{"id":70470,"date":"2018-02-22T16:40:04","date_gmt":"2018-02-22T21:40:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=70470"},"modified":"2018-02-22T16:56:18","modified_gmt":"2018-02-22T21:56:18","slug":"eddie-mustafa-muhammad-discusses-deontay-wilder-vs-luis-ortizanthony-joshua-training-fighters-a-boxing-union-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=70470","title":{"rendered":"Eddie Mustafa Muhammad: Discusses Deontay Wilder Vs Luis Ortiz\/Anthony Joshua, Training Fighters, A Boxing Union & More\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Exclusive Interview by Joshua \u201cCity\u201d Brewer<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBoxing needs a union. I\u2019m sure somewhere down the road it will happen. It may not happen tomorrow or the next day, but I\u2019m pretty positive that boxing will one day get a union going.\u201d\u2014Eddie Mustafa Muhammad<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, 50-9-1, 39 KO\u2019s, 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\u2019s looking out for the fighters in the sport of boxing as he\u2019s one of the founders of the Joint Association of Boxers, an attempt to unionize the sport of boxing. His efforts haven\u2019t gone unnoticed and as boxing is currently on the uptick as far as popularity, this begs the question as to what\u2019s in store for the future of the sport as it continues to become more mainstream? <\/p>\n

A New York native, Muhammad has always been one to keep it real. He doesn\u2019t sugar coat anything and tells it like it is.<\/p>\n

JB: Hello, Eddie. It\u2019s a pleasure to be able to speak with you, thank you for taking the time to do this interview.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

No Problem.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

JB: First and foremost, are you still training fighters?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Yes, this is what I do for a living, create world champions.<\/p>\n

JB: Who are some of the young fighters you\u2019re training currently that fans should be on the lookout for?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

We have a couple of guys coming over from Romania. They\u2019re undefeated and will probably be fighting in Las Vegas, NV, next month.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Well, they\u2019re going to eventually up their skill level. They come over to the United States to get a lot of teaching. I\u2019ve trained a lot of guys from all of the world, and that\u2019s good for the sport.<\/p>\n

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\u2019re still actively working?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Yes! Listen, boxing need to be organized, that\u2019s 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\u2019s all said and done, what\u2019s going to happen with a lot of these boxers who don\u2019t become world champions?<\/p>\n

\"\"JB: I recall reading in \u201cBad\u201d Brad Berkwitt\u2019s book, \u201cBoxing Interviews of a Lifetime,\u201d<\/a> 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?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Exactly! Boxing needs a union. I\u2019m sure somewhere down the road it will happen. It may not happen tomorrow or the next day, but I\u2019m pretty positive that boxing will one day get a union going.<\/p>\n

JB: It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

You can\u2019t box forever. Boxing is a young man\u2019s sport. Some guys box until they\u2019re 40 to 50 years old. Sometimes you can\u2019t do that. George Foreman was fortunate enough to box and win a world title at a late age, and became a multimillionaire. But, that\u2019s a once in a lifetime situation.<\/p>\n

JB: Some of this is on the commissions. They shouldn\u2019t be approving these fights with older guys in against young guns when they\u2019re overmatched and can no longer compete at that level.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Exactly. That\u2019s like I said, boxing is a young man\u2019s sport.<\/p>\n

JB: You\u2019re 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?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s sometimes hard to compare eras.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

There are a lot of Europeans. There are a lot of Russian and German guys fighting in the light heavyweight division. It\u2019s starting to make a lot of noise now, and that\u2019s great. When I fought, we were the best division in boxing along with the heavyweight division.<\/p>\n

JB: There are some good fights lined up in the light heavyweight division.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

You have a few good light heavyweights out there. From Russia and Ukraine. You\u2019ve got about four that could become champions.<\/p>\n

JB: You\u2019re a New Yorker, born and raised. The Barclays Center is becoming somewhat of a hotbed for boxing. We\u2019ve got Deontay Wilder Vs Luis Ortiz coming up. What are your thoughts on that fight?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

That\u2019s going to be a great fight. You\u2019ve 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\u2019s great for the sport.<\/p>\n

JB: From a fan perspective, we eventually want to see Anthony Joshua Vs Deontay Wilder. What do you think of that heavyweight unification fight?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Well, it all depends on where it\u2019s held at. And looking at it from a business standpoint, it has to be held in Europe, particularly England. That\u2019s where the big boxing scene is at and there\u2019s a huge, huge fanbase over there for Joshua. If Wilder wants to make that money then he has to ride Anthony Joshua\u2019s coattail. That\u2019s where the money is. Anthony Joshua brings the money in. No doubt about that. I think Wilder will go over there if the money\u2019s right.<\/p>\n

JB: I don\u2019t 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.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

No problem, you got it. Thanks very much\u2026<\/p>\n