Don King is a persistent man. Having been involved in the sport of boxing for over 40 years, the Ohio native knows how to remain steadfast in all pursuits relating to the sweet science and is still openly eyeing the addition of Floyd Mayweather Jr. to his stable of fighters.
Mayweather sent waves through the boxing world at the end of last month when he updated his legion of Twitter followers that he had been hanging with the bombastic promoter in South Florida. The two men could be seen together flashing money and enjoy $500 lobster dinners as people began to speculate on the respective future they could possibly have together professionally.
Mayweather would end up being present at King?s Gateway to Greatness event on August 7th but failed to discuss his personal life to the media. Days later our colleague Michael Marley broke the news that a rumor had been circulating about King signing the 33-year old to a 4-fight, $100 million deal but in recent days those whispers have died down a bit.
Many have said that it is wishful thinking to assume that King, for all of his accomplishments and grandeur, would truly land a fighter as enigmatic as Floyd and that Mayweather is simply enjoying the attention. Still, King is very hopeful and if given the chance we would love to play a part in staging an epic showdown with WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao.
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?Mayweather-Pacquiao would be universal,? King recently stated in a BoxingScene article by Lem Satterfield. ?It would transcend earthly bounds. With what I have in mind for Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao, if I?m fortunate enough to be able to be a part of it and to be able to get Floyd, I?m looking at something that would be so stupendous that it would boggle the mind.?
Continuing on with his tirade, King harkens back to the earlier days of his promotional career and seems to have vivid memories of the Muhammad Ali-George Foreman fight in Kinshasa, Zaire.
?It would be something that would bring billions of people together,” King stated. “It would be noted as a sporting event, but it would really be a humanitarian event. It would be somewhere where there would be fifteen hundred thousand people on the scene like we did with the Rumble in the Jungle.?
It?s obvious that King has had a lot on his mind these days and the promoter seems to be reenergized when eyeing his future endeavors. A Pacquiao-Mayweather clash is something King would love to help orchestrate but not even he has a handle on where exactly the fight should take place.
?So where would I put it? I don?t know, because I don?t have it ? yet. But if I get it then, you can ask me that question. But I would make it, what we call in the ghetto, something kind of wonderful. And I think that Bob Arum and I could put it together.?
