by James Slater: It’s been widely reported over the last few days how legendary promoter Don King, now aged 79, has been “courting” Floyd Mayweather Junior. King, the man who was behind so many legendary fights of yesteryear, wants very much to sign “Money” to a fight contract, and King also wants to make the fight the whole world wants to see – Mayweather Vs. Manny Pacquiao.
And, whatever you think of King, he has proven many many times over how he is a man who gets what he wants 99-percent of the time, and he has also shown he is a master at negotiating and getting fights made. Let’s face it, Don King has as good a chance as anyone of making the mega-fight happen; if not more so.
Ali-Foreman proved to be a tough fight to make back in the 1970s, but King managed it; and he staged the classic heavyweight battle in the African jungle at that! Getting the two evenly matched pound-for-pound kings in the same ring at the same time should be a veritable walk in the park for big Don!
And how has King been talking about his plans for Pacquiao-Mayweather! In a recent interview that has appeared on the website of Fox Sports, King spoke about the fight everyone is desperate to see, and how he plans to promote the “extravaganza.”
“Whatever Mayweather makes, he could make more with me,” King said, giving one reason why Floyd should do business with him. “No-one can generate money like I can. I never cease to amaze myself. I’m a people person and Mayweather and Pacquiao would be a people explosion. They will come from all over the world to see it.
“It will be like The Rumble in The Jungle. In those days you did not have the same media outlets that you do now. It would be a world extravaganza.”
The last point King makes is interesting. Imagine how intensely the internet boxing crowd would have covered a fight like Ali-Foreman. Had the net been around back then, there would have been literally thousands upon thousands of articles being shot into cyberspace in the days leading up to the bout. And how many fight reports would the great match have had written on it?
Today, even when neither guy has a fight signed, internet fans and writers the world over have something to say about Mayweather and/or Pac-Man. King is right, the fight, if it happens, will be a global event. But can King get it signed?
May 11th 2011 seems to be the date people are talking about for the new, and now third, date for the welterweight showdown, and King says he is looking to sign a deal with both superstars.
“I’m not looking to do a deal just for [the Pacquiao fight],” King said. “I’m looking for him [Floyd] to be with me and for Pacquiao to be part of it. They are the two best pound-for-pound fighters, but Mayweather will knock Pacquiao out.”
King really would have to go some to snatch Pacquiao out from under his current position as being promoted by Bob Arum, a man King has rivaled for years – but what about that prediction? Is King saying Floyd would get the KO simply because he wants to stay on his good side and get him signed, or does Don mean what he says?
Let’s hope the old promoting master can put together one last mega-deal. That way we will all find out who knocks who out!