‘Farmer’ takes dig at manager

JIMMY “FARMER” JOSEPH, Trinidad and Tobago’s professional light heavyweight boxing champion has lashed out at his manager, well-known show promoter Randy Glasgow.

Joseph, 31, appealed yesterday to Glasgow to release him from his five-year contract, signed in 2000 since he felt he has not been treated well. “I am convinced that my career has gone downhill since I signed up. I have not been getting enough fights to keep me climbing the international rankings,” said Joseph. The national champion who boasts a record of 21 fights, one draw and one defeat with 18 knockdowns, still harbours a dream of winning a world title but said his manager has not been doing his part to make his ambitions a reality. “Managers must appreciate that boxing is now a business. They have to be in constant communication with their boxers to keep them active else nothing will be achieved,” said Joseph. He said he has refused to fight on short notice since he gets no assistance to prepare for bouts offered by Glasgow in the three years so far he has been bound by the contract. “I have a family and children to see about but all I have received is some flour which lasted me about two months. It is a disgrace to go into the ring to fight for $1,500 which I have been given,” said Joseph, a former FECABOX champion.

He said he has been forced to make a living as a driver for a security firm and this entails regular night shiftwork, not the ideal occupation for an athlete seeking to break into the world rankings in a demanding sport like boxing. Joseph said on many occasions he has tried to regularise his status with his manager with regards to getting lucrative fights but has made no progress. “This has forced me to believe that there is no interest in me and I am being kept down by the contract. So I want out now so that I can get my career back on track on my terms,” said Joseph. He said he has travelled internationally and fought in places like Las Vegas, USA; Australia, Russia and Romania and has a fair idea how the sport works at the world level.

Joseph is confident that with his contacts in the US he can put his career together and attract opponents who can get him back in contention for a world championship. He said he recently learned that top US promoter Mustafa Muhammad, a former light heavyweight champion based in Las Vegas has been asked by leading promoter Don King about the whereabouts of the TT fighter. “They know about me because of my stints as sparring partner of former world heavyweight champions Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe. Joseph said he is also a close friend of Lennox Lewis, current world title-holder who has seen him in action and given valuable advice. Efforts to contact Glasgow yesterday were unsuccessful. However, international match-maker Buxo Potts was incensed when told of the charges made by Joseph. Potts yesterday slammed Joseph for having acted as the fighter’s assistant manager while he was in the US getting his career off the ground.

“Joseph should be the last to speak. We took him to the US and he broke all contractual arrangements and went with Tyson to be beaten up. His claims have no merit,” said Potts yesterday. But Joseph was adamant that boxers are not given the best level of representation nor are their welfare being properly taken care of by local managers. “We are putting our lives at risk without even the basic necessities to get in shape nor is any regard being paid to how we live, if we have a steady job or how we take care of our families. They can’t answer the bell on that score,” said Joseph. Last year, Glasgow had secured a fight for Joseph in the US but the American Embassy in Port-of-Spain denied him a visa since he had overstayed a welcome earlier on. Glasgow had also offered the fighter a bout last month in Barbados but this was not taken up.