While Don King's enthusiasm and love for the fight game never wanes, the same cannot be said about the public.
With recent pay-per-view events performing poorly and with thousands of empty seats at some of the biggest fights, certainly the global financial crisis can be blamed, but the sport boxing has it's own deep rooted issues.
Don King is aware of these problems and the man that has promoted some of the largest events in boxing history says he knows what the sport needs if it's going to turn itself around and regain it's former glory.
"You gotta' get heroes," said King. "It's as simple as that. I'm a promoter of the people, for the people and by the people and my magic lies in my people ties. Boxing is just a catalyst that brings people, the masses, together."
King, who helped make heroes out of a generation of prizefighters from Muhammad Ali to Julio Cesar Chavez to Mike Tyson says the solution to boxing's problems is simple.
"Boxing needs heroes," says King. "You need somebody like a Mike Tyson that can come up and capture the imagination of the people. These days many of the would be boxers have more options. Back when I first started promoting (in the early 1970's) there were very few options for a black man in America, you know what I mean? Now we have a black man as President."
King is of the opinion that American men, who in the past would have gravitated toward boxing because they didn't have any other choice, now have more avenues to make their way to a better life. As a result, the potential talent pool for potential fighters has been diluted.
"The doors are open now for those people," said King. "They don't have to fight."
But the man known as 'The World's Greatest Promoter' is optimistic that boxing will come around and that it will survive.
"Boxing will always be here no matter what happens," says King. "It's in the doldrums now because there is a lack of heroic fighters and a lack of heroic effort. And another thing is that the work ethic of fighters today has slowed down because they make too much money too fast. They all want to know what network they're going to be on. Fighters used to be in the gym all the time so they could win the fame and acclaim and influence."
Another big problem with boxing, says King, is the fact that HBO has a virtual lock on televised boxing and "if you don't go their way it's the highway." As a result, King has been practically locked out of dealing with the network that he helped to build into a boxing powerhouse.
King also decries the lack of options for boxing on so-called 'free' television.
"You don't have the ABC Wide World of Sports anymore," said King. "You don't have those things anymore where we had USA Tuesday Night Fights where you could expose the guys so they could be seen by the people and so they can become heroes. Now what you got is the monopoly of the networks."
King is also no fan of the UFC and as the UFC seems to get bigger and more successful, boxing seems to become more insignificant and marginalized.
"Now you got the MMA, which is kicking, biting, putting in elbows. It's doing the very thing that a sophisticated society would say we should get rid of for the betterment of the fighter and for the health of the fighter," says King.
But even though he was a major player of what some would call boxing's glory days, King knows things have to change if the sport is to survive and thrive.
"The game goes on," he says of boxing. "What you have to learn how to do is to adapt, like the chameleon. You have to be able to change with the times and you can't hang onto the good ole days, because there ain't nothin' good about the good ole days except they is gone!"
I agree with the ultimate weasel, at this point there are no heroes in boxing.
Bernard Hopkins : while and ecxellent athlete, his angry demeanor plus foul and sometimes border line racist mouth, does not make him an endearing role model..
Manny Paquio: also an ecxellent athlete, most defenetly a hero to his fellow philipinos, but to americans, with his basic english and shy demeanor, no hero here
Oscar De La Hoya: while an awesome force in his hey day, comitted moral sin by bypassing glory and imortality in the person of Antonio Margarito, and choosing money and an easier opponent instead no hero here either...
Vital or Bladimir : Heroes?? Pleassssse
Floyd Mayweather Jr: with a personality change was the closes thing to a hero the present time provided, but his somewhat inmature and childish personality, plus early retirement left a lot of fans with an empty feeling....no caped crusader here...
Honorable mention
Sugar Shane Mosley: Ecxellent fighter thecnitian, does not know the meaning of the words "DUCK" or "QUIT" looking to finalise a distinguishable career, with a miraculous win against the awesome odds favorite Antonio Margarito.......
I agree with the ultimate weasel, at this point there are no heroes in boxing.
Bernard Hopkins : while and ecxellent athlete, his angry demeanor plus foul and sometimes border line racist mouth, does not make him an endearing role model..
Manny Paquio: also an ecxellent athlete, most defenetly a hero to his fellow philipinos, but to americans, with his basic english and shy demeanor, no hero here
Oscar De La Hoya: while an awesome force in his hey day, comitted moral sin by bypassing glory and imortality in the person of Antonio Margarito, and choosing money and an easier opponent instead no hero here either...
Vital or Bladimir : Heroes?? Pleassssse
Floyd Mayweather Jr: with a personality change was the closes thing to a hero the present time provided, but his somewhat inmature and childish personality, plus early retirement left a lot of fans with an empty feeling....no caped crusader here...
Say what you want but boxings biggest drawback are the fighters themselves and the fans. The so called superstars of boxing in the last few years have been besotted by $$$$$$$$$$$ not legacy making or glory.
They all want to be cherry pickers just fight the easiest opposition for most reward. And ya know what??? Us boxing fans STILL support em when they do it. Everyone decries Oscar for fighting little Pacman but instead of showing their distaste by boycotting the fight They'll buy it,then bitch and moan when he does it again. I refuse to buy such mismatches if everyone did the same we may get decent cards again
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I hear you and I agree, but you know how we are, we bitch and moan but we can't wait for the next big fight to happen.. what are we to do is like the y have us by the balls, like a pusher to the junkies what'ya gonna do...
Say what you want but boxings biggest drawback are the fighters themselves and the fans. The so called superstars of boxing in the last few years have been besotted by $$$$$$$$$$$ not legacy making or glory.
They all want to be cherry pickers just fight the easiest opposition for most reward. And ya know what??? Us boxing fans STILL support em when they do it. Everyone decries Oscar for fighting little Pacman but instead of showing their distaste by boycotting the fight They'll buy it,then bitch and moan when he does it again. I refuse to buy such mismatches if everyone did the same we may get decent cards again
I know we don't see eye to eye over hopkins/calzaghe, but i gotta say your spot on with this post.
I buy the fights I want to see. I will buy the DLH/Pac fight because I think it will be a good fight, not just because I want to support the fighters. I think HBO is good at selecting the fights that will be worth the $$$. For the most part. I can only think of a couple that I felt I didn't get my moneys worth. Correct me if I'm wrong.
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There needs to be a couple iconic fighters that have respect throughout the boxing world. I hate to say it but I think nowadays the clash between American fans and European fans makes that nearly impossible. There's plenty of evidene of that right on this forum.
Sounds like more mma propoganda. Is this author actually legit?
Plus I dont give a rats ass what Don King has to say. There are plenty of Iconic fighters right now. They just don't fight in the heavyweight division...
Boxing isn't declining, and it isnt being surpassed or taken over by MMA.
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Member of BoxingForum Member H.O.F. (Nov 2007)
Don King Feels That "Boxing Needs Heroes"
I agree with the ultimate weasel, at this point there are no heroes in boxing. 
