Don King just as great at age 88
Now promoting womens rights and peace ‘Only in America’
“I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence.”- Frederick Douglass-
When I first met Don King in a living room at his Beverly Hills condominium on March 3, 1991, we were all fixated to the television screen as the late Rodney King was being savagely beaten by Los Angeles Police Department cops.
Don King was the only individual in that room who realized how significant that moment was, and it was then I quietly wondered why is this man was a mere boxing promoter.
It has been this intellectual prowess that has elevated him beyond iconic world boxing champions and into a stratosphere beyond comprehension, for a boy who grew up in the Cleveland ghetto.
Thus, his ‘Only in America’ slogan bellows through the annals of Las Vegas casinos, Madison Square Garden, Kinshasa, Zaire, the Philippine Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City, Philippines, the Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan and beyond.
A glance all the way back would surely explain that Don King is a man who has lived a life of countless chapters filled with monumental highs, gut wrenching lows and pillows of philanthropy that often get hidden from the spotlight.
When August 20, 2019 rolls around, Don King will celebrate his 88th day of living and while for many this would be considered close to the end, those close to him ponder if it is just another beginning.
One can’t watch a boxing match without thinking of Don King. His masterful influence is all over the sport. From the amount of money fighters are getting paid, the sponsorship deals, pay per view, and cable television all the way to the ring card girls.
People don’t realize that had King Vision taken flight, another creation of Don King, you would have had fights streaming more than two decades ago.
While his stable of fighters is not nearly as robust as it once was, he still has a heavyweight champion, a division he has ruled for close to half a century.
Today, Don King spends most of his time thinking and writing. Realizing that the mere threat of a nuclear war is much more important than another championship belt he has honed in on what will be important for the future of our nation.
His weekly columns published in the Call & Post has prognosticated many of the national and global political events before they even happened.
Having always been an avid history buff and one who values intellect over anything else, he is offering his most precious and genuine gift through those writings.
Don King often states, give me my flowers when I can see and smell them, and he has seen and nosed the aroma of many throughout his glorious life.
One that has outlasted some of those individuals he’s promoted in the boxing ring, the love of his life the late wife Henrietta and scores of family and friends.
The walls of his empire are filled with a legacy that has propelled him into every boxing hall of fame, candid friendships with world leaders and American presidents, The Jackson 5 Victory Tour and many others.
So, on yet another milestone that only God could bless you with, we all say HAPPY BIRTHDAY, to the Indefatigable Advocate for Peace and Womens Rights, Call & Post Publisher, father, grandfather, uncle and employer… DON KING! “Only in America’
