Some may have thought he was buried and the younger generations may not know him, but Don King is still involved in the boxing business at 93 years of age. The legendary promoter maintains his company Don King Productions, although his activity has declined considerably. Despite this, he still has Adrien Broner on his books, who fell from grace years ago when everything pointed to him being a fighter of the time.
What made King the world’s best-known promoter began with the famous fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in Kishasa, ‘The Rumble in the Jungle’. Shortly before, he had been released from prison for committing a homicide – he was the second person he had killed, although in the first case the homicide was considered justified – and had convinced Ali to perform a charity exhibition. At that time the businessman sold himself as a new and reformed man. He then negotiated in Zaire for the big clash between the two leading heavyweights, to whom he offered record purses. From then on, numerous boxers wanted to associate with him.
But as we said, it all started with the fight in Zaire and it is partly what brings us here today. The fact is that King has been sued for $3 billion for allegedly abandoning a business for an event called ‘Rumble in the Jungle 2’, according to Fortune. Specifically, a lawsuit has been filed in New York for fraud, defamation, breach of contract and some other issues by BYD Sports and its CEO, Cecil Miller, against King and his company Don King Productions.
Miller claims that King encouraged him to organise a special event in Africa for the 50th anniversary of the aforementioned fight between Ali and Foreman. According to BYD Sports, they had advanced preparations for a major event in Nigeria, with a card featuring a number of boxing stars over a weekend with performances by John Legend, Alicia Keys and Wyclef Jean. When Miller asked King to help promote the event, he allegedly backed out and walked away from the business, when he was supposed to be in charge of the sporting side of things.
Why is he being sued for $3 billion? Since the fight between Ali and Foreman grossed $100 million, equivalent to $600 million today, Miller is seeking damages for that amount, plus $2.4 billion in prospective (future) damages and a formal written apology
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