Donald "Don" King (born December 6, 1931), is an
American boxing promoter particularly known for his
hairstyle and flamboyant personality.
Prior to entering the world of boxing, King lived in
Cleveland, Ohio. After dropping out of Kent State
University, he ran an illegal bookmaking operation,
and was charged for killing two men (two separate
incidents 13 years apart). The first was determined
to be justifiable homicide despite the fact that
King had shot the man in the back. King was
convicted of second degree murder for the second
killing, in which King beat to death an employee who
owed him money. In an ex parte meeting with King's
attorney, the judge reduced King's conviction to
manslaughter for which King served just under four
years in prison.
King entered the boxing world in his hometown of
Cleveland. After convincing Muhammad Ali to box a
charity exhibition for a local hospital, with the
help of singer Lloyd Price, King began one of
history's most successful careers in boxing
promotion. King had access to investors, whose money
he would need to cover expenses, but he was
inexperienced in the fight game. Don Elbaum, who
already had a stable of fighters in Cleveland and
years of experience in boxing, agreed to form a
partnership with King.
In 1974, King negotiated to promote a heavyweight
championship fight between Muhammad Ali and George
Foreman in (DR Congo) Zaire, popularly known as "The
Rumble in the Jungle." The fight between Ali and
Foreman was a much-anticipated event. King's rivals
all sought to promote the bout, but King was able to
secure the then-record $10 million purse through an
arrangement with the Zaire government.
King solidified his position as one of boxing's
preeminent promoters the following year with the
third fight between Ali and Joe Frazier in Manila,
the capital of the Philippines, which King deemed
the "Thrilla In Manila." Aside from promoting the
premier heavyweight fights of the 1970s, King was
also busy expanding his boxing empire. Throughout
the decade, he compiled an impressive roster of
fighters, many of whom would finish their career
with Hall of Fame credentials. Fighters like Larry
Holmes, Wilfred Benitez, Roberto Duran, Salvador
Sanchez, Wilfredo Gómez, and Alexis Arguello would
all fight under the Don King Productions promotional
banner in the 1970s.
For the next two decades, King continued to be among
boxing's most successful promoters. Mike Tyson,
Evander Holyfield, Julio César Chávez, Aaron Pryor,
Bernard Hopkins, Ricardo Lopez, Felix Trinidad,
Terry Norris, Carlos Zarate, Azumah Nelson, Andrzej
Gołota, Mike McCallum,Gerald McClellan and Meldrick
Taylor are some of the boxers who chose King to
promote many of their biggest fights.
Outside of boxing, he also managed the Jacksons'
1984 Victory Tour.
Don King has been a lightning rod for controversy
throughout his career. He has been the subject of
several lawsuits by boxers he managed who alleged
that they were forced to hire King's relatives and
cronies. He has faced charges of tax evasion by the
IRS. Rumors of jury-tampering have swirled around
him. And it also became known that the rights to
pay-per-view fights he promoted were awarded to
organized crime figures, some of whom may have known
King from his book-making days.
King has been investigated for possible connections
with organized crime. During a 1992 Senate
investigation King took the Fifth Amendment when
questioned about his connection to mobster John
Gotti. In public, however, he has responded to mob
allegations by calling them racist.
