Don King is the only person who has made as much money promoting boxers as he has. He does this with a flamboyant style and a crazy hairstyle. Many people are shocked or even jolted awake by his strange past, which includes manslaughter, street crime, and a prison sentence. He started out by taking illegal bets and soon moved on to promoting boxing. He became one of the most successful boxing promoters, promoting some of the most successful boxers like Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Evander Holyfield, Félix Trinidad, Roy Jones Jr. and Marco Antonio Barrera among many others. In his career, he promoted two of the most famous and legendary boxing matches, “The Rumble in the Jungle” and “The Thrilla in Manila,” both of which helped him get started. His career took off after that, and he went on to organize more than 500 championship fights. But a lot of the boxers he helped accuse him of being dishonest and mishandling money. These boxers include Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson.
Early years and childhood
Clarence King and Hattie gave birth to Donald “Don” King in Cleveland, Ohio. For a short time, he went to Kent State University, but he dropped out soon after.
He started a bookmaking business that was against the law. Later, he was charged with killing two people, for which he went to jail but was later let out.
Don King’s Career
In 1974, he started his first job as a boxing promoter. His first event was “The Rumble in the Jungle,” which was a legendary and historic boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Heavyweight champion George Foreman.
In 1975, he promoted “Thrilla in Manila,” a boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier that took place in Quezon City, Philippines. This was their third fight against each other.
As a boxing promoter, he got better in the 1970s and soon became one of the most successful. He had already worked with fighters like Wilfred Benitez, Wilfredo Gomez, and Larry Holmes by this time.
In 1982, Muhammad Ali sued him for mishandling money and not giving Ali the $1.1 million that he was owed. He got out of the lawsuit, though, by giving Ali $50,000 in cash.
In 1984, he was in charge of Michael Jackson and his brothers’ tour, called “The Victory Tour.”
In 1992, the Senate questioned him about his ties to organized crime and his relationship with mobster John Gotti. He said he wasn’t guilty and said he had nothing to do with it.
Larry Holmes sued him for mishandling money and making things look better than they were. In the end, he paid $150,000 to settle with that person.
In 1996, boxer Terry Wayne Norris said that he didn’t pay Wayne the amount he was owed and that he stole money. A sum of $7.5 million was paid to end the fight without going to court.
Tim Witherspoon, a boxer, sued him and said that he forced him to sign contracts, including a blank contract, and that he was bad with money. Later, the dispute was settled for $1 million outside of court.
In 1998, he became the owner of a Cleveland-based weekly newspaper. The main goal of the paper was to help people who are African-American.
Mike Tyson sued him for $100 million because he had stolen money from him for more than a decade. The case was settled, though, and he paid Tyson $14 million to end it.
Chris Cornelius Byrd, a boxer, sued him in 2006 for breaking a contract. After he agreed to let Byrd out of his contract, the case was settled without going to court.
Awards & Achievements
He was made a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1997.
He was put into the Gaming Hall of Fame in 2008.
Personal History and Legacies
He married Henrietta in 1959, and they had three children together. In 2010, his wife passed away. There are five of them.
Estimated Net worth
A businessman from the United States named Don King has a net worth of $150 million. Many people think that Don King is one of the most famous and successful boxing promoters ever. He was always in the news because of how different he looked and what he did.
Trivia
A magazine says that this American boxing promoter was arrested more than 35 times for things like driving through red light districts and manslaughter.