Dirty deeds done daily.
That might be the slogan for any successful boxing promoter, truth be told.
Which is one reason why I’ve never understood the hateful torrent directed at Bucaneer Don King, the pugilistic pirate, by the late journalist Jack Newfield and others.
These same King critics gave his lighter skinned rivals a virtual free pass even though The Donald did not invent any of the ?trickeration? and skulduggery endemic to his profession.
The ex-numbers racket operator from Cleveland played by and broke the same rules as the Caucasians. Only when they took Sundays and holidays off, King was in the vineyards working.
I guess when the white guys had the field all to themselves, going back to when rich guy James J. Norris and a plethora of straight up gangsters had an octopus like grip on the fight game, it was more socially acceptable.
Imagine that, Frankie Carbo and Blinky Palermo and their ilk being “more socially acceptable” than a man who came out of an Ohio prison and “rehablitated” himself so much that he now owns one $18 million beachfront house.
(If you don’t get how Floyd, Roger and Floyd Sr. Mayweather can all easily identify with and relate to King, then we will have to start this lesson over. Does the Phi Slammer Jama fraternity ring, ahem, a bell or should I just say that, instead of Harvard Law School, they all attended the School of Hard Knocks?)
Michael Marley suggests that Floyd Mayweather auction his services to promoters on a one off, fight by fight basis, thus making them compete against each other. Now that is genine free agency, Marley opines
Many of them were ex-cons but they were not loud, obnoxious and black. Loud and obnoxious, yes, and some of them were ax murderers, yes, but none were black.
But that’s not my sermon for today, really. I scribble on the speculation that free agent superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr. may cast his promotional lot with King.
That would be an eighth or ninth inning glad slam for King who turns 79 on Aug. 20 although he doggedly admits to a year or two year less. And people say that DK is prone to exaggeration.
I frankly think Mayweather is on to something but I don’t know if he knows it.
If he’s the Slick Rick he likes to think of himself as, then Mayweather should begin playing the various promoters off against each other.
He’s not beholden to Oscar de la Hoya and Olden, er I mean, Golden Boy. He’s basically using them to front his operation because his Mayweather Promotions is an empty storefront. I guess we can say that quite literally now Mayweather Promotions Las Vegas landlord has booted his company for nonpayment of monthly rent to the tune of $70.000.
And they fight promoters are mean people, what about most landlords. They don’t include ?lords? in their occupational name for nothing, you know.
Mayweather’s got the money and the stature, the PPV numbers on the scoreboard that matters most, to operate like this.
Unlike Golden Boy, you can be sure adviser Al Haymon has Mayweather on paper so kicking him to the curb is problematic.
But Mayweather owes the Goldens nothing from nothing which leaves nothing.
What he ought to do is to hold an auction for his services on a per bout basis.
Mayweather could have interested parties?maybe even invite his former promoter Bob Arum to bid?submit an envelope with a figure that each is willing to pay him.
When the promoters compete, Mayweather wins.
If he did that, and I doubt it, I would bow and say, yes, L’il Floyd you are the Big Bossman, the baller, the shotcaller and the decider of your own destiny.
Make it a one fight arrangement with no continuing contract or obligation to the winning bidder.
Let the marketplace decide what your ring services are worth.
King is itching to play and he might outbid GBP and anyone else.
It would really be a barrel of laughs if Arum’s Top Rank, promoter of Manny Pacquiao, put in a entry and won it.
Don’t think Arum wouldn’t go there because he’s nothing if not flexible and versatile. The two have not been the Hertz and Avis of big time boxing for four decades based on their good looks.
Speaking of good looks, Mayweather should turn this into a feeding frenzy which, from what I here, is common when sharks are hungry.
I don’t mean to malign sharks, I really don ‘t. After all, it is ?Shark Month? on TV and ?Jaws? is replaying 400 times per week.
So let’s change terminology.
Call it a promoters beauty contest.
Mirror, mirror, on the wall…who is the fairest promoter who wants to represent Mayweather…of them all?
Mayweather could set an example, start a trend.
Making the promoters bang heads is absolute capitalism at work.
Maybe Pacquiao would get the hint.
Welcome to the revolution and, by the way, Gil Scott Heron and later The Last Poets were right.
It will not be televised.
