Some international man of mystery this Mustafa Ameen is or was.
The Amir Khan "brain trust" may have never seen or heard of this middle-aged African American guy who Golden Boy honcho Richie Rich Schaefer oddly refers to as "the mystery man in the black wool hat" seen sitting first row ringside at the controversial December 9 title bout in Washington, DC, in which local fighter Lamont Peterson defrocked King Khan.
Maybe Khan's business manager Asif Vail never heard or saw of Ameen before the Khan-Peterson bout. I guess you would have to really be in boxing or move in USA amateur and pro boxing circles to know who this admittedly fringe character is.
But I know him, having met him at fights in Las Vegas and elsewhere where he was usually squiring his amateur heavyweight protege and 2012 London Olympic hopeful Michael Hunter (son of the late journeyman pro, Mike "The Bounty" Hunter).
I've dined in Las Vegas and in New York with the gregarious Mr. Ameen and, at one dinner at The Palm West in midtown, promoters Lou DiBella and Cedric Kushner were also at the table.
In recent months, Ameen has been somehow involved with billionaire TV show producer Michael King. King, whose with his late brother Roger created and got incredibly rich with King World ("Oprah" and game shows) before selling the company to CBS, is a fight nut whose dream it is to discover and groom an American fighter who can win the world heavyweight championship. King uses former Kronk Gym/Manny Steward sidekick Prentiss Byrd as his point man and they operate a well appointed gym in the Los Angeles area.
But, getting back to Ameen's presence and conduct at thge Khan-Peterson title bout, what crime did he commit?
Yes, Ameen was a fistic freeloader, getting his ringside pew on a credential requested of Golden Boy by the IBF.
So what? I mean, big deal, who cares?
I've got a call in to Ameen to ask why he was handling scorecards or seems to be in photos and videos. Perhaps he was just passing them along unmolested to WBA supervisor Michael Welsh, the Philadelphia accountant who was next to him.
Maybe they were discussing how hotly competitive the fight actually was? Again, so freaking what?
Final thought on Ameen being some cloak and dagger, shadowy figure who must be involved in some skulduggery at ringside, in on some plot to separate Khan from his precious IBF and WBA titles.
Look Ameen up on his own Facebook page and you can find him "hiding."
Yeah, the affable Ameen is hiding in plain sight in photos of himself with Wladimir Klitschko, with Michael Hunter, with Evander Holyfield and with Steward.
Some secret agent or spy this guy is.
Maybe the Khan camp think Ameen is an overt rather than a covert operator.
Ameen is a typical boxing hustler. No more, no less.
Secret Agent Man, he's not.
Which reminds me, before you can count to 10, the WBA will strip poor Peterson for not taking their ridiculously ordered immediate rematch.
Indications continue to point to Peterson, Khanspiracy theories behind him, cashing in his lottery ticket in a bout against Manny Pacquiao.
(mlcmarley@aol.com)
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