Michael Marley
4/23/2009
His fellow sharks in the boxing waters have been dismissive of Don King in recent years.
They may be doing so at their peril.
Too old, some have said. More interested in his historical legacy, others said. Spends more time on national politics, rubbing noses with the Bush crowd and now trying to force his way into the Obama inner circle as a self-described “Republicrat,” other Kingfish watchers have noted.
But Moby Don is angling for his biggest “catch” since the banner years with Iron Mike Tyson, Examiner.com and Boxingconfidential has learned.
Returning to the big fight cesspool is boxing’s swiftest fish, undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr., and King is using his customary bait—suitcases filled with money for tax problem-plagued “Money May”—to try to lure the former Pound for Pound ring king into his promotional boat.
Mayweather, whose IRS difficulties are common knowledge, keeps talking to keen HBo officials about a comeback bout, maybe in July, which would set the stage for a gigantic November To Remember bout against Pinoy Idol Manny Pacquiao.
That’s assuming Pacman handles his Ricky Hatton business properly on May 2.
This is hardly King’s first run at Mayweather. Website SweetScience detailed a lengthy flirtation between the two in August of 2005. The reporter was Floyd's hometown chronicler, David Mayo. That story said, in part:
"Arum and King rarely do business and the Felix Trinidad-Oscar De La Hoya outcome still rankles Arum. "I think," King said, "that Lonesome Bob has his fears and apprehensions," about doing business together.
Arum also will not be pleased to learn King and Mayweather met this year, even if it did not violate any contractual terms.
There long has been an underlying suspicion that King had a quiet interest in Mayweather, bolstered by the overriding reality that Mayweather has a loud interest in escaping Arum, but the covert meeting prompted questions about how much backdooring is going on. Oh, and that $9 million offer Mayweather purportedly received and declined to fight Winky Wright – where did that figure come from, who floated it, through whom, and how did it get into the Tampa Tribune, even though neither side says anything remotely approaching that figure was offered?"
Veteran promoter Cedric Kushner, who had the services of Lennox Lewis conqueror Hasim Rahman "appropriated" from him by King, can see why the flashy personas of King and Mayweather might be mutually attractive.
"He's a ghetto kid from Grand Rapids," Kushner said. "That's like mother's milk for Uncle Don. Maybe Floyd is mentally floundering about his comeback...I don't know. But never count King out, never. How many promoters out there can grab a pen, write out a $7 million check and not blink? I don't know any facts but maybe they'll have a marriage made in Deerfield Beach (DKP HQs) or at King's estate. Don lured Rahman away from me, despite my contract, with a suitcase with $250,000 in it. I sued and then settled back in 2001. I know what Don is capable of.
"Don is like Bluto in 'Animal House' when Belushi shouts, "It's not over until we say it is." When Don decides he's through in boxing, then and only then will he be finished."
One top level fight guy told me that Mayweather visited King in South Florida a week or so again. Mayweather was invited to stay at DK’s palatail, $27 million oceanfront mansion complete with Statue Of Liberty replica but booked into a hotel instead. (That's Don's asking price for the property, he might accept a few shekels less.)
“They met, they talked, they socialized,” this informant said Thursday. “King had Money Must Pay, as the IRS refers to him, and his posse over to the mansion to catch some refreshing ocean breezes and enjoy some exquisite barbecue. King is famous for his barbecue blowouts where only the finest meats and cheeses are served.”
Another wealthy person, adviser Al Haymon, remains firmly in Mayweather’s corner. But that does not mean Mayweather could not bring King aboard as his promoter. The Mayweather association with Golden Boy is a flexible one which many believe is not contractual.
King was in Puerto Rico Wednesday night visiting with his WBA junior middleweight champ Daniel Santos and his ex-cash cow, Tito Trinidad. King was hopping from the island Thursday to St. Louis where his boxer, Cory Spinks, faces crosstown rival Deandre Lattimore on Showtime Friday night. King was not available for comment on any Mayweather machinations.
Las Vegas Review-Journal caricature
A second source described Mayweather as “just out there testing the waters and not extremely desperate for a huge cash infusion.
“King can obviously empty out the Samsonite factory and fill all the luggage with greenbacks, no problem, but I think Floyd’s flirting with Don because he may want Bob Arum’s historic adversary on his team to make a Pacman fight. Floyd knows the real hatred Bob Arum has for him since he left Top Rank and he may figure that if Arum wants to have a bloody fight before the fight, well then King can be like his Doc Holliday.
“You know King loves to battle Arum, I can just hear King, if he muscles his way in with Mayweather, telling Bob what Doc told fast gun Johnny Ringo:
“I’m your huckleberry!”
Michael is a former sports columnist at the New York Post. He was a criminal defense attorney and worked for sports legends Howard Cosell and Don King. Marley also operates BoxingConfidential.com. Email him your thought
