Don bashing
Senate committee takes swing at King, promoters
Posted: Thursday July 23, 1998 06:58 PM
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King did not respond to an invitation to appear at the hearing Elsa Hasch/Allsport |
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Senate committee, looking for ways to reform boxing, made Don King the villain Thursday.
Sen. John McCain, perhaps the sport's biggest fan in the Senate, opened debate on the proposed Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act. The Arizona Republican said the bill would curb "exploitative and coercive" practices by promoters.
"Do you think it's offensive that promoter would receive 50 percent of the purse of a fight he may not even end up promoting?" said McCain, holding up a contract negotiated between King and Oliver McCall in 1996.
King wasn't around to answer. He did not respond to an invitation to appear at the hearing of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. Another major promoter, Bob Arum, also decided not to appear.
McCain's bill focuses on contracts between promoters, boxers and managers. He would like to eliminate the so-called "double contract" -- the alternative version of a fight deal that isn't presented to a state boxing commission before a bout yet tells the real story as to where the money goes.
"My financial career was placed in the hands of a promoter and managers who were allowed to run amuck in the virtually unregulated world of boxing," Mike Tyson said in a statement released by the committee. Tyson split with King last year after claiming the promoter took him for more than $65 million.
The bill also would limit a promoter's ability to force a boxer to sign a long-term deal in exchange for a shot at a world title -- a common practice that allows a small group of promoters to monopolize title fights.
McCain, who worked 2 1/2 years to get some minimal health standards passed in the Professional Boxing Safety Act of 1996, called his new bill "modest," saying it is at least a couple of years away from becoming law.
WBC president Jose Sulaiman testified in favor of the bill but resisted calls for his organization to change its rankings policy. McCain said it was "nonsense" that the WBC and other world boxing bodies refuse to rank each other's champions in their top 10.
IBF counsel Walter Stone also endorsed the bill, but said it should be more inclusive.
"I think you have the right idea, but you're not going far enough. You've got to include television," said Stone. He said Home Box Office and Showtime are "giants at loggerheads" to putting together major unification bouts such as Evander Holyfield vs. Lennox Lewis.
Senators and witnesses unanimously decried the proliferation of sanctioning organizations. Scores of fighters can now call themselves "world" champions, and "world" title bouts can feature virtually unknown fighters, demeaning the whole concept of what it means to win a belt.
"If boxing continues to come forth with second-hand matches, they're going to lose public favor," longtime trainer Eddie Futch said. "The sport could disappear."
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