Written by 
Boca Raton, Florida. A land of paradise where retirees retreat to spend their golden years in sunshine and peace. But, driving past the palm trees and manicured lawns, Mail Sport is not here for a quiet visit.
We are here to meet Don King — a man whose energy and charisma have outlasted the brightest stars he’s promoted.
Pulling up outside King’s offices, Mail Sport is greeted by stone lions on either side of the entrance. Inside, King’s voice bellows down the corridor as he wraps up a phone call with: ‘Don’t you bulls*** me! You agreed to sign the contract.’ Despite the walking frame he uses to get around his office, the grit that built King, now 93 years of age, into one of boxing’s most notorious promoters is still there, along with a touch of the old venom.
‘Welcome to my office, darling,’ King begins, flashing an enormous diamond ring on his left hand. ‘You’re stepping into a piece of history.’ And he isn’t exaggerating. The office walls are adorned with bold portraits of him alongside figures such as Donald Trump, the Jackson Five, Muhammad Ali, and former President George Bush. American flags are placed throughout the room and the patriotic King stands proudly in red, white, and blue.
And when it comes to talking about Mike Tyson — back in the spotlight due to his fight with YouTuber Jake Paul tonight — the memories, good and bad, pour out.
It was in 1999 that King and Tyson came to blows. Fuelled by cocaine and frustration, Tyson lashed out, accusing King of living lavishly off his blood, sweat and tears while he drowned in $60million of debt.
Don King (right) was Mike Tyson’s promoter when he became the youngest ever heavyweight champion in 1986
King and Tyson were linked with one another for over a decade and experienced some huge highs
But their relationship was tumultuous, as King struggled to keep Tyson in check, and he was attacked by his fighter in the back of a car
Enraged, Tyson kicked King in the back of the head from the rear seat of their car. King’s driver fought to keep control, veering on to the hard shoulder as Tyson lunged forward, fists flying, determined to make his promoter pay.
Tyson even tried to drag King from the car to finish the attack, but according to King, Iron Mike hesitated when he realised the promoter had a gun.
‘I flew him over to Cleveland on my private jet and we were in the car on the highway and he asked if I was rotted (carrying a gun). I said, “Yes, you know I don’t go anywhere without it. I’d be naked if I don’t have my gun”. I looked him in the eyes and knew that he was planning something lethal but once I said I was carrying my gun it slowed things down.
‘Carrying a gun was important to me. I was dealing with these guys that know no better — they are racketeers and mobsters who are out for blood and ready to kill. They are law-breakers not law-makers. Mike expressed how he wanted to get things done, but I didn’t know how angry he really was. He certainly showed me.’
King was no stranger to violence himself, having served three years and 11 months for manslaughter. He was released in 1971. He saw Tyson’s volatile nature as an extension of his raw, animalistic drive. ‘He’s an animal, and he recognised that in himself. He had to work hard to contain it out of the ring. I wasn’t going to paint a negative picture about him then, and I’m not going to do that now.’
During the height of his fame, Tyson battled substance abuse, often carrying a kilogram of cocaine with him and consuming excessive amounts of alcohol. Later on, Tyson only returned to the ring to fund his lifestyle.
‘Tyson wasn’t capable of looking after himself,’ King recalls, as he adjusts the silver chain draped around his neck. ‘He wasn’t highly educated. All he knew was to knock people out. To kill people. That’s what he did best. But he didn’t know how to handle the fame and the money.
‘I always brought him back, no matter what he did. When he ate up that man’s ear (Evander Holyfield), I brought him back. I never knocked him down or punished him for the things he did. He’s an animal and recognised that but he became his own worst enemy.’
Mail Sport’s Charlotte Daly sat down with King at his home in Boca Raton, Florida this week
King promoted Tyson’s fights with Evander Holyfield when he made his comeback after spending time in jail
‘Welcome to my office, darling,’ King begins, flashing a huge diamond ring on his left hand
King refers to how he stood by Tyson after he was disqualified for biting Holyfield’s ear, and says he has now buried the hatchet with Iron Mike
Tyson is now set to fight YouTuber Jake Paul, and King is happy he is getting another big payday
When it comes to talking about Tyson the memories, good and bad, pour out
That didn’t stop Tyson from branding King as ‘ruthless,’ ‘deplorable,’ and ‘greedy,’ eventually filing a $100m lawsuit against the promoter for fraud and unfair business practices. King, sitting in a plush leather armchair, chuckles when I mention how Tyson tried to manipulate him — demanding cars and jewellery in exchange for dropping the suit.
‘Look, I love Mike. But, the thing is, Mike came to me hungry for money. He spent it so fast, he couldn’t keep up with his demand for more. I gave him a 10-carat diamond ring to wear so he could flash it around and show off. But he ended up selling the ring or giving it away to get his (drug) fix and never gave it back to me.’
King still harbours no resentment. ‘When a man makes as much money as I made with Mike, there’s no way I can have disdain or lack of love for him.’
Having lived just two doors down from Tyson in Florida, King insists they have well and truly buried the hatchet. Though Tyson never stops by for a cup of tea, he did walk over to apologise after throwing water on him during their reunion at a Boxing Hall of Fame event in 2018.
‘That was a funny moment. He wasn’t even speaking to me at that point, and some guy handed him a cup of water and he tossed it over me. I looked at him and said, “Thanks for cooling me off, my man — I was really hot!”.’
King, who effortlessly bounces between stories — he claims he was given a personal tour of the Palace by the late Queen herself during a visit to England, after she learned he was in the country — admits he isn’t opposed to Tyson’s fight with Paul.
‘I’m happy to see them get some money,’ he says. ‘Mike doesn’t need to verify or validate himself; he can just go and pick up the money. They say he’s going to get $40m for this. I hope that’s true. Mike is in it to win it. He ain’t gonna quit. Jake Paul will be in for an evening of entertainment — and difficulty.’
King adjusts his hearing aid before finishing our chat with a final, heartfelt remark: ‘Mike Tyson is a fighter’s fighter. He’s given us some of the greatest nights in boxing history. I’ve always been a promoter for the people, by the people, and together, we’ve made boxing what it is today. Good luck and God bless Mike on Friday night.’