As the world's most professional boxing,
the flamboyant Don King has become something of a lightning rod for both
the good and the bad in boxing---with the good outweighing the bad by a
considerable margin. King's best perspective is that he has made
an impression and an impact beyond the ring.
Noted historian Jeffrey P. Sammons, a member
of the History Department at New York University, stated in "Beyond the
Ring: The Role of Boxing in American Society, that King's promotional undertakings
in under-developed countries had far-reaching economic, political and racial
implications.
Sammons' assertions---published by the
University of Illinois Press---apparently drew from the fact that King
made boxing an equal opportunity enterprise for all performers, regardless
of race, creed, or color.
Sammons referred to Don as "A pioneer,
a trailblazer, and an unforgettable figure."
When Don King first entered the closed
world of boxing promotions, boxing had its share of black luminaries, but
their roles were confined to either the ring or the corners. Muhammad
All, one of the greatest fighters of ail time, said that boxing at that
time reminded him of "two slaves in the ring." Blacks shared disproportionately
in even the majors fights in which they participated, until King came along.
Within four years of King's arrival, he became the most powerful promoter
in boxing and one of the most successful black businessmen in America,
Sammons noted.
King combined extraordinary business acumen
with a knowledge of what would sell in the ring and transformed the fight
game into one in which blacks could have a bigger piece of boxing's humongous
pie. He flashed an air of independence, call it arrogance if you
will, that demanded as much inclusion for people of color as anyone else
was able to command.
His action and his success rubbed a lot
of folks the wrong way. King was a godsend for black and Hispanic
fighters. Their fight purses increased and suddenly they found themselves
as high profile pugilists with a portfolio to boot.
For most of them, it was as if they were
being discovered anew. . .Their names appeared in print, their images were
projected on the television screens and their faces appeared on marquees
wherever fight venues were located. All of this produced a rare---and
beautiful---phenomenon.
It also produced, for King, a place in
the gunsights of jealous and envious persons in high positions in the sport.
They inevitably took pot-shots at him and his perch often became precarious.
Yet, King has withstood the slings and arrows and his place in boxing is
well entrenched.
Few men in history have changed and dominated
a professional sport the way he has. His tally of megabuck fights---and
the promotional genius he puts behind them---are the stuff of which legends
are made. Don King is indeed the high potentate of the fight game.
The potentate, however, has had his share
of problems. His adversaries have included sports editors and boxing writers,
columnists. broadcasters, ringside railbirds, and even the federal government.
Their aim? Slay the giant (King) anyway they can!
Last week, the federal government--which
tried King, three times previously without success on trumped up Charges---listed
him as an unindicted co-conspirator in the case involving international
Boxing Federation President Bob Lee, Sr., in which the Feds charged Lee
with taking bribes to fix the rankings of fighters.
The case, which opened this week, will
be heard in New Jersey before U. S. District Court Judge John Bissall.
Depending on your perspective, the trial is an ultimate reflection of the
good, the bad, and the ugly.
The bad is that King has been named "an
unindicted co-conspirator. The ugly is that promoter Bob Arum, who admitted,
in a signed court declaration, that he paid a $100,000 bribe to IBF officials
to sanction a heavyweight championship fight between George Foreman and
Axel Schulz in Germany on April 22, 1995.
The good is that two well-known New York
Post writers--Jack Newfield and Wallace Matthews---who have bandied King
about in the past, seemed to exonerate him of any wrongdoing in the heavyweight
championship fight between Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis at Madison
Square Garden on March 13, 1999 that ended in a controversial draw.
King was made the scapegoat after that
fight, but he was not 'mentioned in a recent Post expose which revealed
that the $3 million-a year New York state boxing agency had turned into
a "cesspool of patronage and incompetence, with boxers often the victims."
Score one for Don. ..Back to the Arum mess and the odor it reaks.
It comes as no surprise that the matter
of Arum's bribery disclosure has been kept as quiet as a church mouse.
None of the major newspapers to date---except the Los Angeles Times which
ran a weak and meek piece on the subject---have dared touch the disclosure.
Pedro Fernandez, the ace boxing writer
and guru, who broke Arum's corruption Story world-wide on his website (www.fighters.com),
is of the opinion that "Had a certain black promoter put his signature
on paper admitting to such, it sure wouldn't take this (Nevada), or any
other commission four, almost five months to pull his license." Fernandez
is complaining that Arum had his press credential pulled for the Marco
Antonio Barrera-Erik Mosrales fight in Las Vegas with HBO's backing.
Is there an effort to provide protection
for Arum by the boxing hierarchy? Does race have a part in the ploy? People
inside and outside of boxing know the answer. Race inevitably has
its role in all proceedings seemingly when King is involved.
Both, Bob Lee and King are black and both
are influential in the sport. Detractors will complain, "There you go again
with that race stuff." The retort is that this boxing probe is more about
race than it is about truth and justice.
A calculated effort is underway to destroy
King. Defense attorneys have indicated that they intend to make race an
issue in the trial. "The thrust of this case is Don King," said Lee's
lawyer, John J. DeMassis. "Jurors may not have too many opinions about
boxers, they may not know too many boxers, but: I dare say they know King.
In the mind of Lee's councilor, this inquisition
is about race---race and money---race and big money. King has said
all along that federal authorities are "chasing ghosts and apparitions"
in their investigation of him as part of a probe into boxing corruption.
"I'm not fearful of what they may or may
not find," he said. "because I did nothing wrong."
King said he believes that he is a primacy
target of investigators, because a number of his business associates have
been questioned about their dealings with him. Oh, to be big, black,
rich and influential in America!
There seems to always be a move afoot to
besmirch the dignity of King. Perhaps, it is the price he must pay for
being successful and providing opportunities for those previously denied
entrance and access into the once-closed business side of boxing.
Don King kicked the door opened...Now,
he is being kicked in the backside for walking through the front door,
leaving it wide open for others to follow-
"Only in America," as King would say.