Part V of a multi-part series.
Murad Muhammad was asked why he gave Manny Pacquiao this supposed $60,000 ‘bonus’ in the wake of his fighter?s big win over Marco Antonio Barrera. The promoter answered: “Because I’m a good guy.”
He would then talk of his bringing Razor Ruddock to tears before his fight with Michael Dokes in 1990 by giving him a ‘bonus’ that consisted of a diamond laden Rolex watch.
In various interviews given by Muhammad, he repeatedly brings up his past relationship the big Canadian heavyweight as an example of the philanthropy, guidance and care that he gives his fighters. At the height of their union, Ruddock was a highly ranked and well-respected heavyweight in the early 1990s and they reached their apex when Ruddock went 19 tough rounds with Mike Tyson within three months in 1991. He would lose both fights, but had acquitted himself well in the process.
After two wins following his defeats to Tyson Ruddock would then get blown out by Lennox Lewis in October of 1992. He would then proceed to take more than a year away from the ring before scoring a ten-round decision over Anthony Wade in January of 1994. But then that long layoff was followed by a 15-month hiatus coming into his pay-per-view event against Tommy Morrison.
And what happened to Ruddock during that ordeal leading up to the fight, probably had Ruddock in tears again because of Muhammad.
Tony Holden, who was promoting the event had contacted Muhammad for Ruddock to face Morrison in June of 1995. Holden was not aware at the time that Muhammad’s relationship with Ruddock had been strained, to say the least. Eventually he would make a deal for Ruddock to earn $300,000 plus a dollar for every pay-per-view buy with Muhammad getting a separate fee.
To promote the event Holden held a series of press conferences across the country that went on without Ruddock. When Holden questioned Muhammad as to why his fighter was absent, Muhammad would simply tell Holden that his fighter was dealing with some problems, but assured him that he would be there for the fight.
Finally, Ruddock did make an appearance in Kansas City to shoot the commercial for the fight, but Muhammad would tell Holden not to talk to his fighter. While in a car together, Holden had mentioned to Ruddock that he hoped the pay-per-view did well so that he could make more money. Later Holden was admonished by Muhammad for even broaching the subject to Ruddock.
After a press conference in Miami ? in which Ruddock didn’t show ? Holden, a short while afterwards, would get a phone call from Ruddock. The subject of the call was to find out just what his compensation was for this fight. A flabbergasted Holden would state to Ruddock that he should already know since he had signed a contract.
Ruddock would tell Holden that he had never actually seen a contract and that Muhammad was attempting to get him to sign a contract with much lower figures ? $200,000 and 50-cents a household. When Holden would confront Muhammad as to whether he had gotten Ruddock to sign the contract, Muhammad would respond by saying that he did have a signed document ? but was more than ambiguous on just whose signature he actually had.
In response, Holden would sign Ruddock to his own deal and the fight would proceed with Morrison knocking out Ruddock in six exciting rounds. In the aftermath, Muhammad would file suit against Holden on various charges like ‘tortuous interference’ and got an injunction to hold all the money from the fight into escrow, barring anyone involved from getting paid. But Muhammad’s case was so flimsy and dubious that the suit, which was heard in a New Jersey district court, was thrown out and deemed a frivolous suit. Muhammad was made to pay for all of Holden’s expenses related to his legal fees.
On August 21st, 1995 in Newark, New Jersey the honorable Alfred M. Wolin would address the parties involved as he gave his closing statement after two-and-a-half days of testimony.
“And it’s cases like this,” said Wolin, “where boxing commissions, state legislators and the Congress of the United States have not provided the necessary oversight to see the manner in which boxing is conducted, that the Court, on occasion, when asked to step into a breach such as this, has the opportunity to demonstrate its public policy concerns as to an industry that can captivate, last Saturday night one million households.
“And one must have concern for the manner in which boxing is conducted.”
He would add a short time later “This case is going to turn on credibility.”
Then he would state “And the agreements that I focused on are the May 1st bout agreement, the May 1st promotion agreement.”
Testifying in this case were Bob Lee, Delroy Ruddock, Adrian Davis (who trained Ruddock for this fight), Nathan Brown, Muhammad and Holden. After talking about the testimony of Lee, then the head of the IBF, who talked off the various roles and protocol played by managers and promoters in the game. He then talked about Muhammad.
“Mr. Muhammad spoke of his 17 years as a boxing promoter; that he had promoted 12 of Razor Ruddock?s prior fights, but that in 1993 to 1995, Mr. Ruddock was no longer promoted by Mr. Muhammad because Mr. Razor Ruddock had signed an agreement with the promoter Don King. “And I’m not going to rehash all the reasons why it occurred because it’s not relevant to my findings. What I find surprising in this particular case ? and this is one of my public-policy comments ? is that a promoter can promote a fighter and never speak to the fighter.
“What is the fighter ? a piece of meat? Chopped liver? that a promoter is going to make the type of money that a promoter is capable of earning, and never speaks to the fighter involved?
“I find it incomprehensible. I find it severely taints the credibility of Mr. Muhammad in this particular case, because one then has to say, Well, why doesn’t the promoter speak to the fighter? Is there something that the promoter wants to hide from the fighter? Or is it, as Mr. Razor Ruddock indicates in this case, that he felt that the breach between Mr. Muhammad and himself was so great that he never wanted Mr. Muhammad to promote him again.
“And although I find as a matter of fact that he had no objection to Mr. Muhammad being a co-promoter in association with Mr. Holden, I also find it as a matter of fact that could only occur if, in fact, Mr. Muhammad was not going to receive anything from Razor Ruddock.
“Mr. Muhammad acknowledges the precept that Mr. Lee testified to, that it’s a no-no in the business, that a promoter does not take any money from it’s fighter.
“But when you look at the way the monies were negotiated here, and Murad Muhammad indicates that he’s gong to take 25-percent of the gross that he generates, who’s he really taking it from?
“He’s taking it from the fighter.”
(Sound familiar, folks?)
“He negotiated that 25-percent of the gross with Delroy Ruddock. That 25-percent of the gross was never discussed with Razor Ruddock.”
Later, Wolin would discuss the actual promoting of the event.
“There were several events that were supposed to occur before this June 10th fight was to take place. There was a New York press conference; there was to be an ESPN fight, there was a press conference in Kansas City, if I remember. No Razor Ruddock.
“Mr. Muhammad, you didn’t produce him. You’re such a skilled promoter, by your own words, you have so much interest in your fighter, you know what it takes to promote a fight; and in three key events, you don’t produce him.
“Razor Ruddock appeared at the Miami press conference. And I don’t know that he appeared there because of anything that Mr. Muhammad had to do with it.”
He would continue by saying “One thing, Mr. Muhammad, you’re the co-promoter with Mr. Holden over there, of course, there’s one difference: You don’t have any money riding on the line because you didn’t put any money up. Mr. Holden is the one on the line with the financial commitment ? and you didn’t contact Razor Ruddock.
“And you know, in your testimony, you also indicated that ? and we know from your testimony and the testimony of Mr. Holden, Mr. Holden gets on the wire, as a matter of courtesy calls you: What’s happening? And you say ‘Ah, hey, listen, don’t get excited, leave it to the manager. You know?
“Mr. Holden has indicated he?s hanging out there for a lot of money; he’s got TV people, he’s got the arena, he’s got the undercard, all his money. And you’re saying, ‘Ah, leave it to the manager’.
“Well, you allege in your complaint that Mr. Holden interfered with you. Well, I’m going to tell you; I don’t think he interfered with you in the slightest.
“I think Mr. Holden acted responsibly, at a certain time he receives a call from an attorney, he receives an affidavit from Mr. Ruddock, and it indicates that this fight is in trouble, and then does what he has to do in entering into another contract on June 1st.
“You know, in your testimony, Mr. Muhammad, you indicated that reputations and credibility are important.
“Well, if you’re the best that boxing represents, then the credibility and reputation of boxing is severely scarred.”
The judge would then go on a process of discrediting Muhammad’s claim that he did have the promotional rights to Ruddock and had completely misrepresented himself in doing so.
“The May 12th agreement is Murad Muhammad’s exclusive right to promote. And as Mr. Arseneault indicated in his cross that if you just read the May 12th agreement alone, you wouldn’t know there’s a Tony Holden that is the real promoter in this case. And when you place the May 12th agreement in juxtaposition with the May 1st agreement, the amounts of money are strikingly different, different for the guaranteed amount. It’s $200,000 in the May 12th agreement, and in the May 1st bout agreement, it’s $270,000.
“And let me tell you something about public policy, and let me tell you something about fairness.
“How dare you enter into an agreement on May 12th, alleged agreement on May 12th, with Donovan ?Razor? Ruddock, which he never saw until the 24th ? which I’ll say as a matter of fact ? and not even include the reference there’s a bout agreement, that there’s a promotion agreement, or attach them as exhibits?
“Don’t you think that’s fair dealing, to attach the other agreements, so people know?
“You see, I think promoters should be held to what they negotiate. You know, you’re trying to get the most for your fighters, so you break it down, you make two agreements with Mr. Holden.
“Well, I don’t think that’s the way you should do business, Mr. Muhammad.”
Judge Wolin would then implore boxing commissions to make sure people like Muhammad be made to file every penny they were to get before fights ever took place.
Wolin summed up the relationship between the promoter and fighter, thusly “Razor Ruddock would have no more given Murad Muhammad the right to promote him for all the tea in China.”
The judge would then focus on the role that Ruddocks estranged brother, Delroy had in working in cahoots with Muhammad to produce a forged contract for the Morrison fight. Wolin was convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt, that it was not Razor Ruddocks signature on the contract.
“And once again,” Wolin would say, “it’s not Donovan Razor Ruddock’s signature, is it? It’s a forgery, another forgery in the case.
“And Mr. Muhammad indicates, ?well, you know I negotiate; I’m one of these global guys; I worry about venue, I worry about arena, promotion, bring me and my staff in the last five days and we’re Superman.?
?Well, and the important things like signatures on a contract, your testimony is, I never thought about signatures on a contract.
“Well, I hope in the next case, you do. It’s very important. “And I don’t know why in boxing they don’t have witnesses and verified signatures. And this case demonstrates the need for such a type of legal verification.
“And I find it interesting that the May 12th agreement differs from the May 1st agreement, because it’s initialed on every page, somebody trying to pull the wool over somebody’s eyes?”
It’s clear that Judge Wolin felt as though that Ruddock?s brother, Delroy, and Muhammad, had acted in concert to deceive the fighter.
“How dare a promoter and a manager enter into a contract without having a fighter sign the agreement,” he would add. “Review that agreement, and be given the opportunity to look at the promotion agreement and the bout contract on which it is based?
“It is so violative of public policy that it is necessary for this Court to impose the extreme sanction of declaring it null and void. I find that the June 1st agreement is a valid contract.
“Mr. Holden, you did not interfere with anybody’s contractual rights. You did not engage in any fraud whatsoever.
“So what I’m saying is, as to the complaint of Worldwide (Muhammad’s company at the time), I’m dismissing all the counts. I find that they have not been proven by preponderance of the credible evidence.
“So all the Worldwide complaints are dismissed.”
Judge Wolin would conclude things with some rather pointed words that perhaps the whole industry of boxing should heed.
“I guess the last words I want to say is that I’m disappointed in the Ruddock brothers. I’m disappointed how you conducted yourselves in regard to each other.
“And, Mr. Muhammad, you may be unhappy with the Court’s decision.
“You testified as a man deeply concerned with his religious convictions, a man deeply concerned with his fighters.
“You can do better. Boxing can do better.
“There’s nothing wrong with openness, and to make the public believe that boxing is on the up-and-up, not the way it comes off as it came off in this case, and the way it comes off in the press.
“That’s the judgment of the Court.”
(The Finale, Part VI: The Toothless Tiger, why the Muhammad Ali Act is ineffective in protecting fighters)
