Marian Muhammad Should Answer for Leavander Johnson

Guess I stirred it up. Good for you... Lotsa luck, then. Hope you succeed where Cosell and many others throughout boxing history failed. That'd be good for boxing, regardless of what the IBF spokesman said about the Johnson-Chavez issue. Anything that's good for the sport is GREAT with me. Wish I can be less skeptical about people who run world pro boxing.... IBF's Mr. Salazar enlists our faith in the judgment of Ms. Muhammad, saying, she has been involved with boxing for 34 years. Well, Mr. Salazar's statement just showed to me how much Ms. Muhammad -- AND COMPANY--has NOT done in all those years of involvement. So much has happened lately to highlight the need to institute additional safety measures without making the sport lose its exciting features. One that comes quickly to mind was an incident in Japan about a week prior to the Johnson-Chavez fight. A Japanese champ was rushed to a hospital in a coma after having been KOd by a Filipino whose record (about 15 wins- 9 losses, and lost his last fight by stoppage in the 3rd) shows that he was intended to be cannon-fodder to the Japanese, who, if I remember correctly, climbed the ring with nearly 20 wins and O losses. (Did people forget to tell the Filipino he was supposed to lose?) The Filipino was so forgettable; I can't even remember his name now. Edit: The Japanese is named Fujikake while the Filipino is Federico Catubay. Surgeons removed a blod clot from Fujikake's brain. I don't know whether he shall recover or has already recovered...

kinda funny how i read an article syaing how quickly the blame game is played after an incident like this in this specific situation, IMO no ones fault. referee stopped it right, corner had him going which is ok, jus unfortunate levander hopefully gets thru this, and retires true, its not the ref's fault either. as soon as johnson got in real trouble, he stopped the fight. johnson walked out of the ring and then collapsed in the locker room. bad situation, but theres nothing anyone can do and its noone's fault

i understand your point, but it doesn't work that way.......... we all hope johnson recovers soon and gets back on his feet, but you can't blame anyone at all for the injury........it happens in boxing, and johnson wasn't forced into fighting anyone.......he fought for the love of the sport and obvious rewards...... let's all hope johnson gets through this, and it isn't time to start blaming people...... kinda funny how i read an article syaing how quickly the blame game is played after an incident like this in this specific situation, IMO no ones fault. referee stopped it right, corner had him going which is ok, jus unfortunate levander hopefully gets thru this, and retires

Guess I stirred it up. September 21, 2005 By Ricardo Salazar, IBF/USBA Public Relations Director This past weekend one of our champions was seriously hurt while defending the title he had won earlier this year. When Leavander Johnson captured the IBF Lightweight crown, it was a culmination of a lifelong dream for the New Jersey fighter. New dreams of bigger fights that would secure his financial future were now just a matter of time for him. Just this past Saturday, however, Johnson faced former jr. lightweight champion Jesus Chavez in an optional defense, in what appeared on paper to be an evenly matched bout between a newly crowned champion and someone whose career did not appear to be in an upswing despite his excellent professional record. Chavez was moving up in weight to face a bigger fighter after having lost to Erik Morales last year. By now the boxing world knows what happened in Las Vegas last weekend. Now Johnson's family, friends and boxing people in general hope for the best, that Johnson regains consciousness and is able to continue on with his life. Everything else should not have much importance now. It seems, however, that whenever a tragedy occurs it does not take long for people to start pointing fingers. This is professional boxing. As the people involved in this sport know, boxing comes with a risk. For certain people to suggest that this fight should not have happened is foolish. Had the roles been reversed, the question would not have been whether or not Johnson belonged in the ring last Saturday, but whether or not Chavez had done enough to be rated as a lightweight. The finger pointing would still have been directed towards the respective sanctioning body, in this case the International Boxing Federation. For the record, again, Leavander was in an optional period. He was free to choose any of the top 15 fighters in the IBF lightweight rankings to defend his title. Leavander, his management, and his promoter Lou DiBella chose to defend it against Chavez. The IBF, having Chavez rated at No. 11, approved the fight in accordance with our rules and regulations. Not a single person objected to this fight when it was announced. Why? Because it was a legitimate world championship fight between two capable ring warriors, that's why. All of a sudden it was an out and out mismatch. As a result, a writer for a boxing website is now calling for the ousting of Marian Muhammad as president of the IBF/USBA. This writer, because of ignorance or because he does not know much about the sport, or both, questioned Ms. Muhammad's qualifications and insinuated that the reason she is president of the IBF is because of a past relationship with a renown promoter. Unbeknownst to this obviously inexperienced writer is the fact that since the forced resignation of former president Robert W. Lee and after Hiawatha Knight's brief tenure as Interim President, Ms. Muhammad has not only demonstrated her leadership abilities but has also established herself as one of the most knowledgeable administrators in the sport of boxing. Ms. Muhammad is not a newcomer to the sport; she has spent the better part of 34 years learning every aspect of it and is determined not to let detractors make up false allegations of wrong decisions on her part, which would certify the "corruption" or "ineptitude" of the sanctioning bodies. During the current year, journalists and announcers alike such as Nigel Collins and Larry Merchant continuously attack the organizations for decisions or situations they were not well informed on. For example, Larry Merchant called the IBF's decision to strip Juan Manuel Marquez of his IBF Featherweight belt the "last straw." Just how wrong was that "information"? Marquez relinquished the belt because his promoter failed to place a bid on three scheduled purse bids for a match between Marquez and his leading available contender. Not one promoter placed a bid for a purse offering that started at $25,000. Not a single journalist raised objections when the fighter's own promoter chose not to have anything to do with the fighter's mandatory defense. In the meantime, other fighters who have patiently waited while Marquez and his representatives decide on what to do are left waiting for their chance at the title. So when no one placed a bid on the fight, the title was then declared vacant. It could be very well said that the title was relinquished. The same writer who is now calling for President Muhammad's ousting erroneously reported that Julio Diaz had also been "inexplicably stripped" of his title. Follow the sport well and find out that Diaz relinquished the title voluntarily so that he could fight WBC champion Jose Luis Castillo for the money rather than defending the title against his mandatory challenger. Where is Diaz now? Hoping to rebound his career and again capture another world title. We are confident that he has second-guessed his decision to give up his world title. The road to fame and money starts with the "alphabet organizations" not with the Ring Magazine belt. The inconsistencies with various media members are blatantly clear. The same writer who is now criticizing the IBF is a staunch supporter of The Ring's ranking system. Yet, this is a quote attributed to the boxing magazine: "Perseverance pays. After three failed attempts to win an alphabet title at 135 pounds, Johnson 134, Atlantic City, New Jersey, finally prevailed 16 years after his pro debut when he stopped fellow veteran Zoff, 134, Monfalcone, Italy, in the seventh round to claim the IBF lightweight title -- " Leavander is a victim of tragic circumstances. A boxing ring can be a dangerous place, make no mistake about it. But it should be made clear that Leavander is not a victim because he was put in harm's way by a faulty system that puts unqualified fighters in over their heads. Johnson was a fighter with an excellent amateur background who rose in the pro ranks by going undefeated in his first twenty-three bouts, and whose losses have come only against topnotch opposition. His boxing career should be remembered that way, not by making him a victim of "boxing ills." As he fights for his life, we're sure that he wouldn't want it any other way

Optimists are still waiting for that dawn. Like waiting for the Second Coming. Me? Not really, obviously. (See: my first post below)

When is the dawn? It's a slow creep if it's coming.

It seems that every time something of this sort (and a few worse) happens, congress holds hearings. Howard Cossel, before and after leaving the broadcast of professional boxing, testified before congress and was very vocal (as only Cossel can be about anything) of the need for dramatic changes in legislations governing boxing (e.g., federal controls, instead of state commissions). He died, without seeing the dawn...

Not if we can get the Government to crack down and start a) enforcing the laws in place and b)tweakig current law for improvement.

It is mad, but it is a safe bet that long after many more incidents of the Johnson kind shall have come and passed, the ranking, mandatory and other spurious systems of the alphabet groups will survive, as they always had. And the Marians of the boxing world will too. :(

Yeah it's a shitty situation for everyone involved and I don't know how i'd react if I almost killed someone in the ring, sure all boxers know the risks but that doesn't make it any easier if something does happen, I just hope Johnson pulls through and Chavez can continue in his career as some guys just arent the same mentally after something like this, Chris Eubank is a perfect example, after he put Michael Watson in a coma he never went after guys when he had them hurt & would let them off the hook so hopefully Chavez can overcome this terrible situation.

Sorry if this is already up but here's a report on Johnson from Sky Sports website: JOHNSON'S CONDITION IMPROVES Monday 19th September 2005 Leavander Johnson is in a drug-induced coma in a critical condition following his IBF lightweight title defeat to Jesus Chavez. Johnson collapsed in his dressing room following the 11th round stoppage and was taken to hospital where he had surgery to relieve swelling around his brain. "The amount of swelling has gone down tremendously," doctor Bill Smith told the New York Daily News. "They had him here and in surgery about 40 minutes after the fight and if he survives it will be because of that." Johnson will be kept in a coma for another three or four days to allow his brain to recover. A prognosis on his recovery will not be known until he is out of the coma. "When he came in I would say his chances (of survival) were at 15%. I would have said he wasn't going to make it," Smith said, adding that Johnson's chances of survival had improved. Chavez visited Johnson's bedside, where the fighter's family had gathered. "My heart goes out to Leavander Johnson and his family," Chavez said. "It's very difficult to think that something like this could happen. It's very difficult for me to think it could happen in a fight that I was involved in." The fight had ended early in the 11th round when referee Tony Weeks intervened but not before Johnson had been on the receiving end of several unanswered punches. A ringside doctor had checked out Johnson following the 10th round but decided to let the American fight on. Chavez had been imperious throughout the fight with statistics indicating he had landed 409 punches compared to 148 for Johnson.

Actually, I would say he was. By giving him a arnking he didn't deserve he was put in the path of fighters he otherwise likely would not have been fighting. These irresponsible jackasses need to be held accountable for their mis-mandatories.

i understand your point, but it doesn't work that way.......... we all hope johnson recovers soon and gets back on his feet, but you can't blame anyone at all for the injury........it happens in boxing, and johnson wasn't forced into fighting anyone.......he fought for the love of the sport and obvious rewards...... let's all hope johnson gets through this, and it isn't time to start blaming people......