Don King's Fall From Grace...

[ArtOfWar]

Is it me or has Don King totally fallen off the boxing map over the last two or three years. I don't think he's got one of the top 15 p4p fighters in his stable and you rarely hear about him on tv now. He's been almost totally been pushed out of the limelight, and seems to have gone quietly as well.

He's still got the likes of Nate Campbell, Valuev and Mayorga in his stable, but none of those guy's is going to carry him to prominence again. Do people think the new order has taken over or will DK find a way back.

[Wales]

Knocking on now isnt he, old DON... cant be far from what, 80odd? So its no wonder really.

Agree though, dont hear much of him at all.

Too quiet for too long, maybe?

[Poncey]

He's 77 I think. Still makes the best undercards, though.

[chinny]

Yes he tends to just 'provide' fighters for other promotors now doesn't he, like Mayorga and MAB for Warren.
Eurosport showed his China bill the other night, which was largely empty.
Cropped up to promote a tennis tournament recently didn't he? I think you're right, he is winding down. Took a while for boxers to get wise to him didn't it?

[stujones]

It won't be the same when he has retired/died.... he seemed in good form talking to Bunce prior to the China bill.

[Shirow]

I think that it's more of a sign that the business can't do much without him. His health has been failing and that's why he's fallen behind.

[My T Sharp]

Most of his fortune has been wasted on mini National Flags...



with Great Britain, Pakistan, Mexico & United States represented with Barrera Vs Khan it could mean bankruptcy

[stujones]

I think that it's more of a sign that the business can't do much without him. His health has been failing and that's why he's fallen behind.

Has it? Do you know the problem?

[Old bones Ian]

Think he'd doing the Campbell v Funeka bill in Feb,
Don can't keep going for much longer, but at 77 he's doing more than most pensioners

[Punchy Joe]

I think its a lot down to age, 77 is getting on a bit...........

[jamesmcdonnell]

I wonder if part of the problem is that fighters are loathe to sign long term promotional contracts any more, and the networks have more clout now than ever.

Lennox Lewis in many ways sealed his fate - King was never able to get a piece of Lewis - despite showering him with gifts and fawning over him - and Don's grip on the heavyweight title has never recovered.

Don had a bloody good run at the top, his career has been astonishing.

[Shirow]

I think that it's more of a sign that the business can't do much without him. His health has been failing and that's why he's fallen behind.

Has it? Do you know the problem?

I can't remember details now but nothing unusual for a bloke of his age.

[observer1]

the stunts he pulled to put Tyson on the decline and take so much money of him, i'm not surprised

[stujones]

His last bill was in Japan.

[Rocky Balboa]

the stunts he pulled to put Tyson on the decline and take so much money of him, i'm not surprised

Agreed. How he got away with it for such a period I do not know? How did you do it, Don? In Beyond the glory, Tyson's lawyer at the time of him suing King (not sure who it was) says there's written proof that King instructs $43M to be taken from Tyson's bank account & put into Don's bank account. Talk about having your cake & eating it!

[hitman_hatton1]

Is it me or has Don King totally fallen off the boxing map over the last two or three years. I don't think he's got one of the top 15 p4p fighters in his stable and you rarely hear about him on tv now. He's been almost totally been pushed out of the limelight, and seems to have gone quietly as well.

He's still got the likes of Nate Campbell, Valuev and Mayorga in his stable, but none of those guy's is going to carry him to prominence again. Do people think the new order has taken over or will DK find a way back.

yeah don has struggled since tito's demise to have another star.

goldenboy and arum have trumped him in the last few yrs.

he's still trying to cling to the heavyweights but that division is dead nowadays.

don's had his day i think. :>

[Autobarn]

Dk has done some good work the last few years, but moslty in out of the way weight classes like cruiser - which has been unified with the Mormeck-Braithwaite-Bell stuff - and light middle.

[BroughtonRulesRefuge]

Is it me or has Don King totally fallen off the boxing map over the last two or three years.

- It's you. He co-promotes in Germany and Russia as well as America.

Has pieces of Ruiz, Evan Field, Valuev, the primary fighters, 70%, of the WBA titles the past decade, Chaegav, and Ibragimov, and Peter. Since the Klitschkos have 3 of the 4 primary belts, he just doesn't control heavy boxing as he did with Ruiz, Brewster, and Byrd controlling 3 of 4 a few years back. Famously cut ties with Juan Diaz in a big dust up on the eve of the Campbell fight, another of his fighters he co-promotes. Recently signed Barrera and a number of other fighters nobody can keep track of in his revolving door.

Junior handles the day to day operations and is much lower key. DK was responsible for the Field/Valuev fiasco in Switzerland. Notice he goes to Russia and Switzerland to get Evan Field propped up for championship matches. Nobody to sanction that baloney in the states.

[THEBUTCH]

For me the decline has coincided with Golden Boy Promotions getting stronger and stronger. Their cards knock spots of anything King can come up these days.

GBP offer the fans what they really want, not what King thinks we want...lacklustre heavyweights or lower weight world champs avoiding other champs at their peaks.

[BroughtonRulesRefuge]

Speak of the devil, and up he crops: http://www.fightnews.com/?p=2629

Really hilarious stuff in his Captain America outfit.

[chinny]

GBP offer the fans what they really want

Not sure about that. GBP undercards have been awful recently.

Back to the subject it is kind of horrible after all the 'I love you Tito' stuff during his prime that Don more or less tempted him out of a sensible retirement to throw him to the wolves (Winky, RJJ) when DKP were struggling.
Anyone know how true the rumours that Tito is punchy are?

[THEBUTCH]

I've sat through hours of crud on DK's undercards too.