At 91, Don King still longs for the spotlight. But it is shining elsewhere

Larry Merchant, the venerable sportswriter and TV commentator recently observed, at the age of 92, that “it’s easy getting into your 80s but hard to get out of them.”

That wisdom applies to two men who dominated boxing for a half-century and shaped the business as we know it today. Don King will turn 92 on 20 August. Bob Arum will be 92 on 8 December.

Muhammad Ali’s longtime physician Ferdie Pacheco once suggested: “Think of Don King as a sledgehammer and Bob Arum as a stiletto.” British promoter Mickey Duff remarked: “One’s Black and one’s white. That’s the only difference.”

But King and Arum are too complex for simple caricature. During their sojourns through boxing, they’ve shown themselves to be brilliant, imaginative, focused and driven. They’re admired by some and disliked by others.

Arum is still a force in boxing, although the calendar suggests that he’s nearing the end of his long impressive run. King’s carriage turned into a pumpkin years ago. That contrast was on display this past weekend when King and Arum promoted back-to-back fight cards on 9 and 10 June.

On 9 June, King promoted a show at Casino Miami Jai Alai headlined by a past-his-prime Adrien Broner. Several thousand fans watched it on DonKing.com and Fite.tv pay-per-view streams at a cost of $24.99. Twenty-four hours later at Madison Square Garden, Top Rank (Arum’s promotional company) promoted a major fight card headlined by Josh Taylor v Teófimo López that was viewed by more than a million people on ESPN.

King’s impact on American life extended far beyond boxing. He was Black and from the streets. Rather than hide his background, he forced America to accept him as he was. He was the first Black man to dominate a major industry in the United States.