Collective action marks first time the sport has voluntarily refused to race in modern history
Latest editorial
Notorious figures inside and outside the ring
JOHN WIGHT updates us on the latest scandals surrounding dodgy Don King, alleged gangster Daniel Kinahan, and the Catterall-Taylor brouhaha
Jack Catterall (left) swings and misses Josh Taylor in the ring in February 2022 and (right) boxing promoter Don King in 2009
“Boxing is the only jungle where the lions are afraid of the rats”
– Don King
DON KING was a man whom nobody could ever accuse of naïveté in a career that saw him emerge from the hard streets of Cleveland as a street thug responsible for killing two men, followed by a stint in prison, to go on and dominate top-flight boxing as a promoter in the ’70s, ’80s and for much of the ’90s.
Responsible for putting together two of the greatest heavyweight clashes the sport has ever witnessed — the Rumble in the Jungle between Ali and Foreman in 1974, and the Thrilla in Manila between Ali and Frazier in 1975 — King once bestrode the sport of boxing like a colossus.
A crook to the marrow of his bones, he’s also been sued by the likes of Muhammad Ali, Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson, been the subject of an FBI investigation and excoriated by more figures in the sport than any promoter ever has.
More from this author
In recently published book Baddest Man, Mark Kriegel revisits the Faustian pact at the heart of Mike Tyson’s rise and the emotional fallout that followed, writes JOHN WIGHT
As we mark the anniversaries of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, JOHN WIGHT reflects on the enormity of the US decision to drop the atom bombs
From humble beginnings to becoming the undisputed super lightweight champion of the world, Josh Taylor’s career was marked by fire, ferocity, and national pride, writes JOHN WIGHT
Mary Kom’s fists made history in the boxing world. Malak Mesleh’s never got the chance. One story ends in glory, the other in grief — but both highlight the defiance of women who dare to fight, writes JOHN WIGHT
