I was a kid who idolized Cassius Clay who became Muhammad Ali. I first met my idol in my native Boston in 1964 when he came to town to announce the rematch with Sonny Liston. Without the benefit of ESPN, the Internet or cell phones, I made it a daily routine to follow whatever Ali was doing.

So one day he was listed as a guest on Mike Douglas, I tune in and, in the middle of the interview, Ali asks Douglas if he can bring a guest up to the stage from the audience. Sure, host Douglas says, but who is it?

"It's Major Coxson and he is a bad man," Ali says. The most pimplicious, Super Fly, Mack Daddyish character ever seen on daytime network TV came up to the stage. Douglas probably thought it was Sly Stone's father.
Douglas started to ask what Coxson's claim to fame was but Ali cut in.
"He's a...he's a sportsman, yeah a sportsman," Ali said.

Well, as I matured I must tell you I was shocked and appalled to learn that Coxson may have been "King Heroin" for the whole Eastern seaboard. Operating out of Camden, NJ, he had the chutzpah to run for mayor there .Ali, living then in Cherry Hill, NJ, supported his canidacy.

My Major flashbacks induced me to Google Coxson. The first blurb is from a web site that monitors crime in Philly.

"One of the most interesting examples, someone who represents the culmination of decades of resolution between competition and cooperation between Italian mobsters and AA crime gangs is African American Major Coxson.

"Major Coxson, who was murdered in 1973, was simultaneously "a mayoral candidate, flamboyant entrepreneur, media darling, civil rights activist, inner city power broker, fraudster, drug financier, and intermediary between Italian-American and African-American gangsters" according to (Penn State Professor Sean Patrick) Griffin who uses primary law enforcement records and crime reporting to make the case.

"It was complicated by the fact that the crime boss of the time in South Philly did not want his people in drugs. Angelo Bruno refused to allow his organization in the drug trade. There is some indication that there was sufficient tribute from black criminal associations to allow a modest trade in gambling, numbers or policies, and black prostitution, and other activity segregated for the most part from its Italian analog."

That's from the web site. What follows are quotes from Professor Griffin, a former cop, about the linkage between Coxson and others of his ilk and the Nation Of Islam, to which Ali belonged. I never knew Coxson but here Griffin talks about Jerry Shabazz, who may have personally recruited Ali to the NOI, and a man I knew quite well as a mainstay in the Ali entourage.

"There were many connections between labor leaders, politicians, financiers and the Black Mafia because of the one commonality that exists among all four groups -- they're deal makers. Jeremiah Shabazz, called by some the “Godfather of the Black Mafia”, headed Philadelphia’s NOI Temple 12.

According to the book, Shabazz's most famous convert, boxing legend Muhammad Ali, was close friends with one of the syndicate’s most flamboyant associates, con artist and drug financier Major Coxson. Ali's ties to the Black Mafia confused the public and authorities.

"The assassin who killed Major Coxson, Sam Christian, is credited with being the founder of the Black Mafia. Coxson had reneged on over $200K in drug proceeds in his role as middleman between the Black Mafia and the Italian mafia in New York City, who were OK with the drug trade at that time in 1973, while Bruno was refusing to play in drugs in Philadelphia.

"Coxson was so big that he bid at the same time on a home as Mayor Frank Rizzo."

Professor Griffin's newest book is "Black Brothers Inc.," a further exploration in the world of black gangsters in Philadelphia.

That's all the mob madness for today but, sometime soon, I will revisit the junior middleweight boxer who is said to have founded the Junior Black Mafia, another Marley pal from the old days, and a Mike Tyson spiritual adviser who is now locked down.

Where there's "Smoke," there's fire. It says here that Derek Gainer just won an unpopular split decision over Phillip Payne in Louisiana. My question is this, has "Smoke" Gainer ever won a popular decision? He seems to make a habit out of winning unpopular decisions but it could just be my imagination...

Maybe Paul Williams is the lefthanded reincarnation of Thomas Hearns. Not that you could tell much by his batting practice against Sharmba Mitchell. I'd like to see Williams fight Antonio Margarito with this promotional tag line: Loser Shuts Up!...

Jeff Lacy splits with Gary Shaw? I don't want to say anything, but I was in the third row at Manchester, and I can tell you exclusively that Joe Calzaghe never landed a glove on Mr. Shaw. Sounds like a loser's lament to me...
Joan Guzman, already in "dog shape" with his new regimen, tells me that he can't wait until September 16 in Vegas so he can say hello to a great world champion from Argentina. The reference is to his Sycuan stablemate, Carlos Baldomir, not to WBO champ Jorge Barrios, who Guzman challenges on Golden Boy's strong show that night. "I don't lose to hyenas," Guzman said. OK, I'll take your word for that, Guzman...

If basketball star Stephon Marbury can sell a $15 sneaker, why can't some smart boxing promoter (is that like putting the words military intelligence together?) come up with a decent PPV show that sells for $35? You could've led the way, Bob Arum, with Rahman-Maskaev and if you had it might not have been the stink bomb that was so bad that Mark Taffet at HBO skipped the usual post-fight press release report. The date was bad, mid-August being vacation time, but less than 60,000 buys. No amount of pugilistic perfume can make that smell go away...

The sleeper of the young heavyweight prospects is probably Travis Kauffman. His father, Marshall, did a very good job training Kermit Cintron and my old charge, Julian "Mister KO" Letterlough, so I am sure he is doing the same with his flesh and blood. Take your time, Marshall, because you might be a polishing a diamond. Top Rank is pushing hard to sign Kauffman to a contract...

Plans are in the works for a celebrity roast of boxing legend Johnny Bos in early November in New York. Someone asked me what the dress code was for the event and I said, BC, meaning Bos Casual. Those not wearing fur coats and plenty of bling-bling may be denied admittance.

If you'd like to salute the Wizard Of Bos, and God only made one you know, drop a line to mlcmarley@aol.com.

There is not enough barbecue sauce in the world to cover the wounds Bos will get as friends and colleagues skewer him verbally. For the invocation, Bos is reaching out to Lindy Lindell in Motown and to Michael Youngblood in Philly to track down Caveman Lee's father,

Rabbi Lee. Bos likes to keep kosher when he can so if we can't get Rabbi Lee, he will settle for Roy Langbord, Jameel McCline or Dmitriy Salita. Bos hears that former Hebrew heavyweight Sol "Bagel Boy" Nazerman is really unavailable...