Better known for his unique hairstyle, Don King is undoubtedly the most recognized personality in sports. He is the only person to seizure so much power in the most money begetting sports in today’s world, boxing. However, he is also one of the most controversial personalities in the sports arena. For many he is an Afro-American role model and for others he is no more than a heartless scoundrel. Don King’s story of success is no less than what we may refer to as remarkable. With the magic of his personal flair and business sense he has transformed himself from a Cleveland thug to an eminent boxing promoter of the recent past.

Born in Cleveland in 1931 to a steel worker father Clarence King who was killed in a steel mill explosion, leaving his wife Hattie to take care of their six children, which she did by selling breads that she baked at home. While selling bread, the King brothers got associated to some local gamblers. By the time the Don King was 30, he himself was the owner of one of the biggest number games in Cleveland. While he was then the most humdrum personality in the city, he made enemies as he made riches. In 1954, King was accused of killing Hillary Brown, a man who had came to rob one of his number game shops. Luckily for king, he was defended well and managed to escape sentence in the murder case. Some gangsters who were refused protection money by King blew up the front portion of his house. He was even shot at the back of his head with a shotgun that he survived because of negligible injuries.

King’s business was flourishing continuously and in 1950, he bought a Cleveland supper club. It was during this time king met Cassius Clay and befriended him. King started attending Clay’s tournament all over the country. His life took a major turn in the year 1966 when he got involved in an argument with one of his employees Sam Garret over a sum of money that according to King Garret owed him. The argument turned physical and during the course of fight Garret’s head hit the pavement and he succumbed to the injury and died. Witnesses went against king and stated that King hit Garret who was feeble and sickly much harder than he could resists, thus resulting his death. King was convicted on this occasion and was sent to Marion Correction Institution in Ohio.

During his imprisonment, he decided to educate himself and spent the entire years reading literature and philosophy that were not his cup of tea earlier. In1971, he was released on parole and was granted a full pardon from the governor of Ohio.
The sentence had changed him entirely, he decided to quit his number game business and look towards legitimate business opportunities. His first break through as a boxing promoter came in the year 1974 where he was the main designer of the fight between Ali and George Foreman in Kinshasa. The rest is history. Don King the greatest boxing promoter ever did not look back there after.