The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

He may be on the injured list, but that won’t stop Meacher ‘Major Pain’ Major from launching his amateur boxing club.

While he recuperates from “torn ligaments” in his right foot after he suffered the injury during his “Pain & Glory Part II: The Revenge” professional show at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium on Friday night, Major said it won’t stop him from realising a dream that was in the making for the past three years.

“It’s a work in progress. I just started my therapy today, so everything is on the road to recovery,” said Major in an interview with The Tribune. “I should be out for two months max, but I’m going to take my time and make sure that I am back 100 per cent before I do anything.”

That’s in reference to his professional boxing career, which suffered a major setback as a result of the injury. But, in the meantime, Major said he’s going to press forward with launching the Major Pain Boxing Club as of Monday in the building next to Super Value on Top of the Hill, Mackey Street.

“With all of the problems going on in our country, I just want to be able to help the youth in our society,” he said. “I just want to continue what I’ve always been doing with the youths in our society. Hopefully by opening this club, I can get some more competitive boxers in the amateur system.”

The venue, which is also being used by Gregory Storr for his training and kickboxing programme, is intended to be a temporary one. Once the Bahamas Government completes the necessary repairs to the National Boxing Gymnasium in the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex, Major said he intends to relocate there.

“It’s the home for boxing. It’s an historic place. So I’m really trying to get in there,” he said. “For the time being, we will be on the Top of the Hill in the plaza there. I’m going to be working with PABO, as the New Providence representative, making sure that we provide an avenue for more amateur boxers to get involved.”

At present, there are about 10 youngsters who are currently interested in working with Major, but he anticipates that when they officially get started on Monday around 4pm, the numbers will increase. It’s open to youngsters from as early as age seven.

Anyone falling under the age of 18 will not be charged, but for those 18 and over, there will be a fee.

Interested persons can contact Major by texting 425-4191 or calling 552-2937. However, as a precaution, all boxers under age will have to have a waiver form signed by their parents, indicating that they have received permission to be a part of the club, which will have Kaito Ferguson and Nathanial Knowles as coaches.

“As I travel around the boxing clubs, I’ve been recommending people to go to various clubs, but it seems as if a lot of them were just waiting for me to get started,” Major said. “This has been in the works for the past three years. This is just going to be on kids from the Kemp Road community, but any kids from other communities who wish to become involved.

“By next week, from Monday to Friday from 4-6 pm, we hope to get the club started. I will be here for a while to get the club up and going. Once we are established, I’m looking to take some of the boxers to Buffalo, New York where I train so that they can compete and I hope to bring some boxers from Buffalo to compete here.”

One day after he was treated at Princess Margaret Hospital, Major hosted his annual Christmas party for the children in the Kemp Road area where he grew up. Bahamian artists Angel K and Sasha Dunn, along with the Vendetta Group, came out to provide live entertainment.

Among his sponsors were Murray’s Souse House, Asa H Pritchard, D’Albeanas Agency, Jackies Party Line and Mr and Mrs Greene.

Immediately after the fight on Friday night against Brazilian Roger Rosa, Major was rushed to the Princess Margaret Hospital where he was further diagnosed and discovered that he had “torn ligaments” in his right foot. It was during the fourth round of the main event at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium that Major was back-pedalling to avoid the onslaught from Rosa when he suffered the injury.

“It’s only torn ligaments, but they say it’s worse than a broken leg because of the pain,” said Major, who thanked the staff, especially nurse Rolle, who attended to him. “I’m just grateful to God. God has been great. I’m happy that it’s not broken. It can heal, so I just have to take it one day at a time.

“In the meantime, I’m just going to focus on getting the club going and be able to help out the Strikers Boxing Club, Ray Minus Jr’s Champion Boxing Club and Quincy Pratt’s Eastside Boxing Club so we can really get boxing back to the days when I competed as an amateur. That’s my main focus, to help curb some of the youths from all of the negative things that are going on in our society.”

Major, who turned pro in 2000 after a successful amateur career under the tutelage of Minus Jr, was given a fourth round TKO loss to Rosa in their rematch from December 13, 2013 when Major won an unanimous sixth round decision at the Rainforest Theatre of the Wyndham Nassau Beach Hotel.

But after easily winning the first two rounds to go ahead on the scorecard, Major said he appealed the decision and is just waiting on the Bahamas Boxing Commission to reverse the decision because since the change in the rules, once a fighter is ahead on the card, they should still be declared the winner.

“I was up on the scorecard, plus I was the one injured,” he said. “If there is any decision, it should at least be a no contest. But I have a meeting with the Boxing Commission and I’m hoping that they will eventually change the decision because I should not have lost the fight.”

On Monday, Major began his therapy with Henry Butler at Tap Therapy in Centreville.