Don King Wax Sculpture

Donald "Don" King (born December 6, 1931), is a successful American boxing promoter particularly known for his hairstyle and flamboyant personality. The text below is generated by a template, which has been proposed for deletion. ... The text below is generated by a template, which has been proposed for deletion. ... is the 340th day of the year (341st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other senses of these words, see boxing (disambiguation) or boxer (disambiguation). ...

Biography

Early life

Prior to entering the world of boxing, King lived in Cleveland, Ohio. After dropping out of Case Western Reserve University, he ran an illegal bookmaking operation, and was charged for killing two men (two separate incidents 13 years apart). The first was determined to be justifiable homicide, but King was convicted of manslaughter for the second killing, for which he served just under four years in prison.^[1] Cleveland redirects here. ... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Greater Cleveland Area  Ranked 34th  - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 km²)  - Width 220 miles (355 km)  - Length 220 miles (355 km)  - % water 8. ... Case Western Reserve University is a university in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, with some residence halls on the south end of campus located in Cleveland Heights. ... A bookmaker, or a bookie, is an organisation or a person that takes bets and may pay winnings depending upon results and, depending on the nature of the bet, the United States, with Singapore and Canada, the only legal bookmaker is state_owned and operated. ... The concept of justifiable homicide in criminal law stands on the dividing line between an excuse and an exculpation. ...

Career as a boxing promoter

King entered the boxing world in his hometown of Cleveland. After convincing Muhammad Ali to box a charity exhibition for a local hospital, with the help of singer Lloyd Price, King began one of history's most successful careers in boxing promotion. King had access to investors, whose money he would need to cover expenses, but he was inexperienced in the fight game. Don Elbaum, who already had a stable of fighters in Cleveland and years of experience in boxing, agreed to form a partnership with King. For other persons named Muhammad Ali, see Muhammad Ali (disambiguation). ... Lloyd Price (born March 9, 1933 in Kenner, Louisiana) was an early rock and roll musician. ...

In 1974, King negotiated to promote a heavyweight championship fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in (DR Congo)Zaire, popularly known as "The Rumble in the Jungle." 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 Zaire government. The Rumble in The Jungle was an historic boxing event that took place on October 30, 1974, in the May 20 Stadium in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo). ...

King solidified his position as one of boxing's preeminent promoters the following year with the third fight between Ali and Joe Frazier in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, which King deemed the "Thrilla In Manila." 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 like Larry Holmes, Wilfred Benitez, Roberto Duran, Salvador Sanchez, Wilfredo Gómez, and Alexis Arguello would all fight under the Don King Productions promotional banner in the 1970s. For the Major League Baseball player and manager, see Joe Frazier (baseball) Joseph William Smokin Joe Frazier (born January 12, 1944 in Beaufort, South Carolina) is a former world heavyweight boxing champion, active mostly in the 1960s and 1970s. ... For other meanings of the word, see Manila (disambiguation). ... The Thrilla in Manila was a famous boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, fought at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City of the Philippines on October 1, 1975. ... For the politician and activist, see Larry Holmes (Marxist). ... Wilfred Benitez (born September 12, 1958 in New York, New York), is a Puerto Rican boxer. ... Roberto Duran (b. ... Salvador Sánchez Santiago (January 26, 1959 - August 12, 1982) was a Mexican boxer born in the small town of Santiago Tianguistenco, Mexico. ... Wilfredo Gómez (born October 29, 1956) is a former boxer and three time world champion. ... Alexis Argüello (born April 19, 1952), is a former world champion Nicaragua. ...

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 Lopez, Felix Trinidad, Terry Norris, Carlos Zarate, Azumah Nelson, Andrzej Gołota, Mike McCallum, and Meldrick Taylor are some of the boxers who chose King to promote many of their biggest fights. Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is a former American world heavyweight boxing champion and is the youngest man to have won a world heavyweight title. ... Evander The Real Deal Holyfield (born October 19, 1962 in Atmore, Alabama) is a professional boxer from the United States and a multiple world champion in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions. ... For this mans son, also a boxer, see Julio César Chávez, Jr. ... Aaron Pryor (born October 20, 1955) is a former boxer from Cincinnati, Ohio. ... // Bernard Hopkins was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, growing up in the Raymond Rosen housing projects and later in Germantown, where he became involved in crime and gang activity at a young age. ... Ricardo “El Finito” Lopez Nava (born July 25, 1967) is a boxer from Mexico, who as an amateur won the silver medal at the 1991 Pan American Games in Havana, Cuba. ... Félix Tito Trinidad Jr. ... Terrance Norris was an American boxer and a three-time world champion in the junior middleweight division. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Azumah Nelson (born September 19, 1958) is a former boxer and three-time world champion. ... Andrzej GoÅ‚ota (in the USA often referred to as Andrew Golota; born January 5, 1968) is a professional boxer from Poland who has been involved in many controversial fights. ... Mike McCallum (born December 7, 1956 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a retired boxer from Jamaica, who represented his native country as an amateur at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada, where he was eliminated in the quarterfinals. ... Meldrick Taylor (born October 19, 1966) is a former Olympic gold medalist and world boxing champion in two weight classes. ...

Outside of boxing, he also managed the Jacksons' 1984 Victory Tour. The cover to the Jackson 5s first LP, Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5, released on Motown Records in 1969. ... See also: // January 21 - Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood reaches number one in the UK singles chart: it spends a total of forty-two weeks in the Top 40. ... The Victory Tour was a music tour of the United States and Canada by The Jacksons that started July 6, 1984 and ended December 9, 1984. ...

Popular culture

King has become a prominent figure in the media. He frequently appears on talk shows like Jimmy Kimmel and Howard Stern to promote fights. Recently, he was portrayed by Dave Chappelle in a skit about a "Gay America," promoting a boxing match between two homosexual boxers. James Christian Jimmy Kimmel (born November 13, 1967) is an American comedian, writer, talk show host, game show host, and producer. ... This article is a biography of Howard Stern as an individual; for information regarding his radio show see The Howard Stern Show. ... David Khari Webber Chappelle (born August 24, 1973) is an American stand-up comedian, satirist and actor. ...

In the third Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, the emperor emerges from a bell struck by a cannonball with his hair sticking straight up. Donatello says, "Hey, look - Don King!" King is well known for his hairstyle. In a 1993 interview with Jet magazine, King said that he uses Aqua Net hairspray and a comb to style his coif every day. Jet magazine is a popular African-American publication founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1951 by John H. Johnson of Johnson Publishing Company. ...

A 1996 episode of The Simpsons featured a boxing promoter named Lucius Sweet, described by Homer Simpson as being "exactly as rich and as famous as Don King and he looks just like him too!" The Homer They Fall is the third episode of The Simpsons eighth season and originally aired November 10, 1996. ... Simpsons redirects here. ... Homer Simpson is also a character in the book and film The Day of the Locust. ...

The character of flashy boxing promoter George Washington Duke, played by Richard Gant in the film Rocky V, is based on King, even using King's famous catchphrase "Only in America!" In 1997, actor Ving Rhames played King in a made for TV movie, Don King: Only in America which aired on HBO. Rhames won a Golden Globe award for his portrayal of King. However, at the ceremony, Rhames gave up his award and presented it to Jack Lemmon, who was also nominated for his starring role in a remake of the movie Twelve Angry Men. In a 1998 episode of South Park, titled "Damien", Jesus and Satan are to have a boxing match to decide the conflict between good and evil, and Don King represents Satan. Richard The King Gant is an American actor, born on May 13, 1940. ... Rocky V is the fifth film in the Rocky film saga. ... Irving Rameses Rhames (born May 12, 1959) is a Golden Globe-winning American actor. ... A television movie (also TV movie, TV-movie, made-for-TV movie, etc. ... For other uses, see HBO (disambiguation). ... The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and television programs, given out each year during a formal dinner. ... John Uhler Lemmon III (February 8, 1925 – June 27, 2001), better known as Jack Lemmon, was a two-time Academy Award-winning American actor and comedian. ... 12 Angry Men is a 1957 film which tells the story of one lone juror who holds out against the other eleven members of the jury because he is not convinced that the defendant is guilty. ... This article is about the TV series. ... Damien is the eighth episode of Comedy Centrals animated series South Park (though it aired as episode ten overall). ...

King had a brief cameo as himself in the 1997 movie The Devil's Advocate. He is politically active; he made media appearances promoting George W. Bush during the 2004 U.S. presidential election, which included attendance at the Republican National Convention in New York. In the episode "My Brother's Keeper" of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Carlton is portrayed as Don King in one of Will's dreams. On an episode of Boy Meets World, Cory is having really bad hair problems, and his hair is similar to Don King's. One kid even made fun of Cory by saying, "Hey look, it's Don King." In Celebrity Deathmatch, Don 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. The Devils Advocate is a 1997 thriller/drama horror film directed by Taylor Hackford starring Keanu Reeves, Al Pacino and Charlize Theron, and based on a novel by Andrew Neiderman. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the forty-third and current President of the United States of America, originally inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... Presidential election results map. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the state. ... My Brothers Keeper is a 1982 science fiction novel by Charles Sheffield. ... The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an Emmy, BAFTA, and RTS-award winning popular American television sitcom that aired on NBC from September 10, 1990, to May 20, 1996. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Boy Meets World is an American television sitcom that chronicled the events and everyday life lessons of Cory Matthews, who grows up from a pre-pubescent boy to a married man. ... Celebrity Deathmatch is a claymation parody television show that pits celebrities against each other in a wrestling ring, almost always ending in the losers gruesome death. ... The running gag is a popular hallmark of comic and serious forms of entertainment. ... Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946 in Queens, New York, New York) is an American business executive, entrepreneur, television and radio personality and author. ...

An episode of 'Operation Good Guys' contained one character promoting a fight and parodying Don King. A popular joke, "Your armpits are so hairy it looks like you put Don King in a headlock".

References

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Don King

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External links

• Don King Promotions
• Don King: Only in America at the Internet Movie Database