Arum and others speculate on King’s olive branch
A week and a half ago the boxing world was ready to put their party hats on and party like it's 1999. Why? Don King seemed back in the picture, just like the good old days, when in 1996 and 1997 he dominated the sport by promoting the famous Holyfield-Tyson bouts.
But perhaps the partying was a bit premature. A week after the world celebrated his wooing of Mayweather, which added a new twist to the Mayweather-Pacquiao saga and revamped it momentarily, there’s been little to show for his efforts. Worse, King has arguably had to resort to enlisting the services of others, a gesture that hasn’t gone without its criticism and doubt in the boxing world.
King extended an olive branch offer to Mayweather advisor Al Haymon as well as Golden Boy, saying that he’d be alright with working with them towards a common goal.
That wasn't all though.
When asked about superseding Golden Boy, who’ve worked with Mayweather in his last few fights, King stated: “I don’t know about replacing Golden Boy Promotions. ‘Replacing’ would be the wrong word. But I believe I could work in addition to.” Then he hinted as his desperation after not being able to contact Haymon, saying: "I tried to contact him about two weeks ago. I've been trying. I'm going to make another attempt to contact Al Haymon today. It shouldn't be a question. That's the strange part about this situation. This is the strangest thing that I've ever seen that we can't pick up a phone and grab each other and say, 'hey, man, let's go.'"
Many took the comments as indicative that King is not in top form, having little to expect from “Money” Mayweather. Why the anxiety? It can only be that negotiations with Mayweather have hit a dead end. That wouldn’t be much different from where they’ve gone with everyone else, but still. He may be removed from his mid-90s heyday, but this is still Don King- and almost nobody turns down a phone call from a household name like King.
In light of the anxieties, Bob Arum spoke up today, apparently not able to withhold his silence. Speaking about King’s comments, Arum said: “To me, that is a show of weakness. That is not Don King's style but, again, who knows what Mayweather is really doing or not doing?”
Some have speculated that King will shift from being Mayweather’s promoter to his public relations representative, but nothing has been formalized yet, save for clear anxieties. But one thing is sure: you can bet that Golden Boy Promotions, who’ve recently found themselves in the back seat with Mayweather going-ons, are laughing reading King’s comments. Or by now just shaking their heads. Time will have to tell if King's entry into the potential biggest fight of the new millennium is a game-changing event, or just another footnote in a long, sad tale.
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