THE FACE OF BOXING
THE FACE OF BOXING
LEON MUHAMMAD IS BOXING THE FACE OF BOXING Leon Muhammad is Boxing Photographs by Wojtek Urbanek • Text by Thomas Hauser LEON MUHAMMAD IS BOXING Photographs by WOJTEK URBANEK | Text by THOMAS HAUSER
I n recent years, boxing has In recent years, boxing has been dominated by corporate types. Leon Muhammad is not a corporate type. Leon has been in the sweet science for more than fifty years. In the mid-1970s, he worked for Butch Lewis. Then Lewis brought the Spinks brothers - Leon and Michael - to Top Rank, and Muhammad transitioned to doing odds-and-ends work for Bob Arum. A half-century later, he’s still hustling to get what he can from promoters, matchmakers, and fighters’ camps. “There’s an inclination to dismiss Leon,” Dave McWater (one of boxing’s best managers) says. “But he has an unbelievable understanding of boxing. And whether people realize it or not, he’s paying attention all the time.” “Leon helped me a couple of times when I needed a fighter on late notice
Photographs by WOJTEK URBANEK | Text by THOMAS HAUSER
In recent years, boxing has been dominated by corporate types. Leon Muhammad is not a corporate type. Leon has been in the sweet science for more than fifty years. In the mid-1970s, he worked for Butch Lewis. Then Lewis brought the Spinks brothers - Leon and Michael - to Top Rank, and Muhammad transitioned science for more than 50 years. In the mid-1970s, he worked for Butch Lewis. Then Lewis brought the Spinks brothers – Leon and Michael – to Top Rank, and Muhammad transitioned to doing odds-and-ends work for Bob Arum. A half-century later, he’s still hustling to get what he can from promoters, matchmakers and fighters’ camps. “There’s an inclination to dismiss to doing odds-and-ends work for Bob Arum. A half-century later, he’s still hustling to get what he can from promoters, matchmakers, and fighters’ camps. “There’s an inclination to dismiss Leon,” Dave McWater (one of boxing’s best managers) says. “But he has an unbelievable understanding of boxing. And whether people realize it or not, he’s paying attention all the time.” Leon,” Dave McWater (one of boxing’s best managers) says. “But he has an unbelievable understanding of boxing. And whether people realize it or not, at the Blue Horizon,” Hall of Fame promoter Russell Peltz recalls. “He’s done that sort of thing for a lot of promoters over the years.” People like Leon: • David Diamante: “Leon is always “Leon helped me a couple of times when I needed a fighter on late notice at the Blue Horizon,” Hall of Fame promoter Russell Peltz recalls. “He’s done that sort of thing for a lot of promoters over the years.” People like Leon: • David Diamante: “Leon is always at the Blue Horizon,” Hall of Fame promoter Russell Peltz recalls. “He’s done that sort of thing for a lot of promoters over the years.” People like Leon. * David Diamante: “Leon is always He’s got a good boxing mind. He’s knowledgeable about what’s going on. He has an amazing memory and can tell you about six-round fights that happened in Philadelphia forty years ago.” been dominated by corporate types. Leon Muhammad is not a corporate type. Leon has been in the sweet he’s paying attention all the time.” “Leon helped me a couple of times when I needed a fighter on late notice friendly. There’s no pretense. He’s one of those guys who has been around a long time and has seen different eras and different fighters and knows a lot about what’s happening in boxing.” • Bruce Trampler: “I’m fond of Leon.
friendly. There’s no pretense. He’s one of those guys who has been around a long time and has seen different eras and different fighters and knows a lot about what’s happening in boxing.” • Bruce Trampler: “I’m fond of Leon. He’s got a good boxing mind. He’s knowledgeable about what’s going on. He has an amazing memory and can tell you about six-round fights that happened in Philadelphia forty years ago.” friendly. There’s no pretense. He’s one of those guys who has been around a long time and has seen different eras and different fighters and knows a lot about what’s happening in boxing.” * Bruce Trampler: “I’m fond of Leon. He’s got a good boxing mind. He’s knowledgeable about what’s going on. He has an amazing memory and can tell you about six-round fights that happened in Philadelphia 40 years ago.” • Don Turner: “Leon was always friendly to me. We weren’t close. I don’t know that he got close to anyone. But he’s a good guy.” In 2016, Leon was inducted into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame. One often hears the term “throwback fighter.” Leon is a throwback boxing character and one of the people who make boxing what it is. * Don Turner: “Leon was always friendly to me. We weren’t close. I don’t know that he got close to anyone. But he’s a good guy.” • Don Turner: “Leon was always friendly to me. We weren’t close. I don’t know that he got close to anyone. But he’s a good guy.” In 2016, Leon was inducted into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame. One often hears the term “throwback fighter.” Leon is a throwback boxing character and one of the people who make boxing what it is.
In 2016, Leon was inducted into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame. One often hears the term “throwback fighter.” Leon is a throwback boxing character and one of the people who make boxing what it is. 22
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