Don King never played high school football in Cleveland. His father died in a work accident when he was a boy and King had to hustle on the streets. His real alma mater was a state prison in Marion, Ohio, and they did not have a football team.
But, given his size and aggressiveness, it?s not hard to picture a young DK as a powerful running back in the mold of Marion Motley (my fellow University of Nevada alum) or #32, Jim Brown. Once King has the football, he rarely fumbles or gets stopped short of the goal line.
A gridiron analogy may be made to King?s current promotional stalemate with undefeated world lightweight champ Juan ?Baby Bull? Diaz and manager Willie Savannah. King?s got the ball?or, in this case, two bout contracts and one promotional contract?and his eyes are on the end zone.
In this case, King?s vision is that Diaz and Savannah get some Golden?sorry I mean golden lower case?benefactor to lateral $2 million into the DK coffers and then, and only then, will King drop the ball. King?s only alternative to this is a courtroom battle where his years of experience and nearly unlimited legal budget would hold him in good stead. They don?t call him the Teflon Don for nothing you know.
?King is sticking to his position that Diaz owes him two fights,? an inside source said. ?So Don figures $1 million per fight is chump change and money he richly deserves. Don knows Savannah has been talking to people and Don knows that Golden Boy or some other promoter would leap tall buildings in a single bound to sign the precocious and marketable Diaz to a longterm deal.
?The way Don sees it, if he gives up the reins, the new promoter will give Diaz a Nate Campbell type bout as a one-off and then make a megafight with Manny Pacquiao at 135 pounds. New promoter may lose money on a Campbell type bout but then rakes in millions in a huge PPV bout against the Pacman. So why shouldn?t Don get his $2 million to just walk away and politely give Diaz a complete release from further liability??
I reported Wednesday that Savannah said that King stuck ?ghetto shit? into the bout contract for March 8 (HBO) in Cancun where Diaz would make an IBF mandatory defense against Campbell. Savannah also repeated his assertion that when the calendar hits March 31, Diaz is free and clear of King entirely?no ifs, no buts, no candy and no nuts.
Mr. Inside DKP begs to differ.
?The only thing that kept Savannah out of law school was college and the only thing that kept Savannah out of college was high school,? the source said. ?I don?t think Willie was studying contracts those nearly 12 years he put in with the Air Force, do you? Advantage here: King.?
Meanwhile, the Diaz-Campbell bout contract, which King demanded be signed and immediately returned to DKP World HQs on Faireay Drive in Deerfield Beach, Fl., sits on Savannah?s desk gathering dust.
It sits in the IN box and it may just stay there.
