Featured Columnist IVSeptember 21, 2024
Deal with Sport/Getty Photographs
Legendary boxing promoter Don King launched a press release Saturday, disputing Mike Tyson’s current declare that he’s sick.
In keeping with Oliver Salt of Each day Mail, King stated: “Inform everybody I’m doing effective and I like Mike Tyson.”
King’s assertion got here on the heels of Tyson showing on the It Is What It Is podcast (h/t Alex Raskin of Each day Mail) and saying: “Don isn’t doing effectively proper now. He is in all probability near 100 years previous, he isn’t doing effectively.”
The 93-year-old King is essentially the most well-known and recognizable promoter in boxing historical past because of his colourful character and trademark coiffure. He promoted the fights of lots of the high boxers of all time, together with Tyson, Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Joe Frazier and Evander Holyfield.
Within the Nineteen Seventies, King promoted two of the largest fights in boxing historical past, each of which concerned Ali.
Ali and Foreman clashed within the “Rumble within the Jungle” held in Zaire in 1974, and Ali then confronted Frazier within the “Thrilla in Manila” held within the Philippines in 1975. Ali was victorious in each bouts.
Whereas King has had a hand in some fabled moments within the sport of boxing, he has additionally lengthy been a controversial determine.
A number of of the boxers he promoted sued him through the years, together with Tyson, who sued him for $100 million in 1998. They in the end reached a $14 million settlement.
King continues to do some selling to at the present time, most notably with former tremendous featherweight, light-weight, welterweight and tremendous light-weight champion Adrien Broner, who signed with Don King Promotions final yr.
As for the 58-year-old Tyson, he has not competed in an formally sanctioned boxing match since 2005, however that can change on Nov. 15 when he faces Jake Paul at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in the principle occasion of a card that can stream dwell on Netflix.
