A new podcast series delves deep into the life and times of one of sport’s most charismatic and controversial figures – boxing promoter Don King.
King, 92, was the man behind some of the most famous fights in history, including the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in 1974 and the 1975 ‘Thrilla in Manila’ between Ali and Joe Frazier.
He has promoted some of the biggest fighters in the sport, including Ali, Foreman, Frazier, Larry Holmes, Roberto Duran and Mike Tyson.
However, King is also a controversial figure. Before becoming a boxing promoter, the American made a living through illegal gambling and spent time in prison for killing a man.
A number of the boxers who King has worked with have gone on to sue him, including Tyson, who famously took out a $100m court case against his former promoter before accepting a $14m settlement in 2004.
In 1985, he was found not guilty of tax evasion and in 1998, after facing fraud charges carrying a potential forty-year sentence, King was once again acquitted.
Over the course of eight revealing episodes, Steve Bunce and three-time world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis explore King’s remarkable life, with incredible stories from fellow promoters, fighters, journalists – and even an FBI agent who investigated him.
Here are a few takeaways…
