1. Donald King was born on August 20,1931 and is an American boxing promoter, known for his involvement in several historic boxing matchups.
39 Facts About Don King
1. 2.
Don King has been charged with killing two people in incidents 13 years apart.
3.
In 1954, Don 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.
4.
In 1967, Don King was convicted of voluntary manslaughter for stomping one of his employees to death because he owed him $600.
5.
Don King was born in Cleveland, Ohio, as the fifth of six children to Clarence and Hattie Don King.
6.
Don King's mother made a living selling peanuts and homemade pies, helped by King and his younger sister and sold the wares at a local "policy house" that used the guise of a concession stand to run a numbers game.
7.
On December 2,1954, Don King fatally shot Hillary Brown in the back while he and two accomplices were attempting to rob one of Don King's gambling houses on East 123rd Street.
8.
In 1972 after serving three years and eleven months, Don King was released when his attorney got the conviction reduced to manslaughter.
9.
Don King entered the boxing world after convincing Muhammad Ali to box in a charity exhibition for a local hospital in Cleveland with the help of singer Lloyd Price.
10.
In 1974, Don King negotiated to promote a heavyweight championship fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in Zaire, popularly known as "The Rumble in the Jungle".
11.
Don King solidified his position as one of boxing's preeminent promoters later that year with the third fight between Ali and Joe Frazier in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, which Don King deemed the "Thrilla in Manila".
12.
In 1998, Don King purchased a Cleveland-based weekly newspaper serving the African American community in Ohio, the Call and Post, and as of 2011 continued as its publisher.
13.
Don King was elected to the Gaming Hall of Fame in 2008.
14.
In 2023, Don King was announced as the financier of the Bomaye Fight Club in Major League Wrestling.
15.
Don King is politically active and supported Barack Obama in the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections.
16.
Don King has been a longtime supporter of Donald Trump.
17.
On June 10,1987, King was made a 'Mason-at-Sight' by "Grand Master" Odes J Kyle Jr.
18.
Don King has conducted an annual turkey giveaway each Christmas for several years, in which he distributes two thousand free turkeys to needy South Floridians.
19.
In September 2024, Don King was hospitalized for an unspecified illness that required a blood transfusion.
20.
Don King has been investigated for possible connections with organized crime.
21.
On May 20,1957, the porch of Don King's house was bombed and in October of the same year, Don King was shot in the head and neck with a shotgun by unidentified gunmen, reportedly due to his refusal to pay $200 in monthly protection money to crime boss Shondor Birns.
22.
In December 1957, Don King's house was raided by the IRS for evasion of $32,029 in policy tax.
23.
Charges of blackmail against Birns and five others were ultimately dropped in July 1958 when Don King declined to testify in court.
24.
Don King has been involved in many fraud litigation cases with boxers.
25.
Don King called in an old friend of Ali, Jeremiah Shabazz, and handed him a suitcase containing $50,000 in cash and a letter ending Ali's lawsuit against Don King.
26.
Don King asked Shabazz to visit Ali, get him to sign the letter, and then give Ali the $50,000.
27.
Holmes says he received only $150,000 of a contracted $500,000 for his fight with Ken Norton, and $50,000 of $200,000 for facing Earnie Shavers, and claims Don King cut his purses for bouts with Muhammad Ali, Randall "Tex" Cobb, and Leon Spinks, underpaying him $2 million, $700,000, and $250,000, respectively.
28.
Don King was forced to train at King's own training camp at Orwell, Ohio, instead of Ali's Deer Lake camp which Ali allowed Witherspoon to use for free.
29.
Don King had deducted money for training expenses, sparring partners, fight and airplane tickets for his friends and family.
30.
Don King eventually settled for $1 million out of court.
31.
In 1996, Terry Norris sued Don King, alleging that Don King had stolen money from him and conspired with his manager to underpay him for fights.
32.
Don King acceded to Norris's demand that the settlement be made public.
33.
Don King appealed the decision and three years later, the Second District Court of Appeals upheld the summary judgment, but disagreed with the original finding that none of the statements were false.
34.
In May 2003, Don King was sued by Lennox Lewis, who wanted $385 million from the promoter, claiming Don King used threats to pull Tyson away from a rematch with Lewis.
35.
Don King appeared in the 2-part Miami Vice episode "Down for the Count" as Mr Cash.
36.
Don King acted in a small role as more or less himself in The Last Fight and in the comedy Head Office.
37.
Don King had another brief cameo as himself in the film The Devil's Advocate.
38.
Don King appeared in a season 4 episode of Knight Rider, titled "Redemption of a Champion".
39.
Don King made an appearance in the documentaries Beyond the Ropes and Klitschko.