Don King began his career in boxing promotions in 1972. He grabbed major headlines by bringing Muhammad Ali and George Foreman to Kinshasa, Zaire. Almost a decade after the ‘Rumble in The Jungle,’ his name got associated with an upcoming prospect who became the youngest Heavyweight champion in 1986. However, twelve years later, Mike Tyson slapped a $100 million case against King bringing their relationship to an acerbic end. A resurfaced video shows him speaking about the man who reportedly stripped him of his hard-earned dollars.
In the 2008 documentary on his life, ‘Tyson,’ Mike Tyson spoke at length about his relations with former promoter Don King. Calling him a ‘wretched slimy reptile,’ Tyson’s emotional outburst displayed a hurt caused by someone he considered a brother. He said, “He’s ruthless, he’s deplorable, he doesn’t know how to love anybody that’s just the way he is.”
Only one Don King and Mike Tyson
The hip-hop channel ‘Revolt’ has over 2 million subscribers. Rapper N.O.R.E and DJ EFN host one of its popular segments, the podcast ‘Drink Champs.’ Last year they had Mike Tyson as their guest in Las Vegas. Viewed by nearly two million, the former world champion shared his journey and several personalities who touched his life. Among them stood Don King. N.O.R.E started by describing the promoter as one of those ‘illest characters’ one may never find in the sport again.
But Tyson countered that there’s always a scope for personalities resembling him and Don King. He described how discipline shaped him into a world champion. Hence, several like him might be willing to sacrifice to realize their dreams. Then the rapper clarified that after going through several documentaries about him and Don King, he always felt that the latter had the gift of the gab and exhibited great talent for making big money.
Perceptions can be deceptive
So he asked, “…was it worth the relationship him making the money for you or him being this eventually finding out that this guy’s a terrible guy.” ‘Iron,’ Mike replied, “I don’t think he’s a terrible guy. I think he’s an awesome guy. I just think that he I like to keep to myself what I think.” Then DJ EFN asked whether King was a man who represented the times he lived in. The former world champion quoted his example. He shared that while he gave an impression of a mean and tough fighter, he was nowhere near such a persona. Likewise, King remained the person he was, “…I have the perception of being a violent person, but I’m not. It’s just, um, life is perception.“
In 1998, Tyson filed a case against Don King to the tune of $100 million. However, they settled it out of the court for fourteen million dollars. Even as recently as 2018, the world watched with bated breath when ‘Iron’ Mike had a go at the veteran promoter who patted the former’s shoulder at the International Boxing Hall of Fame event. Later, Tyson expressed his regrets over the angry reaction.