January 22, 2004

Eddie Mustafa Muhammad is a big man with a big tattoo on his left shoulder. It reads:

“Loved by few. Hated by many. Respected by all.”

That was Muhammad’s dogma when he battered his way up the ranks during the ‘70s and early ‘80s, winning a world title by fighting some of the toughest hombres to ever line the light heavyweight ranks; his motto, when he turned to training fighters after retirement, bringing five fighters to world championships; and, now, more than ever, words of power for Muhammad when forming the Joint Association of Boxing—alias “JAB”—earlier this year.

The need for a boxing union has been long overdue.

“I’ve got people against me,” says Muhammad. “I got promoters against me, but this is the way it has to be. I’m looking forward to fighting them head on.

“Bottom line is, we’re not gonna be used anymore.”

At the Oscar De La Hoya vs. Shane Mosley fight earlier this month at the MGM Grand, Muhammad raised more than a few eyebrows when he spent the night hobnobbing with the likes of Arizona Senator John McCain and Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa.

No doubt about it, the man formerly known as Eddie Gregory is a dangerous man. Should his union ever reach its full potential, it’s going to change the entire sport and, quite possibly, flip the hierarchy of power in boxing.

When asked if he’s ever considered getting a bullet-proof vest, Muhammad laughs:

“I already got suited for one last year, I better start wearing it!”

The union may be far from operational, but it’s well past the point of pipe dream and well into the realm of certainty.

Here’s what’s on the table:

A minimum pay scale for fighters.

Health insurance.

Retirement funds.

Pension benefit plans.

These will all be available to prizefighters through JAB.

“Want a kicker?” asks Muhammad. “When you retire from boxing, we’ll get you a job.”

Hoffa has already pledged his support, and earlier this summer, announced the process of affiliating JAB with the Teamsters.

“We’re not waiting for the fighter to be down and out. We’re working on this day and night.”

Some still see it as an impossibility, but if it catches on—and all it really needs is the organized support of the athletes—there are going to be some big, big changes in boxing over the next few years.

“There’s already a snowball effect in place,” says Muhammad.

“I got over a thousand membership cards from fighters all over the country. I got union representatives all over the place—I got the big networks pledging support, and big name people stepping up—like David Tua and Emmanuel Steward. I got too many big people behind me saying, ‘Let’s go.’”

Muhammad says only the promoters will have something to lose.

“We’ll be able to go to them and say, ‘Open up your books, let’s see what’s up.’ We’ll have scale pay and attorneys making sure everyone gets paid. We’ll have protection—it’s just a matter of time. It may take one year, it may take two, but this union is going to thrive.

“Guaranteed.”

This article originally appeared on UpperCutBoxing.com on January 22, 2004 and was written by Chris Cozzone.
 

©2003-2007 Joint Association of Boxers
P.O. Box 2662
New York, NY 10108
Eddie Mustafa Muhammad
(202) 437-5755
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