Gatecrasher, trespasser, unwanted and univited interloper.
"The Cat In The Hat" in first row ringside for the Amir Khan-Lamont Peterson title bout in Washington, DC, on Dec. 9 turns out to be veteran boxing figure Mustafa Ameen, a 57 year old who relocated from New Jersey to Seattle and then to Las Vegas.
Ameen has been called all of these things and much worse amid allegations that his presence at ringside next to WBA supervisor Michael Welsh must have included some of what Don King so aptly describes as "trickeration," some trick or subterfuge which contributed to the heavily favored Bolton, UK, Wanderer losing to hometown guy Peterson.
I doubt all this but I do think that Ameen and his black wool hat have been famous, or at least gained such notoriety that the boxing agent should try to cash in on this by endorsing some hatmaker's product.
As Ameen and the crying, wailing Khan camp await a Jan. 18 Newark area hearing as to the conduct of the fight, the handling of the scorecards and Khan's application to get the result tossed or, barring that, an immediate rematch ordered, new facts have also come out on the so called "man of mystery."
Ameen has more history than mystery.
Fact 1: There was no judge on the side of the ring that Ameen and Welsh sat on so Ameen could've only "influenced" any judge via smoke signals, hand signs or shouted verbal instructions.
Fact 2: Far from being a new face to veteran boxing types, Ameen has previously been assoicated with Muhammad Ali and ex-light heavyweight champion Matthew Saad Muhammad among others.
Fact 3: At the Tomasz Adamek-Chris Arreola fight, Ameen was in a similar choice seat and sat next to his then IBF associate and ex-New Jersey commission chief Larry Hazzard.
Fact 4: At a world heavyweight title bout involving American Eddie Chambers and Wladimir Klitschko, Ameen sat in a similar prestige officials area and was seated to then IBF president Marian Muhammad.
Fact 5: USA Olympic head coach Joe Zanders knows Ameen for years.
Every Tom, Dick and Muhammad in boxing knows Ameen but the Khan camp, well they drew a blank.
(mlcmarley@aol.com)
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