THE KIMBALL CHRONICLES: DON KING’S VICTORY TOUR
By George Kimball
The Sweet Science
Sunday Jul 5, 2009
You may not see Don King moon-walking on the July 11 Showtime telecast,
but before the night is over you may see more of the World’s Greatest
Promoter and the late Michael Jackson than you do of Joseph Agbeko
and Vic Darchinyan.
King celebrated the Fourth of July a day early, hosting a barbeque
at his Deerfield Beach offices last Friday, eight days after Jacko’s
death and eight days before the bantamweight title bout down the road
at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, and announced that his plans
to turn the latter occasion into a Michael Jackson tribute.
"I was shocked and saddened when I learned of Michael’s passing,"
said King. "One never knows how they will react to something like
this, and I found it hard to do media interviews or even issue a
statement. Like so many other people around the world, I have been
trying to find a way to remember this musical genius, who I loved and
was a good friend of mine. My next boxing event is on July 11, so I
have decided to pay tribute to him there in any way we can think of."
How? King said that he had searched through his archives and found some
"rare, behind-the-scenes video clips" depicting himself and Michael
from the star-crossed 1984 Victory Tour, and plans to show them at
the boxing event as a tribute to the Gloved One.
Now, the cynic might note that the advance sale for Agbeko-Darchinyan
had heretofore been just about what you’d expect for a fight between
one guy from Ghana and another from Armenia in South Florida in the
hottest month of the year, and that even 25 year-old Jackson videos
might help.
The Victory Tour is not exactly remembered as a high point of Michael
Jackson’s career, but King may recall it with more fondness than
anyone, with the possible exception of Robert Kraft.
DK was just about the only non-Jackson who didn’t lose money on
the Victory Tour, and as for Kraft? Well, suffice it to say that
if King hadn’t struck his alliance with Michael Jackson that year,
Kraft probably wouldn’t own the New England Patriots today.