Book on Jeff 'Candy Slim' Merrritt

[Bill Paxtom]

1974

The Lost Year For Jeff 'Candy Slim' Merritt

Monday, August 5th

Jeff Merritt continued to have 'words' with Don King over the money issue on the ''possible' August 16th bout in The Bahamas.
But Don King stuck to his 'guns', and said no to the $1500 up front demand.

An upset and pissed-off Jeff finally told Don, 'to stick it'.

That was pretty much the end of the Don King/Jeff Merritt {Manager/Fighter Partnership}.

Jeff went back to his sparring-partner job with Muhammad Ali for next {3} Weeks.

Jeff was expecting to go along with the 'Muhammad Ali Entourage' to Zaire in early-September, and with hopes of getting a bout
on the Fight Card.

But, Jeff was 'shocked' when he was told that he wasn't part of the 'Ali Team' and was not invited to go to Zaire with Roy 'Tiger' Williams
and Larry Holmes.

On Saturday, August 24th - Jeff received his 'final' weekly paycheck {$300} from the Ali Camp, and left to go back home to Cleveland.

Now with No Work, No Manager and No Fights lined up, Jeff was back to his 'bad ways'.

And the word on the street to other Fight Promoters, was to stay away from Jeff Merritt, as he was 'bad news', a drug addict and nothing but trouble,.