Warrior Quote of the Day
“In order to make extreme money, one must take extreme chances.” - Don King (August 20, 1931 - )
ABOUT THIS WARRIOR:
Donald “Don” King, 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,(illegal gambling 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.
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Warrior Quote To Live By: "Reliability + Consistency = TRUST" - Thom Byxbe (July 17, 1957 - )Related posts
Tags: Aaron Pryor, Ali, Andrzej Go, Bernard Hopkins, boxing promoter, Don Elbaum, don king, Evander Holyfield, exhibition, Felix Trinidad, George Foreman, Gerald McClellan, heavyweight championship fight, joe frazier, Julio César, Larry Holmes, Lloyd Price, Mike McCallum, mike tyson, muhammad ali, promotion, Quote, quote of the day, Ricardo Lopez, Roberto Duran, rumble in the jungle, Terry Norris, thrilla in manila, Warrior, Wilfred Benitez
May 3rd, 2008 at 8:32 am
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