Editing Don King

{{Short description|American boxing promoter (born 1931)}}
{{About|the boxing promoter|other people}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| name         = Don King
| image        = Don King by Gage Skidmore.jpg
| alt          = 
| caption      = King speaking at [[FreedomFest]] in July 2016
| birth_name   =
| birth_date   = {{Birth date and age|1931|8|20}}
| birth_place  = [[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]], U.S.
| death_date   = 
| death_place  = 
| death_cause  = 
| occupation   = Boxing promoter
| years active = 1952–present 
| children     = 3
| known_for    = "[[Thrilla in Manila|The Thrilla in Manila]]", "[[The Rumble in the Jungle]]"
| URL          = {{URL|donking.com}}
}}

'''Donald King''' (born August 20, 1931) is an American [[boxing]] [[Promoter (entertainment)|promoter]], known for his involvement in several historic boxing matchups.

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]], [[Salvador Sanchez]], [[Wilfred Benitez]], [[Wilfredo Gomez]] and [[Christy Martin (boxer)|Christy Martin]]. Many of these boxers sued him for allegedly defrauding them. Mike Tyson was quoted as saying, "He did more bad to black fighters than any white promoter ever in the history of boxing."<ref name="ESPN Classic - Only in America">{{Cite web |title=ESPN Classic - Only in America |url=http://www.espn.com/classic/biography/s/King_Don.html |access-date=2021-07-28 |website=www.espn.com}}</ref>

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]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20220128082047/https://vault.si.com/vault/1990/12/10/from-hair-to-eternity-you-cant-become-a-sports-immortal-says-don-king-without-folicles-of-fabulous-fecundity "From Hair To Eternity"], December 10, 1990 - Franz Lidz, ''Sports Illustrated''</ref><ref name="ESPN Classic - Only in America" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Norris |first=Luke |date=2020-12-31 |title=Never Forget Don King Killed 2 People (and Spent Less Than 4 Years in Prison) Before Becoming the Biggest Boxing Promoter in the World |url=https://www.sportscasting.com/never-forget-don-king-killed-two-people-and-spent-less-than-four-years-in-prison-before-becoming-the-biggest-boxing-promoter-in-the-world/ |access-date=2023-04-03 |website=Sportscasting {{!}} Pure Sports |language=en-US}}</ref> In 1967, King was convicted of second-degree murder for stomping one of his employees to death because he owed him $600.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bonesteel |first1=Matt |title=Only in America! A Cleveland street where Don King killed someone might get renamed after him. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2016/09/15/only-in-america-a-cleveland-street-where-don-king-killed-someone-might-get-renamed-after-him/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=28 June 2024}}</ref> For this, he served three years and eleven months in prison, being released after the conviction was reduced to [[voluntary manslaughter]] on appeal.<ref name="espn bio">{{cite web| url=https://www.espn.com/classic/biography/s/King_Don.html|work=ESPN Classic| first=Mike|last=Puma|title=Only in America|access-date=May 3, 2007}}</ref><ref name="nytimes pardoned" />

== Early life ==
King was born in [[Cleveland]], Ohio, as the fifth of six children to Clarence and Hattie King.<ref name="ESPN Classic - Only in America" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Iorfida |first=Chris |date=August 18, 2011 |title=Don King at 80: A wild ride |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/don-king-at-80-a-wild-ride-1.1052008 |website=CBC Sports}}</ref> Clarence worked at the Otis Steel plant owned by the [[Jones and Laughlin Steel Company|Jones & Laughlin company]] and was killed in a workplace accident on December 7, 1941, when a [[Ladle (metallurgy)|ladle]] exploded and engulfed him in molten steel. Hattie received $10,000 ({{Inflation|index=US|value=10,000|start_year=1941|r=0|fmt=eq}}) in compensation and relocated the family to the middle-class [[Mount Pleasant, Cleveland|Mount Pleasant]] neighborhood. His 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]]. King and his older brothers all eventually became involved in the betting scheme, with King later stating "So now what we did is we capitalized off of this here, and we [[Hustling|hustled]]. It was [[Statute|statutorily]] illegal, but who knew about the statutes?"<ref>{{Cite news |date=1975-09-28 |title=KING or THE RING; Don King, a former numbers runner and convict (Murder 2) who quotes from Socrates and Galbraith, controls the heavyweight champ—and thus the game |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/09/28/archives/king-of-the-ring-don-king-a-former-numbers-runner-and-convict.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312070540/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/09/28/archives/king-of-the-ring-don-king-a-former-numbers-runner-and-convict.html |archive-date=March 12, 2023 |access-date= |work=The New York Times |pages=19, 22 |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Hauser |first=Thomas |title=The Black Lights: Inside the World of Professional Boxing |date=February 1, 2000 |publisher=University of Arkansas Press |isbn=978-1557285973 |pages=73–74 |language=en}}</ref> King graduated from [[John Adams High School (Ohio)|John Adams High]] in 1951 and briefly attended [[Kent State University]] before dropping out.<ref>Williams, Bob. "Donald King's Mother Prays: God, Give Him Grace to Tell it all." ''Cleveland Call and Post'', November 16, 1957, pg. 1.</ref>

=== Bookmaking and killings ===
Beginning in 1951, King ran an illegal [[Bookmaker|bookmaking]] operation out of the basement of a record store on [[Kinsman Road]], earning the byname "The Kid", as well as the nicknames "Kingpin" and "the Numbers Czar".<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Machado Zotti |first=Priscilla H. |title=Injustice for All: "Mapp vs. Ohio and the Fourth Amendment |date=January 31, 2005 |publisher=Peter Lang Publishing Inc. |isbn=978-0820472676 |pages=8–10 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Donald |first=McRae |title=Dark Trade: Lost in Boxing |date=June 5, 2014 |publisher=Simon & Schuster UK |isbn=978-1471135385}}</ref> During this time, King was charged with killing two men in incidents 13 years apart. On  December 2, 1954, King fatally shot Hillary Brown in the back while he and two accomplices were attempting to rob one of King's gambling houses on East 123rd Street. This first killing was determined to be [[justifiable homicide]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kang |first=Jay Caspian |date=April 4, 2013 |title=The End and Don King |url=https://grantland.com/features/don-king-faces-end-career/ |access-date= |website=Grantland |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=March 8, 2009 |title=Don King: Monarch of mayhem is loud and proud as lord of the rings |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/others/don-king-monarch-of-mayhem-is-loud-and-proud-as-lord-of-the-rings-1639702.html |website=The Independent}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=1995-10-15 |title=Sports of The Times;'Trickeration' Trial Of Promoter Don King (Published 1995) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/15/sports/sports-of-the-times-trickeration-trial-of-promoter-don-king.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240619052849/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/15/sports/sports-of-the-times-trickeration-trial-of-promoter-don-king.html |archive-date=June 19, 2024 |access-date= |work=The New York Times |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref>

On April 20, 1966, King killed an employee, 34-year-old Sam Garrett, in an open street in front of several witnesses, for owing $600 in debt. King beat and kicked Garrett and held a [[.357 Magnum|.357 magnum]] revolver to his head; Garrett never regained consciousness and died of severe head trauma on April 24.<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=April 25, 1966 |title=Gambling Figure Dies Of Beating |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HsVOAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA30 |work=Toledo Blade |pages=30}}</ref> King claimed self-defense, while the prosecution, supported by witness testimony, including that of arresting police officer Bob Tonne, argued that Garrett was attacked by King, with Garrett's last words being quoted as "Don, I'll pay you the money."<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Matthews |first=David |title=Looking for a Fight |year=2000 |isbn=978-0747214397 |pages=131 |publisher=Headline |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Newsfield |first=Jack |title=The Life and Crimes of Don King: The Shame of Boxing in America |date=December 1, 2003 |isbn=978-0974020105 |pages=29 |publisher=UNET 2 Corporation |language=en}}</ref> He was convicted of [[First degree murder in the United States|second-degree murder]] for the second killing in 1967 and sentenced to one-to-twenty years imprisonment.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=ESPN Classic - Only in America |url=http://www.espn.com/classic/biography/s/King_Don.html |access-date=2023-04-03 |website=www.espn.com}}</ref> While he served his term at the [[Marion Correctional Institution (Ohio)|Marion Correctional Institution]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 27, 1977 |title=Don King's Bouts Shift To Texas |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/03/27/archives/don-kings-bouts-shift-to-texas.html |work=The New York Times |pages=175}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=1975-06-30 |title=Sport: From Killer to King |url=https://time.com/archive/6851358/sport-from-killer-to-king/ |access-date= |magazine=Time |language=en}}</ref> he began self-education; according to his own words, he read everything in the [[prison library]] he could get his hands on.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHf458Xs9W8&t=144s METV Special Report Don King]. Quote: "I learned this here, ... in the penitentiary, in reading everything that I can find my hands on, and didn't living the life that I live before I got to the penitentiary. That gave me an Enlightenment on life that don't get mad, get smart. That's why I want other kids to educate themselves, put it in their brain, they can't take that away."</ref>
<blockquote>I learned this here, in the ... penitentiary, in reading everything that I can find my hands on, and didn't living the life that I live before I got to the penitentiary. That gave me an enlightenment on life that "don't get mad, get smart." That's why I want other kids to educate themselves, put it in their brain, they can't take that away.</blockquote>

In 1972 after serving three years and eleven months,<ref name="ESPN Classic - Only in America" /> King was released when his attorney got the conviction reduced to manslaughter.<ref name=":4" /> King was pardoned in 1983 by Ohio Governor [[Jim Rhodes]], with letters from [[Jesse Jackson]], [[Coretta Scott King]], [[George Voinovich]], [[Art Modell]], and [[Gabe Paul]], among others, being written in support of King.<ref name="nytimes pardoned">[https://www.nytimes.com/1983/01/05/sports/sports-people-don-king-pardoned.html "SPORTS PEOPLE; Don King Pardoned"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', January 5, 1983. Accessed May 29, 2011.</ref>

== Career ==
{{expand section|date=October 2024}}
[[File:Don King in 1982 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|180px|King in 1982]]
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]]. Early on, he formed a partnership with a local promoter named Don Elbaum, who already had a stable of fighters in Cleveland and years of experience in boxing. In 1974, King negotiated to promote a heavyweight championship fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in [[Zaire]], popularly known as "[[The Rumble in the Jungle]]".<ref name="telegraph1">{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/usopen/2615095/Apple-Grapple-brings-a-gleam-to-Don-Kings-eye---Tennis.html | work=The Daily Telegraph | location=London | title=US Open: 'Apple Grapple' brings a gleam to Don King's eye. Don King, of the tall hair, celebrated his 77th birthday last week, dancing to the rhythm of a promotional pulse which shows no sign of abating. | first=Gareth A | last=Davies | date=August 24, 2008 | access-date=May 1, 2010 | archive-date=May 5, 2013 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130505114320/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/usopen/2615095/Apple-Grapple-brings-a-gleam-to-Don-Kings-eye---Tennis.html | url-status=dead }}</ref> 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 government of Zaire.

King arranged Ali's [[Muhammad Ali vs. Chuck Wepner|1975 fight against journeyman Chuck Wepner]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Smith|first1=Red|title=But Wasn't It a Bleedin' Shame?|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/03/25/archives/but-wasnt-it-a-bleedin-shame.html?_r=0|newspaper=The New York Times|date=March 25, 1975|access-date=March 30, 2017}}</ref> It is widely believed the fight inspired [[Sylvester Stallone]] to write the screenplay for ''[[Rocky]]'' (1976).<ref>{{cite web|last1=Child|first1=Ben|title='Real-life Rocky' to sue over copycat film based on heavyweight contender's life|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/feb/23/real-life-rocky-chuck-wepner-to-sue-over-copycat-heavyweight-biopic|date=February 23, 2016|work=The Guardian|access-date=March 30, 2017}}</ref>

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]],<ref>{{cite book|title=Only in America: The Life and Crimes of Don King (9780688101237): Jack Newfield: Books |isbn=0688101232 |last1=Newfield |first1=Jack |year=1995 |publisher=William Morrow }}</ref> the capital of the [[Philippines]], which King deemed the "[[Thrilla in Manila]]".<ref name="telegraph1" /> 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 including [[Larry Holmes]], [[Wilfred Benítez]], [[Roberto Durán]], [[Salvador Sánchez]], [[Wilfredo Gómez]], and [[Alexis Argüello]] 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 López (boxer)|Ricardo López]], Félix Trinidad, [[Terry Norris (boxer)|Terry Norris]], [[Carlos Zárate Serna|Carlos Zárate]], [[Azumah Nelson]], Andrew Gołota, [[Mike McCallum]], [[Gerald McClellan]], [[Meldrick Taylor]], Marco Antonio Barrera, [[Tomasz Adamek]], [[John Ruiz]], and [[Ricardo Mayorga]] are some of the boxers who chose King to promote many of their biggest fights.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boxingnews24.com/2008/01/54-facts-you-probably-dont-know-about-don-king/|title=54 Facts you probably don't know about Don King|work=Boxing News 24|date=January 14, 2008}}</ref>

Outside of boxing, he was the [[Tour promoter|concert promoter]] for [[The Jackson 5|The Jacksons]]' 1984 [[Victory Tour (The Jacksons tour)|Victory Tour]].<ref>{{Cite magazine|last1=Connelly|first1=Michael|last2=Connelly|first2=Christopher|date=1984-03-15|title=Michael Jackson: Trouble in Paradise?|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/michael-jackson-trouble-in-paradise-105691/|access-date=2020-07-20|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}</ref> In 1998, 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.<ref>{{cite web
 |title        = Encyclopedia of Cleveland History: Cleveland Call and Post
 |access-date   = January 14, 2012
 |url          = http://ech.cwru.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=CCP
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20120607191418/http://ech.cwru.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=CCP
 |archive-date = June 7, 2012
 |url-status     = dead
 |df           = mdy-all
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |title      = About Us
 |access-date = January 14, 2012
 |url        = http://www.callandpost.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=448&Itemid=438
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111020095635/http://www.callandpost.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=448&Itemid=438
|url-status   = dead
|archive-date = October 20, 2011
}}</ref>

King was elected to the [[Gaming Hall of Fame]] in 2008.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Gaming Hall of Fame |url=http://gaming.unlv.edu/hof/index.html |date=February 12, 2009 |publisher=[[University of Nevada, Las Vegas]] |access-date=August 30, 2009 |archive-date=March 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318103112/http://gaming.unlv.edu/hof/index.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2023, King was announced as the financier of the Bomaye Fight Club in [[Major League Wrestling]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pizzazz |first=Manolo Has |date=2023-07-10 |title=Don King revealed as mystery money man in MLW |url=https://www.cagesideseats.com/2023/7/10/23789260/don-king-revealed-mlw-mystery-money-man-bomaye-alex-kane |access-date=2023-11-15 |website=Cageside Seats |language=en}}</ref>

As of 2024, King still promoted world champions and was in talks with Canadian boxing promoter Dan Otter to stage a WBC cruiserweight world title bout sometime that year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ringside |date=2024-01-01 |title=Ryan Rozicki's promoter confirms WBC title talks with Don King |url=https://www.worldboxingnews.net/2024/01/01/ryan-rozickis-promoter-confirms-wbc-title-talks-with-don-king/ |access-date=2024-01-16 |website=World Boxing News |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hits |first=Random |date=2023-12-05 |title=Ryan Rozicki Focused on WBC Title Showdown After Blasting Out Durodola |url=https://www.boxingscene.com/ryan-rozicki-focused-on-wbc-title-showdown-blasting-out-durodola--179769 |access-date=2024-01-16 |website=BoxingScene.com |language=en-us}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
[[File:RoyJonesDonKing.jpg|thumb|King with [[Roy Jones Jr.]] in 2008, after his win over [[Félix Trinidad]]]]
Don King's wife, Henrietta, died on December 2, 2010, at the age of 87.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=5878896|title=Don King's wife, Henrietta, dies at 87|first=Dan|last=Rafael|work=ESPN|date=December 3, 2010|access-date=July 25, 2024}}</ref> They had one biological daughter, Debbie, a son, Eric and adopted son Carl, five grandchildren{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} and three great-grandchildren{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}.

King is politically active and supported [[Barack Obama]] in the [[2008 United States presidential election|2008]] and [[2012 United States presidential election|2012]] presidential elections.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/politics/2008-11-03-456878832_x.htm|title=Don King backs Obama for president, praises Bush|website=Usatoday30,usatoday.com|access-date=January 7, 2016}}</ref> During the [[2004 United States presidential election|previous election]], he had made media appearances promoting [[George W. Bush]], which had included attendance at the [[2004 Republican National Convention]] in New York City. He also has been a longtime supporter of Donald Trump.<ref name="h814">{{cite web | last=Strauss | first=Ben | title=‘Mr. President, You Know What It’s Like To Be a Black Man’ | website=Politico Magazine | date=2017-07-14 | url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/07/14/don-king-donald-trump-black-man-215362/ | access-date=2025-01-08}}</ref>

On June 10, 1987, King was made a '[[Mason at sight|Mason-at-Sight]]' by "Grand Master" Odes J. Kyle Jr. of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall [[Grand Lodge]] of Ohio, thereby making him a [[Prince Hall Freemasonry|Prince Hall Freemason]].<ref>{{cite book|title=138th Proceedings of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Ohio F&AM|year=1987|publisher=Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Ohio|location=Columbus|page=20}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Gray|first=David|title=The History of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Ohio F&AM 1971–2011: The Fabric of Freemasonry|year=2012|publisher=Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Ohio F&AM|location=Columbus, Ohio|isbn=978-0-615-63295-7|page=414|url=http://www.phaohio.org|access-date=July 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306063600/http://www.phaohio.org/|archive-date=March 6, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the following year, he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane letters degree from [[Central State University]] in [[Wilberforce, Ohio]], by University President Dr. Arthur E. Thomas.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Famed Promoter Don King Is Honored At Central State|year=1988|page=2|volume=74|magazine=Jet|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P4gDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA22}}</ref>

[[File:King, Don (2007).jpg|thumb|King with an [[AT4]] rocket launcher in 2007]]

King has conducted an annual [[domesticated turkey|turkey]] giveaway each Christmas for several years, in which he distributes two thousand free turkeys to needy South Floridians.<ref>{{cite web|last=Scouten |first=Ted |url=http://miami.cbslocal.com/2011/12/16/don-kings-turkey-giveaway-canceled-after-truck-hijacked/ |title=Don King's Turkey Giveaway Canceled After Truck 'Hijacked' « CBS Miami |website=Miami.cbslocal.com |date=December 16, 2011 |access-date=January 7, 2016}}</ref>

In September 2024, King was hospitalized for an unspecified illness that required a blood transfusion.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Brown |first1=Larry |title=Towering figure in boxing history dealing with health concerns |url=https://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/towering_figure_in_boxing_history_dealing_with_health_concerns/s1_127_40928058?utm_source=mb&utm_medium=email&mb_edition=20240922&mb_loc=left_r |website=[[Yardbarker]] |date=September 21, 2024 |access-date=24 September 2024}}</ref> Widespread concern for King's health was prompted by a [[Mike Tyson]] media interview where he said, "You know, Don is not doing well right now. He's probably close to 100 years old. He's not doing well."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mendez |first1=Chris Malone |title=Legendary Boxing Promoter Don King Is 'Not Doing Well' Amid Health Issues, Mike Tyson Says |url=https://www.mensjournal.com/news/boxing-promoter-don-king-health-issues-mike-tyson |website=[[Men's Journal]] |date=September 20, 2024 |access-date=24 September 2024}}</ref>

== Lawsuits and prosecutions ==
King has been investigated for possible connections with [[organized crime]]. On May 20, 1957, the porch of King's house was bombed and in October of the same year, 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]]. In December 1957, King's house was raided by the [[Internal Revenue Service|IRS]] for [[Evasion (law)|evasion]] of $32,029 ({{Inflation|index=US|value=32,023|start_year=1957|r=0|fmt=eq}}) in policy tax.<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 19, 1957 |title=Seize King Home In Cleveland For $32,000 Policy Tax |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UbcDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA47 |work=Jet |pages=47}}</ref> Charges of [[blackmail]] against Birns and five others were ultimately dropped in July 1958 when King declined to testify in court.<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=July 2, 1958 |title=Drop Charges Of Blackmail |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oMg_AAAAIBAJ&pg=PA10 |work=Youngstown Vindicator |pages=10}}</ref> During a 1992 [[United States Senate|Senate]] investigation, King invoked the [[Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fifth Amendment]] when questioned about his connection to mobster [[John Gotti]].<ref>Finkelman, Paul.  ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=6gbQHxb_P0QC&pg=RA2-PA99 Encyclopedia of African American History, 1896 to the Present: From the Age of Segregation to the Twenty-First Century]'', Volume 1, p. 99 ([[Oxford University Press]], 2008).</ref> When [[IBF]] president Robert W. Lee Sr. was indicted for racketeering in 1999, King was not indicted, nor did he testify at Lee's trial, though prosecutors reportedly "called him an unindicted co-conspirator who was the principal beneficiary of Lee's machinations."<ref>[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/officials-want-promoters-out-of-ac/ ''CBS''] "Officials Want Promoters Out Of AC", ''CBSNews.com'', October 5, 2000. Retrieved September 9, 2018.</ref>

King has been involved in many fraud litigation cases with boxers. In 1982, he was sued by [[Muhammad Ali]] for underpaying him $1.1 million for a fight with [[Larry Holmes]]. 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 King. He asked Shabazz to visit Ali (who was in the hospital due to his failing health), get him to sign the letter, and then give Ali the $50,000. Ali signed it. The letter even gave King the right to promote any future Ali fights. According to Shabazz, "Ali was ailing by then and mumbling a lot. I guess he needed the money." Shabazz later regretted helping King. Ali's lawyer cried when he learned that Ali had ended the lawsuit without telling him.<ref>{{cite book | author=Newfield, Jack | title=The Life and Crimes of Don King: The Shame of Boxing in America| publisher=William Morrow| year=1995| isbn=978-0-9740201-0-5 | pages=162–4}}</ref>

Larry Holmes has alleged that over the course of his career, King cheated him out of $10 million in fight purses, including claiming 25% of his purses as a hidden manager. 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 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. Holmes sued King over the accounting and auditing for [[Larry Holmes vs. Gerry Cooney|the Gerry Cooney fight]], charging that he was underpaid by $2 to $3 million.<ref>{{cite book | author=Newfield, Jack | title=The Life and Crimes of Don King: The Shame of Boxing in America| publisher=William Morrow| year=1995| isbn=978-0-9740201-0-5 | page=145}}</ref> Holmes sued King after King deducted a $300,000 'finder's fee' from his fight purse against [[Mike Tyson]]; Holmes settled for $150,000 and also signed a legal agreement pledging not to give any more negative information about King to reporters.<ref>{{cite book | author=Newfield, Jack | title=The Life and Crimes of Don King: The Shame of Boxing in America| publisher=William Morrow| year=1995| isbn=978-0-9740201-0-5 | pages=147–8}}</ref>

[[Tim Witherspoon]] was threatened with being blackballed if he did not sign exclusive contracts with King and his stepson Carl. Not permitted to have his own lawyer present, he signed four "contracts of servitude" (according to [[Jack Newfield]]). One was an exclusive promotional contract with Don King, two were managerial contracts with Carl King, identical except one was "for show" that gave Carl King 33% of Witherspoon's purses and the other gave King a 50% share, more than is allowed by many boxing commissions. The fourth contract was completely blank.<ref>{{cite book | author=Newfield, Jack | title=The Life and Crimes of Don King: The Shame of Boxing in America| publisher=William Morrow| year=1995| isbn=978-0-9740201-0-5 | pages=216–7}}</ref> Other examples include Witherspoon being promised $150,000 for his fight with Larry Holmes but receiving only $52,750. King's son Carl took 50% of Witherspoon's purse, illegal under Nevada rules, and the WBC sanctioning fee was also deducted from his purse.<ref>{{cite book | author=Newfield, Jack | title=The Life and Crimes of Don King: The Shame of Boxing in America| publisher=William Morrow| year=1995| isbn=978-0-9740201-0-5 | page=219}}</ref> He was forced to train at King's own training camp at Orwell, Ohio, instead of [[Muhammad Ali's Training Camp|Ali's Deer Lake camp]] which Ali allowed Witherspoon to use for free. For his fight with [[Greg Page (boxer)|Greg Page]] he received a net amount of $44,460 from his guaranteed purse of $250,000. King had deducted money for training expenses, sparring partners, fight and airplane tickets for his friends and family. Witherspoon was never paid a stipulated $100,000 for his training expenses and instead was billed $150 a day for using King's training camp. Carl King again received 50% of his purse, despite Don King Productions falsely claiming he had only been paid 33%.<ref>{{cite book | author=Newfield, Jack | title=The Life and Crimes of Don King: The Shame of Boxing in America| publisher=William Morrow| year=1995| isbn=978-0-9740201-0-5 | pages=221–2}}</ref>  HBO paid King $1,700,000 for Witherspoon to fight [[Frank Bruno]]. Witherspoon got a purse of $500,000 but received only $90,000 after King's deductions. Carl King received $275,000.<ref>{{cite book | author=Newfield, Jack | title=The Life and Crimes of Don King: The Shame of Boxing in America| publisher=William Morrow| year=1995| isbn=978-0-9740201-0-5 | page=231}}</ref> In 1987, Witherspoon sued King for $25 million in damages. He eventually settled for $1 million out of court.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/15/sports/sports-of-the-times-trickeration-trial-of-promoter-don-king.html|title=Sports of The Times;'Trickeration' Trial Of Promoter Don King|date=October 15, 1995|work=The New York Times}}</ref>

Former undisputed World Heavyweight Boxing Champion [[Mike Tyson]] has described King, his former promoter, as "ruthless", "deplorable", and "greedy".<ref name="Tyson">Tyson (film), 2008</ref> In 1998, Tyson sued King for $100 million, alleging that the boxing promoter had cheated him out of millions over more than a decade.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_n17_v93/ai_21237706/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120708130821/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_n17_v93/ai_21237706/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 8, 2012 |work=Jet |title=Mike Tyson files $100 million lawsuit against boxing promoter Don King |year=1998 }}</ref> The lawsuit was later settled out of court, with Tyson receiving $14 million.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/5298011/|title=NBC Sports|access-date=December 5, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081215040819/http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/5298011/|archive-date=December 15, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1996, [[Terry Norris (boxer)|Terry Norris]] sued King, alleging that King had stolen money from him and conspired with his manager to underpay him for fights. The case went to trial, but King settled out of court for $7.5 million in 2003. King also acceded to Norris's demand that the settlement be made public.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/11/sports/boxing-king-to-pay-7.5-million-to-norris.html|title=King to Pay $7.5 Million To Norris|date=December 11, 2003|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-dec-14-sp-dogking14-story.html|title=Is King's Run as 'Teflon Don' Over?|work=Los Angeles Times|date=December 14, 2003 }}</ref>

[[File:Don king.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|King at Madison Square Garden in October 2001]]
In 2005, King launched a $2.5 billion defamation suit against the [[Walt Disney Pictures]]–owned [[ESPN]], the makers of ''[[SportsCentury]]'', after a documentary alleged that King had "killed, not once, but twice", threatened to break [[Larry Holmes]]' legs, had a hospital invest in a film that was never made, cheated [[Meldrick Taylor]] out of $1 million, and then threatened to have Taylor killed. Though the documentary repeated many claims that were already made, King said he had now had enough. King's attorney said "It was slanted to show Don in the worst way. It was one-sided from day one, Don is a strong man, but he has been hurt by this."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=1965165 |title=Promoter takes issue with ''SportsCentury'' piece |publisher=[[ESPN]] |agency=ESPN.com news services |date=January 13, 2005 |access-date=July 2, 2015}}</ref> The case was dismissed on [[summary judgment]] with a finding that King could not show "actual malice" from the defendants, and that King had failed to prove that any of the challenged statements were false. The judgment also pointed out that the studio had tried on a number of occasions to interview King for the documentary, but he had declined; while not suggesting that King had a legal obligation to do so, the court sympathized with ESPN's circumstances on those grounds. 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. In any case, Judge Dorian Damoorgian ruled, "Nothing in the record shows that ESPN purposefully made false statements about King in order to bolster the theme of the program or to inflict harm on King".<ref>{{cite news |first=Eriq |last=Gardner |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-espn-idUSTRE66601G20100707 |work=Reuters |title=ESPN scores TKO against Don King defamation lawsuit |date=July 6, 2010 |access-date=July 2, 2015 |archive-date=July 2, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702144502/http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/07/07/us-espn-idUSTRE66601G20100707 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In May 2003, King was sued by [[Lennox Lewis]], who wanted $385 million from the promoter, claiming King used threats to pull Tyson away from a rematch with Lewis.<ref name=LATimes>{{cite news|last=Springer|first=Steve|title=Lewis Sues Tyson and King Over No-Show at Stapled|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-may-09-sp-boxing9-story.html|access-date=January 30, 2014|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=May 2003}}</ref>

In early 2006, [[Chris Byrd]] sued Don King for breach of contract, and the two eventually settled out of court under the condition that Byrd would be released from his contract with King.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/boxing/2006-01-09-don-king-lawyer_x.htm | work=USA Today | title=Don King teams up with legal nemesis | first1=Larry | last1=Neumeister | date=January 9, 2006 | access-date=May 1, 2010}}</ref>

==Media appearances==
King appeared in the 2-part ''[[Miami Vice]]'' episode "Down for the Count" (season 3, episodes 12/13, 1987) as Mr. Cash.

King acted in a small role as more or less himself in ''[[The Last Fight (film)|The Last Fight]]'' (1982) and in the comedy ''[[Head Office]]'' (1985). He also had another brief cameo as himself in the film ''[[The Devil's Advocate (1997 film)|The Devil's Advocate]]'' (1997). He also appeared in a season 4 episode of ''[[Knight Rider (1982 TV series)|Knight Rider]]'', titled "Redemption of a Champion".

King made an appearance in the documentaries ''Beyond the Ropes'' (2008)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1310365/|title=Beyond the Ropes (Video 2008)|date=October 14, 2008|work=IMDb|access-date=January 7, 2016}}</ref> and ''[[Klitschko brothers|Klitschko]]'' (2011).

King appeared in ''[[Moonlighting (TV series)|Moonlighting]]'' episode "Symphony in Knocked Flat" (season 3, episode 3, 1986) as himself & also made a brief cameo to the music video ''[[Liberian Girl]]'' by ''[[Michael Jackson]]'' filmed in April 1989 at A&M Chaplin Stage at A&M Studios in Los Angeles.

==Media portrayals==
===As a character===
* A puppet caricature of King appeared in a few episodes of the TV series [[DC Follies]] which ran from 1987 to 1989.
* In 1995, [[HBO]] aired ''[[Tyson (1995 film)|Tyson]]'', a television movie based upon the life of Mike Tyson, in which King was portrayed by actor [[Paul Winfield]].
* In 1997, [[Ving Rhames]] played King in a television movie, ''[[Don King: Only in America]]'', which aired on [[HBO]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119838/|title=Don King: Only in America (TV Movie 1997)|date=November 15, 1997|work=IMDb|access-date=January 7, 2016}}</ref> Rhames won a [[Golden Globe Award]] for his portrayal of King.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.answers.com/topic/ving-rhames|title=Answers – The Most Trusted Place for Answering Life's Questions|work=Answers.com|access-date=January 7, 2016}}</ref>
* In 1998, for the tenth episode of ''[[South Park]]'''s first season, "[[Damien (South Park)|Damien]]", Jesus and Satan are pitted against one another in a boxing match to decide the conflict between good and evil; a character [[parody|spoofing]] Don King appears, promoting Satan and the fight.
* In its first season, ''[[In Living Color]]'' featured a one-time sketch titled "King: The Early Years", set in a schoolyard in 1939, in which the narrator first leads viewers to believe that [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] got his start in childhood as a peacemaker between two fighting classmates{{snd}}until "King" is revealed as a young Don King (portrayed by [[Damon Wayans]]), who promoted the schoolyard scuffle.
* In the episode "My Brother's Keeper" of ''[[The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air]]'', [[Carlton Banks|Carlton]] is portrayed as Don King in one of Will's dreams.
* In ''[[Celebrity Deathmatch]]'', King's death was a [[running gag]] during the series' first season. In the final episode of the second season, he was matched against [[Donald Trump]], with King being killed again, this time in the ring.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tv.com/show/2591/summary.html?user_rating=20&rating_ref_type=101|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130205010833/http://www.tv.com/show/2591/summary.html?user_rating=20&rating_ref_type=101|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 5, 2013|title=Celebrity Deathmatch|publisher=CBS Interactive|work=TV.com|access-date=January 7, 2016}}</ref>
* He was portrayed by [[Dave Chappelle]] in a skit about a "Gay America", as promoting a boxing match between two gay boxers.
* King helped create the video game ''[[Don King Presents: Prizefighter]]'' for the [[Xbox 360]], which he promoted on IGN's podcast, ''Three Red Lights'', and another called ''[[Don King Boxing]]'' for [[Wii]] and [[Nintendo DS]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.2ksports.com/games/prizefighter/ |title=2K |website=2ksports.com |access-date=January 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131120231607/http://www.2ksports.com/games/prizefighter/ |archive-date=November 20, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=cnetDonKing>{{cite web|url=http://reviews.cnet.com/wii-games/don-king-boxing-wii/4505-9993_7-32786360.html|title=Don King Boxing (Wii)|publisher=CBS Interactive|work=CNET|access-date=January 7, 2016}}</ref>
* King was featured in the 2001 film ''[[Ali (film)|Ali]]'', promoting the [[Rumble in the Jungle]] title fight between [[Muhammad Ali]] and [[George Foreman]]. He was portrayed by [[Mykelti Williamson]] in the film.

===Characters based on King===
*The character of George Washington Duke, the flamboyant boxing promoter in the film ''[[Rocky V]]'' (1990), is modeled at least in part on Don King,<ref>{{cite web |author=Iron Mike Gallego |url=http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/75341572/don-king-boxing-icon-muhammad-ali-mike-tyson-bermane-stiverne |title=As long as boxing has Don King, it has an identity. |publisher=Sports on Earth |date=May 14, 2014 |access-date=October 8, 2016 |archive-date=August 8, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160808021238/http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/75341572/don-king-boxing-icon-muhammad-ali-mike-tyson-bermane-stiverne |url-status=dead }}</ref> even using King's famous catchphrase "Only in America!"
*"[[The Homer They Fall]]", a 1996 episode in season 8 of the animated series ''[[The Simpsons]]'', features a boxing promoter, Lucius Sweet (voiced by [[Paul Winfield]]), whose appearance is modeled on King, especially his hairstyle. In fact, [[Homer Simpson]] comments that Sweet is "exactly as rich and as famous as Don King, and he looks just like him, too!”
*''[[The Great White Hype]]'', a 1996 movie stars Rev. Fred Sultan ([[Samuel L. Jackson]]) as a manipulative boxing promoter.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Tucker |first1=Ken |title=The Great White Hype |url=https://ew.com/article/1996/05/10/great-white-hype-2/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=15 November 2023}}</ref>
*In the 2005 [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]] video game ''[[Jade Empire]]'', a character named Qui The Promoter is based on Don King, including personality and his speech patterns.
*In the 2016 indie video game ''[[Punch Club]]'', a character named Ding Kong is modeled after King. In this game, Kong serves as the player's fight promoter in one of the conclusions of the game.<ref>{{cite web |last1= |first1= |title=References And Easter Eggs |url=https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=608340587 |publisher=Steam Community |access-date=15 March 2024}}</ref>

== Awards and honors ==
*1997: [[International Boxing Hall of Fame]] inductee
*2008: [[Gaming Hall of Fame]] inductee
*2015: Street in [[Newark, New Jersey]] renamed Don King Way<ref>{{cite news |last1=Carter |first1=Barry |title=Ding-Ding! 'Don King Way' may become permanent street name in Newark |url=https://www.nj.com/essex/2016/09/ding-ding_don_king_way_may_becomepermanent_streetn.html |access-date=2 January 2025 |work=NJ.com |date=30 September 2016 |language=en}}</ref>
*2016: Shaker Boulevard in Cleveland renamed Don King Way<ref>{{cite web |author=Kaily Cunningham |url=http://www.fox8.com/2016/04/27/portion-of-shaker-boulevard-to-be-renamed-don-king-way |title=Don King Way – Fox 8.com (WJW-TV) |publisher=Fox8.com |date=April 27, 2016 |access-date=October 8, 2016 |archive-date=January 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116173106/http://fox8.com/2016/04/27/portion-of-shaker-boulevard-to-be-renamed-don-king-way/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

{{commons category|Don King}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.donking.com/ Don King Promotions]
* {{IMDb title|0119838|Don King: Only in America }}

{{Mike Tyson}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Don}}
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