The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

ONE of the Bahamas’ most successful professional boxing careers will come to a close on Saturday, October 6 as Meacher Major stages his “last dance” in the ring where it all got started at the CI Gibson Gymnasium.

Major, now in training camp in Buffalo, New York, will take on an un-named opponent in the main event of the Major Pain Promotions and Entertainment (MPPE) as he gets ready to celebrate his 37th birthday on Sunday, October 28.

“It’s going to be a great show. I’m looking to go out there and put on a great performance for the last time,” he told The Tribune. “I just want to thank God and thank the Bahamian people for all their support for allowing me to be here strong. I’m coming off my last injury, but I’ve never been knocked out before and never hurt in a fight.

“So I’m just grateful for the opportunity that I’ve had to represent the Bahamas throughout my career. I just want to push forward to help boxing in the Bahamas because that is where my heart is.”

The show, promoted by Howard Thompson Jr, will feature Major in an eight-round lightweight main event. An announcement is expected shortly on his opponent and the rest of the undercard.

But Major got his career started under the tutelage of Ray Minus Jr and Michelle Minus on his birthday in 2000 when he pulled off a technical knockout (TKO) over Juan Trevino at the CI Gibson Gymnasium.

He made his debut overseas with a unanimous decision over Mario Jones two years later on March 23, 2002 at the West Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida. At the time, he was working in the Warriors Boxing Club in Hollywood, Florida under the supervision of Jesse Robinson, who gave him his nickname, “Major Pain.”

However, he suffered his first loss in his next fight in a split decision to Edner Cherry on August 9, 2002 at the A La Carte Event Pavilion in Tampa before he went on another three-win streak.

He then got his first and only draw on his birthday again in 2004 at the Seminole Hark Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida against Felix Lora before he reeled off two more victories here at the Wyndham resort.

After another loss to Lamont Peterson on August 20, 2005 at the Isle of Capri Casino in Biloxi, Major won his next five fights, including the vacant Bahamas lightweight title over Richard ‘the Hammer’ Pitt on December 17, 2005 at the CI Gibson Gymnasium and the vacant World Boxing Association’s Fedecaribe lightweight title overt Luis Couch on May 19, 2006 at the Wyndham Resort.

During the rest of his career, Major fought three for the WBA-NABA title, losing his bid for the lightweight crown back-to-back in 2009 to Michael Clark and Dorin Spivey at the Convention Center in Buffalo, New York and for the super featherweight title to Logan McGuinness on May 12, 2012 at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga.

Following two consecutive losses on the road, Major returned home and was triumphant in three of his last four fights, the last coming on December 16, 2016 against Roberto Acevedo at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium.

The only thing missing from his resume was a legitimate world title.

“I never really sat down and looked back at my career, but I am just thankful to God for giving me this opportunity in my career, which was up and down,” he insisted. “I turned down a few title fights recently because I had had already made up my mind that I will only fight one more time.

“I just want to thank all of those persons who helped me along the way when I packed up and left to go to Miami in 2002. Everything happen for a reason. I understand what God had in store for my life. The opportunities were there for me to fight for a world title, but it didn’t happen. I don’t think I missed anything.”

Major said he was just glad to have inspired more boxers in the Bahamas and once his closes the door on his career, he said he will switch his attention to helping to promote the future generation of boxers in the country.

“The main thing for me, through PABO, is to try and help as many young boxers and give them some opportunities to come over here in Buffalo to get them to do some training and push their career further.”

As for the eminent fight, Major said he’s been training and although it’s been two years since he last stepped into the ring, he doesn’t feel as if he has lost anything.

“I’ve been training because I had one or two fights that was called off,” he said. “But I will be back in the gym in my training camp for this last dance, so I will be ready. The inactivity in the ring won’t have any effect on me. I want to assure the Bahamian fans that I will be ready to put on a great fight and to entertain them for one last last time.”

And as he prepare top make his exit, Major said he would definitely liked to be remembered as “an out spoken boxer, who went into the ring and did what he had to do and try to help as many people to accomplish their goals.”

Major extended condolences to the late Everette Oswald ‘Elisha Obed’ Ferguson, whom he felt never got what he deserved as the only Bahamian to win a world title and Arthur Clarke, whom he considered one of his confident in the sport.

“When I came to Florida, everybody talked a lot about Elisha Obed, who was trained there by Angelo Dundee,” Major said. “So I’m shaken up by his death because I believed he was remembered more at his death than when he was alive.

“And Arthur Clarke made a name for himself. He was a good personal friend of mine. I wasn’t as closely connected to Elisha Obed as I was with Arthur Clarke. So his loss was a sudden blow. I think boxing in the Bahamas has lost two great guys.”

As he prepare to retire, Major expressed his gratitude to Cassius Moss, who helped to promote his career; Nathaniel Knowles, one of his professional coaches along with Anthony ‘Chills’ Wilson; Ray Minus Jr, his parents, his family and friends as well as Tommy Stubbs, one of the many sponsors who assisted him.

“I just want everybody to come out and support this show,” he stated. “I need the fight fans to come out and give me their support for this last dance. I promise you they won’t regret it, just as I haven’t regretted the path I took throughout my career.”