Is Don King getting desperate?
It’s been about two and a half weeks, and still there’s been zero sign Floyd Mayweather has any intention of coming out of his self-imposed boxing retirement. Recent updates indicate that Don King, Mr. Cool, the guy who never panics about anything, has started to worry. The other day King stated that he has been trying to contact Al Haymon, Mayweather’s advisor, and expressed anxieties due to not being able to get through.
He said: "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.'"
Clearly this is an indication of nerves starting to trickle into an already delicate situation. Not two weeks ago King was all confidence and swagger, taking Mayweather out for thousand-dollar lobster and treating him to his recent fight card in St. Louis. So what happened?
Well, nothing happened. That’s the point. Mayweather has remained incomprehensively silent on everything almost all boxing news this side of the year. He hasn’t spoken about Antonio Margarito’s California Commission rejection. He hasn’t spoken about his hand wrap controversy. He hasn’t replied to Pacquiao’s thousand challenges, or the current promotional war happening outside his window between Golden Boy, Top Rank, and Don King. He hasn’t done anything. And surely this is beginning to wear on everybody.
Clearly trying to pull out every last tactic in the book, King’s methods have become dizzying. He’s ready to say anything and everything to woo Mayweather, with no sense or reason implied other than the most obvious. Two examples: he recently said he thinks Mayweather would knock Pacquiao out. Because that one was completely unpredictable and a long time in coming. King said: "They are the two best pound-for-pound fighters in the world but Mayweather will knock Pacquiao out.” He continued: “Pacquiao has two chances. Slim and none. And Slim just left town.”
But probably the biggest indication that King is starting to shake in his boots is the fact that he’s acknowledged a possible partnership arrangement with everybody under the sun. When it comes to making the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight, it’s evidently Arum he’s able to mold with.
And when it comes to representing Mayweather, King can even work with Golden Boy. When asked if he was trying to replace the large promotion company, King responded: "I don't know about replacing Golden Boy Promotions. 'Replacing' would be the wrong word. But I believe that I could work in addition to.” He continued: “You got a nice banker in [Golden Boy CEO,] Richard Schaefer, who has done a nice job in his capacity and working with the fighters that he has had. And [president] Oscar De La Hoya, you can't knock that. I can work with anybody, it don't matter who they are, where they come from, what color their skin is, I can work with anybody. We don't have to like each other, it's about working together to accomplish a goal."
They don't have to like each other, and they won't, as Schaefer recently ridiculed King for the way in which he was pursuing Mayweather.
King celebrated his 79th birthday some days ago, and it doesn’t look like he’s set to slow down anytime soon. Despite the evidence that he’s lost some confidence in the Mayweather draw, he was sure not to let his guard down, saying: "It's indicative that you know that I'm the best promoter out there, and I say that humbly and with humility and not bragging. It's just a fact. But here we are with two guys -- one a fighter and one an adviser that I'm trying to transcend earthly bounds with. The other one [Haymon] should just jump on board and, say, 'Okay, let's do it,' especially since we know each other. I'm not interested in pouring poison toward Al Haymon, but uplifting him."
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