Eddie Mustafa Muhammad: Discusses Deontay Wilder Vs Luis Ortiz/Anthony Joshua, Training Fighters, A Boxing Union & More…

Exclusive Interview by Joshua “City” Brewer

“Boxing needs a union. I’m sure somewhere down the road it will happen. It may not happen tomorrow or the next day, but I’m pretty positive that boxing will one day get a union going.”—Eddie Mustafa Muhammad

Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, 50-9-1, 39 KO’s, is the former World Boxing Association (WBA) light heavyweight champion. He fought in an era where there was an immense amount of talent in division with the likes of Michael Spinks, Matthew Saad Muhammad, Dwight Braxton, and Victor Galindez to name just a few of the tough champions! Muhammad is one of the individuals who’s looking out for the fighters in the sport of boxing as he’s one of the founders of the Joint Association of Boxers, an attempt to unionize the sport of boxing. His efforts haven’t gone unnoticed and as boxing is currently on the uptick as far as popularity, this begs the question as to what’s in store for the future of the sport as it continues to become more mainstream?

A New York native, Muhammad has always been one to keep it real. He doesn’t sugar coat anything and tells it like it is.

JB: Hello, Eddie. It’s a pleasure to be able to speak with you, thank you for taking the time to do this interview.

No Problem.

JB: First and foremost, are you still training fighters?

Yes, this is what I do for a living, create world champions.

JB: Who are some of the young fighters you’re training currently that fans should be on the lookout for?

We have a couple of guys coming over from Romania. They’re undefeated and will probably be fighting in Las Vegas, NV, next month.

JB: Speaking of that, there are a lot good fighters coming over from eastern Europe these days. It used to be that many of these guys were considered to have a one dimensional, straight forward style. We have fighters like Vasyl Lomachenko who are out there now and have shown that he has a great skillset. Do you think it’s even across the board as far as the fighters coming over to America to take on challengers as America was deemed to have the more slick, well rounded fighters?

Well, they’re going to eventually up their skill level. They come over to the United States to get a lot of teaching. I’ve trained a lot of guys from all of the world, and that’s good for the sport.

JB: I recall that you were one of the founders of the Join Association of Boxing (JAB), which is an effort to unionize boxers. Is that something you’re still actively working?

Yes! Listen, boxing need to be organized, that’s the main thing. At the end of the day, football is organized, baseball is organized. They have unions. Boxers need that at the end of day. When it’s all said and done, what’s going to happen with a lot of these boxers who don’t become world champions?

JB: I recall reading in “Bad” Brad Berkwitt’s book, “Boxing Interviews of a Lifetime,” he was making an effort to get a retirement fund set up for boxers, which is a great thing. Do you think enough of the top players in boxing are going to get together to help push things like this forward?

Exactly! Boxing needs a union. I’m sure somewhere down the road it will happen. It may not happen tomorrow or the next day, but I’m pretty positive that boxing will one day get a union going.

JB: It’s sad to hear some of the stories of boxers who gave their all to the sport and finished their careers with practically nothing. On the business side of things there seemed to be no oversight. That may be a reason that some of these fighters are staying around too long.

You can’t box forever. Boxing is a young man’s sport. Some guys box until they’re 40 to 50 years old. Sometimes you can’t do that. George Foreman was fortunate enough to box and win a world title at a late age, and became a multimillionaire. But, that’s a once in a lifetime situation.

JB: Some of this is on the commissions. They shouldn’t be approving these fights with older guys in against young guns when they’re overmatched and can no longer compete at that level.

Exactly. That’s like I said, boxing is a young man’s sport.

JB: You’re a light heavyweight great. You had a spectacular career. You fought in a time when the division was tough and you had a lot of competition. Who gave you your toughest test looking back?

When I look back, my toughest fight was with a gentleman by the name of Mario Rosa. He knocked me down in the fifth and then in the sixth round. I got up and knocked him out in the eighth.

JB: Looking back at your career and the time that has spanned since, the light heavyweight division has a lot of talent right now. What do you think of the division now in comparison to when you fought? I know it’s sometimes hard to compare eras.

There are a lot of Europeans. There are a lot of Russian and German guys fighting in the light heavyweight division. It’s starting to make a lot of noise now, and that’s great. When I fought, we were the best division in boxing along with the heavyweight division.

JB: There are some good fights lined up in the light heavyweight division.

You have a few good light heavyweights out there. From Russia and Ukraine. You’ve got about four that could become champions.

JB: You’re a New Yorker, born and raised. The Barclays Center is becoming somewhat of a hotbed for boxing. We’ve got Deontay Wilder Vs Luis Ortiz coming up. What are your thoughts on that fight?

That’s going to be a great fight. You’ve got two guys that are undefeated. They each had stellar amateur careers. Now, these are the type of fights the fans want to see. And by them putting that fight together it’s great for the sport.

JB: From a fan perspective, we eventually want to see Anthony Joshua Vs Deontay Wilder. What do you think of that heavyweight unification fight?

Well, it all depends on where it’s held at. And looking at it from a business standpoint, it has to be held in Europe, particularly England. That’s where the big boxing scene is at and there’s a huge, huge fanbase over there for Joshua. If Wilder wants to make that money then he has to ride Anthony Joshua’s coattail. That’s where the money is. Anthony Joshua brings the money in. No doubt about that. I think Wilder will go over there if the money’s right.

JB: I don’t want to hold you any longer. It was definitely a pleasure speaking with you. Thanks for taking the time. Also, I look forward to seeing you in more of those Mayweather Boxing Club prediction videos.

No problem, you got it. Thanks very much…

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