas Olympic Committee, said November 15 will be the 50th anniversary of Elisha Obed’s feat and it’s high time the deceased boxer gets the recognition that he deserves. “This is a great opportunity for the Bahamas Government to honour Elisha Obed,” Miller said. “We’re asking the Prime Minister to announce a proclamation to honour Elisha Obed on November 12 and show the fight on ZNS so that people can see it. There is a vast amount of Bahamian people who have not seen it and a lot of people don’t realise that The Bahamas has had a world boxing champion. Fifty years is always big. Every country honours someone every 50 years, especially when they do good.” Elisha Obed’s achievement, according to Miller, was the first major accomplishment by an individual Bahamian, although Nathaniel Knowles won the silver medal as an amateur at the 1974 Central American and Caribbean Games, Sir Durward ‘Sea Wolf’ Knowles teamed up with Cecil Cooke to win the gold in the Star class of sailing at the 1964 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan after he and Sloane Farrington won the bronze at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. And Ed Armbrister captured a Major League title with the Cincinnati Reds in 1975, but that was in a team atmosphere as well. But Miller said Eisha Obed stood out for his individual prowess on the world stage as a professional, but he’s yet to receive any accolades for his tremendous feat. “What really is discouraging is that we have sent letter after letter to the government and they never give you a reply to say that they received the letter,” he said. “We’ve personally sent letters to this Prime Minister, Philihp ‘Brave’ Davis and the Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Mario Bowleg, so they can’t say they have not received any communication from the committee.” All through the Caribbean, Miller said athletes have been honored and recognized for their accomplishments, but they have still not gotten anything for Elisha Obed. He said the committee made the recognition, based on consultation with his family, to rename East Street, an area where the deceased boxer grew up, after him, but that has not been . “We need to get to the point where we teach our young people the history of the Bahamas and by honoring these individuals for their achievements, they get a better understanding of the history of the Bahamas,” Miller said. Miller said the committee was started by himself and George Turner in 1997 when they ran across a few young men who were arguing about Michael Jordan, but they didn’t know anything about Elisha Obed. The committee, which now includes Vincent Strachan, Quincy Pratt, Marvin Smith, Michelle Minus and Pat ‘the Centreville’ Assassin’ Strachan will continue to lobby for justice for Elisha Olbed. Elishja Obed started his amateur boxing career at the age of 12, producing an impressive 46-0 win-loss record before he turned pro at the age of 14. He accumulated a 91-22 record before he passed away at the age of 66 on June 28, 2018.