It has become a trope in boxing films: every promoter character is a caricature of Don King. We’ve seen so many versions of King, or imitations of him under a different name, that they all blend together. That’s because Hollywood is, frankly, ignorant — not just of boxing, but of all things. King, because he was as much a promoter of himself as of boxing, became the most famous (and flamboyant) boxing promoter of all time. Put up $1M to get 10 Hollywood screenwriters to name two boxing promoters and you would stump them all — they’d unanimously name King and scratch their heads without ever coming up with Bob Arum, the Duvas or any other promoter. So when they go to write a boxing script, if they have a promoter as a character, they go with with the only thing they know. (And it resonates, with audiences … most people would recognize a version of King but not anyone else.) More often than not, boxing promoters are presented as evil, corrupt, vile creatures in films. But there have been promoters on celluloid who were actually engaging, original characters. So I thought I’d ask: Who are your favorite promoters in boxing films? Here are a few of mine: Rev. Fred Sultan: Samuel L Jackson brings his own charisma to the role of promoter in The Great White Hype. He’s smart, ruthless and, yes, over the top. But Sultan — a guy who was running Ponzi schemes as a child. Reviewers, who don’t know **** from Shinola, called the character a King clone, but watch the film and it’s absolutely not the case. He has his own sense of fashion, his own style, his own personality, with his catchphrase “I love America, and I … Love … You.” If you’ve never seen the movie, it’s worth watching just for one of Jackson’s best performances. George ‘Miles’ Jurgens: Apollo Creed’s promoter in the original Rocky film was played by Thayer David, a character known for often playing TV villains. He was a regular on the horror soap opera Dark Shadows, portraying several characters, and showed up on Kojak, Charlie’s Angels and just about every other detective series of the 1970s (usually as a villain). Jurgens (his first name isn’t mentioned in credits, but I think he introduces himself as George once but is called Miles in the novelization — written by Stallone — iirc) only has a few scenes but he really shines. He seems a bit dark and mysterious but doesn’t really come across as a baddie. The ‘Do you believe America is the land of opportunity, Rocky’? scene where he offers Balboa a title shot is the best overlooked scene in a fantastic film. Who are some Hollywood boxing promoters you like, and why?
I haven't got a promoter for you but I enjoyed the optimistic manager played by Nicholas Colasanto in "Fat City", in bed with his sleeping wife while he imagines his broken down fighter staging a glorious comeback to a career that never exceeded $200 purses.
I considered De Niro in Night and the City but, honestly, it’s not one of his better performances. Felt like he did a self-caricature and mailed it in. But Jack Warden is an inspired pick here. He was excellent in this film. Bravo.
His Frankie Carbo performance in Raging Bull was great too He could beat all the Sugar Ray Robinsons and the Tony Janiros in the world, but he ain't gonna get a shot at that title—not without us he ain't".
