THROUGH Hermie Rivera, I met the inimitable Don King, the man with the most bizarre hairdo in boxing, who convinced President Marcos to have the Thrilla in Manila staged here on Oct. 1, 1975.
The fight came at a cost of $24 million?a staggering amount then but is now mere peanuts for a fight purse when compared with Manny Pacquiao?s take in a single bout?as when the PacMan stashed away nearly $200 million in his losing effort against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in May 2015.
The meeting with Don King happened inside an elevator at The Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Hermie and I had left the bar and were headed for our respective rooms. I had just pressed the elevator?s ?close? button when, suddenly, the door opened. Voila, it was Don King.
?Hermie, baby,? said King to Hermie. ?Howdy??
After some hugging and back-tapping, Hermie introduced me to King.
?Meet the No. 1 drinker among Filipino sportswriters besides being also the No. 1 in sarcasm writing,? Hermie said to King.
?Aha, my pleasure, Sir,? said King to me, shaking my hand so tight, his hand so massive it felt like a vise-grip. ?Why don?t we guys step out for a last shot at the bar to cap the night??
?Oh, no, Don thanks but we have a flight to catch early tomorrow,? said Hermie. ?Next time, OK??
Don King could only sigh and say, ?Oh, OK, buddy. Next time then.?
Hermie and I were actually in Vegas?this was in the Eighties?for a fight for his ward, Luisito Espinosa, that did not materialize. Thus, the unscheduled departure the next morning.
Through Hermie, I also got to meet Bob Arum, Don King?s prot?g?e; also, Kenny Bayless, during Espinosa?s successful title defense in Bangkok that the American referee had officiated.
I also became a bit close to Morris East before Hermie made the Fil-Am a world champion in the Nineties, earning for Hermie the distinction of being the only Filipino manager to produce two world champions.
I had lunch with Hermie at Max?s Commonwealth Ave. Q.C. for the last time some weeks back, together with Jake P. Ayson, before he breathed his last on Saturday (Jan. 16, Newark, San Francisco, CA, heart failure). We talked lengthily about his book project on Pacquiao.
Bye for now, Hermie. You will be missed.
