While many were ringing in the New Year, the Joint Association of Boxers Union founder Eddie Mustafa Muhammad was ringing me in the late evening. Eddie is preparing for a two week swing thru the eastern seaboard to sign fighters who have contacted him for union membership. JAB currently has a membership of 300 boxers, including David Tua, Derrick ?Smoke? Gainer, Wayne Braithwaite, Duncan Dokiwari, and Vivian Harris. With the support of Senator John McCain and the IBT, International Brotherhood of Teamsters with General President James Hoffa Jr. , a Boxers Union is no longer fiction but fact. Eddie weighed in on Freddie Roach, Manny Pacquiao and several other issues surrounding boxers.
? This is BS, how does a guy with a contract for $700,000 walk away with $80,000 dollars. This needs to be investigated and something done to protect standup guys like Freddie Roach and Manny Pacquiao. This promoter is not Manny?s friend, this fighter puts his life on the line every time he steps into the ring and performs. Freddie Roach uses his vast knowledge to help these fighters and then gets screwed. Forget that, Manny should be getting $700,000 no less, if it?s $699,999.99 its still wrong and bad for boxing. Bad for fighters. This promoter and others like him are killing this sport. We are losing our farm system now with ESPN and USA stepping back from its previous support. Boxing has the highest level of competition than its ever had and its at its lowest level of respectability. We have become a red light district sport, and not because of boxers.?
