Don King
Donald King (born August 20, 1931) is an American boxing promoter, known for his involvement in several historic boxing matchups.
Don King | |
|---|---|
King speaking at FreedomFest in July 2016 | |
| Born | August 20, 1931 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Occupation | Boxing promoter |
| Years active | 1954–present |
| Known for | "The Thrilla in Manila", "The Rumble in the Jungle" |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | donking |
King's career highlights include, among multiple other enterprises, promoting "The Rumble in the Jungle" and the "Thrilla in Manila". King has promoted some of the most prominent names in boxing, including Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Tomasz Adamek, Roberto Duran, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Chris Byrd, John Ruiz, Julio César Chávez, Ricardo Mayorga, Andrew Golota, Bernard Hopkins, Félix Trinidad, Roy Jones Jr., Azumah Nelson, Gerald McClellan, Marco Antonio Barrera, and Christy Martin. Some of these boxers sued him for allegedly defrauding them. Most of the lawsuits were settled out of court. Mike Tyson was quoted as saying, "He did more bad to black fighters than any white promoter ever in the history of boxing."
King has been charged with killing two people in incidents 13 years apart. In 1954, King shot a man in the back after spotting him trying to rob one of his gambling houses; this incident was ruled a justifiable homicide. In 1967, King was convicted of voluntary manslaughter for stomping one of his employees to death. For this, he served three years and eleven months in prison.