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[DMczaf]

http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news;_y...N0aA--?slug=ap-king-lawsuit&prov=ap&type=lgns

NEW YORK (AP) -- For once, Don King kept quiet.

Instead of pontificating, the boxing promoter stood stiffly in the background as his lawyer discussed a defamation suit King filed Wednesday against ESPN. The attorney said King is entitled to damages of more than $2.5 billion.

The lawsuit says a ``SportsCentury'' segment aired last May accused King of being ``a snake oil salesman, a shameless huckster and worse,'' claimed the flamboyant promoter underpaid Muhammad Ali by $1.2 million and claimed King -- convicted in a 1967 beating death and acquitted in a 1954 killing -- ``killed not once, but twice.''

Most of the material in the program had been printed or broadcast earlier about King, who has spent much of his career in court, but the wild-haired promoter said he had just had enough.

``I just felt that this was the straw that broke the camel's back and I can't take it anymore, and I'm going to fight back,'' King said at a news conference. ``I seek justice.''

 

[mashoutposse]

Maybe he got the idea from Evel Knievel (he failed, though).

 

[CajoleJuice]

$2.5 billion...what the hell is he going to do with that? Create Tyson clones and train them to actually be able to box?

 

[DarienA]

A shitload of boxers should sue King's ass for manipulating various careers all to put more coin in HIS pocket, not theirs.

 

[Willco]

Well, truth be told, it was my lawyer's idea.

 

[MIMIC]

He might as well sue the AP for describing him as a "wild-haired promoter."

 

[Grifter]

:lol at the amount.

I figured he was a corrupt huckster, but did he actually kill people?

 

[Chesapeake Silt]

If you think I'm going to tune in to PTI today, just to hear the reaction to this story..... you would be right.

 

[bishoptl]

Yes. More details here.

 

[norinrad21]

Most of the material in the program had been printed or broadcast earlier about King, who has spent much of his career in court, but the wild-haired promoter said he had just had enough.

:lol :lol :lol

 

[Pimpwerx]

Hmm, not sure who to root for here. On the one hand, I hate ESPN for the giant marketing machine it's become. And the reality shows/talk shows and mini-series they've been releasing, it's a bit much. And they are as much at fault for the tarnishing of sports with the way they emphasize the negatives. Oh, and they're gouging cable companies who then gouge us viewers.

OTOH, Don King's bad attributes totally overshadow the good. And the good stuff is pretty damn amazing. There's never been a promoter as good as him. He's promoed so many big fights, it's crazy. And the boxers he gets are all top caliber. He also has the most entertaining comments too. But he's such an enormous douche, it's hard to get around. He totally took advantage of Tyson, and it's kinda sad really. And $2.5B is just fucking unreasonable by any stretch of the imagination, but this is probably just for free press anyway. Maybe he should win, and then lose all his money to his next boxer. :lol PEACE.

 

[Minotauro]

Did anyone else see Don King campaigning for Bush prior to the election? Crazy shit. I just assumed he was trying to get on his good side in case Bush spontaneously decided that boxing promoter scumbags with confusing vernaculars were a danger to our freedom.

 

[android]

How can you sue for more than the company is worth, let alone the segment they aired? And don't you have to prove the allegations are false, even though they are probably true?

 

[The Faceless Master]

i hope don can take disney for as much as he can get