Don King High School Photo
PARDONED MURDERER A GENIUS IN BUSINESS
San Francisco, CA– There are fewer stories as eye-opening as the life of Don King. A Cleveland, OH native, Don was himself never a tough guy. One book on the “wire-haired wonder” said he was “known to walk away from fights in high school.” If you are to write a story of reality regarding King, you have to reveal that he murdered Sam Garrett. The skinny drug addict addict owed King, who ran the “Illegal Lottery” AKA “The Numbers Racket” in part of Cleveland, was beating on a downed Garrett as Cleveland Police rolled up.
“DON, I’LL PAY YOU THE MONEY”
In 1966, Garrett, a King employee, supposedly owed Don in excess of $600. As King was pummeling Sam and the Cleveland cops running towards them, Garrett pleaded, “Don, I’ll pay you the money.” With the cops just feet away, King kicked the prone Garrett in the head one more time, the coup de grace per se, killing Garrett. Sentenced to Ohio State Prison for second degree murder, King, who had shot Hillary Brown to death after he robbed one of King’s numbers joints and wasn’t charged, became the ideal prisoner.
KING BECAME THE PRISON BOOKWORM!
Allegedly, King read every book in the prison library. That’s why he can quote Shakespeare, Socrates, Mark Twain, Abraham Lincoln, the high school graduate self educated himself while in the joint. In his words which were something to the effect, “I did the time, the time didn’t do me.” He had his conviction reduced to “non-negligent homicide,” thus King only did four years. In 1983, then Governor Jim Rhodes gave Don a “pardon” absolving him of all wrongdoing, this with the support of Jessie Jackson and Mrs. Martin Luther King, )Coretta King) and others.
WAS THE GOVERNOR BOUGHT OFF?
Don King Today
Rumors abound that King got the pardon in exchange for $250,000 in cash. Since 1974, King, who was brought into the boxing industry by fighter/promoter/trainer and manager Don Elbaum, has been promoting major fights. The “Rumble in The Jungle” in that same year was followed by the “Thrilla’ In Manila” one turn of the Roman calendar later. His accomplishments as a boxing promoter would take a day to recite in writing. His detractors, including former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, have called Don every filthy name in the book and more. To cite their declarations would take me even more time and font.
TOOK FIFTH AMENDMENT WHEN ASKED ABOUT MAFIA
In 1992 while appearing before a U.S. Senate panel, King was asked about his dealings with the Mafia and whether he knew the late mobster John Gatti, King invoked the Fifth Amendment against self incrimination. Afterwards on an ESPN radio, Don King said this: “Am I in the mafia? No! They don’t allow niggers in the mafia.”
HEALTH HAS BEEN IN QUESTION FOR LONG TIME!
Don King has said to have been in poor health now for some 15-20 years. Still, the man who sleeps but a couple of hours a night is known for eating giant steaks, ribs, drinking whiskey and smoking cigars. He has drawn the wrath of Clearwater, FL residents who complained about his noisy personal jet coming and going after 10 PM when all inbound and outbound air travel is supposed to cease. His neighbors have complained about his giant barbecues, one said it made his house permanently smell like Hickory and the like, still “DK” as some people refer to him, lives in the same house.
SOME SAY KING IS NO LONGER A MAJOR BOXING FORCE
While his stable of fighters is not what it used to be, Don King still travels around the world and promotes fights. While just a few weeks ago, King was in San Jose, CA watching his charge Selcuk Aydin lose a battle for the vacant WBC welterweight (147 lbs) to Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero. Still, until they push dirt over him, Don will always be a major component in the game of boxing. Celebrating his 81st birthday, King reminds me of The Rolling Stones‘ longtime guitar player Keith Richards. In other words, no matter what he eats, smokes, drinks or does, he continues to inhale and exhale. Happy Birthday Donald!
Pedro Fernandez