A Tale of Two Promoters: King and Haymon
Boxing and Cleveland seem to go hand in hand. Two of the sport’s most influential figures were born in Cleveland, and while their stories intersect in many ways, their personas are vastly different.
Ninety-one-year-old Don King is a well-known, larger-than-life, over-the-top personality who is the subject of the Emmy Award winning movie entitled Don King: Only in America, starring Ving Rhames. King is responsible for promoting “The Rumble in the Jungle” and the “Thrilla in Manila” boxing matches featuring Muhammad Ali. King graduated from John Adams High School and became an illegal bookmaker. Adding to the controversy, King was found guilty of manslaughter, served time in an Ohio prison, and was later pardoned. When King, as an up-and-coming promoter, convinced Muhammad Ali to box for charity exhibition match in Cleveland, his career as a promoter took off and he was a successful promoter for decades. He has been inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the Gaming Hall of Fame. King also promoted The Jacksons’ Victory Tour and purchased the Call & Post Cleveland newspaper, which he still publishes today. Don King Productions still lives on.
On the flip side, 67-year-old Al Haymon has often been described as an enigmatic, yet powerful boxing manager and promoter. Haymon also graduated from John Adams High School. Haymon’s brother was a boxer. Haymon majored in economics at Harvard, graduated from Harvard Business School, began his career promoting concerts for lesser-known artists, and grew to promote the biggest R&B tours, the Budweiser Superfest, and concerts featuring music stars such as Bobby Brown, Whitney Houston, and Janet Jackson, among many others. Haymon also promoted Eddie Murphy’s Raw tour and produced a television show starring Morris Chestnut entitled Out All Night. Since signing on as Vernon Forrrest’s manager, Haymon has signed hundreds of boxers. He leveraged a lucrative relationship with HBO, and subsequently negotiated deals with Showtime and became an advisor to Floyd Mayweather, Jr. Haymon is the founder of Premier Boxing Champions, a boxing series streaming on several channels. Like King, Haymon is not without controversy. His refusal to give interviews has ruffled more than a few feathers. Haymon has been the recipient of the Boxing Writers of America Manager of the Year Award several times.
In the world of boxing, Don King and Al Haymon, two people from Cleveland, have cemented their legacies and will forever be counted among the greatest promoters of the sport. That’s dope!
