Did Don King ruin pro sports, boxing in general?

Never has been. King isn't the first scumbag in boxing nor will he be the last. But he is a pardoned murderer.

 

There are actually people who exist on this planet who are defending King killing people?

Wtf?

Look at Kings face ... That should be enough proof that a POS

 

I'm not defending Don King killing anyone. He was charged, convicted, went to jail, served his time, got out, left that life and started a new one and was very successful for the next half century.

And I will remember him for the new one he started that I enjoyed watching, not for a single incident he was punished for before anyone alive on this board even knew who he was.

Nothing that happened to King before he took up the sport had any impact on me. What he did when he was in boxing did. That's what I'll remember him for.

 

Ask Tim Witherspoon and Larry Holmes

 

Reading this thread, you would conclude that King was the greatest, worse promoter of all time, who was a fan favourite, murderer, petty criminal, that ran a big criminal organisation, and yet improved and at that the same time, helped destroy boxing.


And that would be fair comment.

 

Neither did Bob Arum, who was preparing to stage Tate-Ali until Tate lost to Weaver. Neither did the Nation of Islam, which provided the promotion for his final fight against Berbick. Neither did Ali's wife at the time, who told him in the dressing room after Berbick that she thought he'd won and that he'd been cheated.

Saying Don King "should've seen it" is really sidestepping a LOT of people much much closer Ali to point a finger at King.

 

Don King is an ambassador of Boxing. He promoted the sports real well while getting real rich.

 

I don’t understand how athletes asking for big money is because of King. King is certainly a sleazy POS, but athletes have always tried to make big money, just like other entertainers.

People got on Babe Ruth’s case for getting paid more money than the President back in the 1920s. His reply was “I had a better year than the President”. This was around the same time Jack Dempsey was making big money with Tex Richard.
Ruth & Dempsey were megastars who brought the fans in, so they got paid accordingly.

Sugar Ray Robinson would notoriously for negotiating hard for every dollar. Promoters have tried to come up with new ways to generate more revenue, and fighters accordingly are trying to get more as well.

https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2017/8/...fightings-biggest-money-fights-boxing-mma-ufc

It’s nothing new for players to have their agents negotiate hard for more money. It was a big thing for Joe Namath to get half a million from the AFL in the mid 60s. Before ever playing an NBA game, Michael Jordan was making more money from Nike than established stars like Magic and Bird were from Converse.

The popularity of the NBA skyrocketed worldwide in the 80s and 90s, so there’s a ton of more revenue to go around, so they get paid crazy money now. I don’t see any connection of the NBA’s worldwide popularity to Don King being a scumbag thief.

 

I am of the belief that boxers deserve to be paid big bucks simply because they are putting their asses on the line.

 

He's the biggest hypocrite going Clint with double standards abound.

Just take a look at this mess -

https://www.boxingforum24.com/threads/carlos-monzon-all-title-fights.618889/

 

I always thought he was good for boxing and Arum worse. King put up better fight cards.. Arum would have one main guy and a terrible undercard.