King's Tarnished Crown

Don King wants to make South Florida a boxing capital. Trouble is, he's on the ropes.

A A A Comments By Trevor Aaronson Thursday, Jun 17 2004

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Goodman sighs, noticeably aggravated by the topic. "McCain likes to see his name in the papers," he continues. "Going after Don King does that."

Had such a governing body been in place when the dispute over Hurtado's title shot arose, Margules says, it would have simply suspended King. "A national commission would bring more accountability to the business side of the sport," Margules says. It would also prevent promoters such as King from moving fights to, say, Florida while banned in another state. A national commission could suspend a promoter nationwide, Teflon armor be damned.

Trevor Aaronson

Top: Don King and Tony Brown, chairman and founder of CMXsports, socialize with boxing fans at the Miami Jai-Alai Fronton on May 1. Middle: As King (left) made millions in the fight game, his wife, Henrietta (center), invested in Palm Beach County real estate. Bottom: Ferdie "The Fight Doctor" Pacheco says King is "absolutely Machiavellian."

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"When promoters like Don King and Bob Arum are no longer around, there's going to be a shaking out," says New York attorney Burstein. "They've ruled boxing for the last 30 or 35 years. When there's a change to the new guard, which is going to have to come at some point, the sport will change dramatically. Boxing is great, but it's become less mainstream. The national commission is imperative to restoring integrity."