- House was bombed in 1957. Subsequent investigation led to the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Mapp v. Ohio (1961) -- establishing that the "exclusionary rule" was also applicable to the states, not simply the federal government. Mapp v. Ohio extended the exclusionary rule, which was then being applied to the federal courts, to the state courts. Application of the Fourth Amendment protection against the introduction of evidence obtained from an illegal search and seizure is applied to the states through the 14th Amendment.
- Campaigned for George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election, and attended the Republican National Convention in New York.
- Promoter of boxers Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Mike Tyson, among others. World-renowned promoter of boxing luminaries including Muhammad Ali, "Smokin'" Joe Frazier, "Big" George Foreman, Larry 'The Easton Assassin" Holmes, "Iron" Mike Tyson, "Sugar" Ray Leonard, Roberto "Manos de Piedra" Duran, Julio Cesar Chavez, Evander "The Real Deal" Holyfield, Felix "Tito" Trinidad, Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins, Alexis Arguello, Hector Camacho, Lennox Lewis, to name a few. Promoter of over 900 championship fights. More than 100 boxers have earned $1 million or more in Don King Productions-promoted fights.
- Was a numbers runner for the Jewish Mafia in Cleveland
- For more than 60 years has personally handed out turkeys to needy families. King's "Turkey Tour" has provided millions of turkey dinners in cities across the country during the holiday season.
- Children: Deborah, Carl, Eric.
- Recipient of the Humanitarian of the Decade Award by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1999.
- Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, 1997.
- Is portrayed by Mykelti Williamson in Ali (2001).
- Don King Productions promoted or co-promoted 11 of the top 20 highest-grossing live gates in the state of Nevada in the 1990's including four of the top five that decade: Holyfield vs. Lewis II, paid attendance: 17,078, gross: $16,860,300 (NOTE: Also second-highest live-gate gross for any event in the history of the world at that time.), date: Nov. 13, 1999; Holyfield vs. Tyson II, paid attendance: 16,279, gross: $14,277,200, date: June 28, 1997; Holyfield vs. Tyson I, paid attendance: 16,103, gross: $14,150,700, date: Nov. 9, 1996; Tyson vs. McNeeley, paid attendance: 16,113, gross: $13,965,600, date: Aug. 19, 1995; and De La Hoya vs. Trinidad, paid attendance: 11,184, gross: $12,949,500, date: Sept. 18, 1999. (Second-most pay-per-view buys at that time for a non-heavyweight fight at 1.4 million.).
- His first boxing promotion is staged on Monday, Aug. 28, 1972, a charity event to benefit the minority Forest City Hospital featuring Muhammad Ali in King's hometown Cleveland Arena, which becomes the second-largest gross in history at that time for a boxing exhibition ($80,000). First to guarantee the then-unprecedented amount of $10 million, split between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman to participate in the classic Rumble in the Jungle in Zaire, Africa, on Oct. 30, 1974. This prizefight also holds the distinction of being the first televised boxing event to be viewed by one billion people worldwide.
- First promoter to guarantee $1 million fight purses to featherweights when Salvador Sanchez met Wilfredo Gomez at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nev., on Aug. 21, 1981. It took 13 years for another boxing promoter to match this feat. First and only promoter to ever hold six world-title fights on the same card-and he did it twice in one year: Judgment Day in Monterrey on Dec. 10, 1994, in Mexico and Unfinished Business on Sept. 17, 1994, in Las Vegas, Nev.
- First to receive $1 million for delivering to network television a prime-time boxing match featuring Muhammad Ali vs. Ron Lyle on May 16, 1975. Promoted the classic third and final epic battle between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier dubbed by King as the Thrilla in Manila viewed by over one billion people worldwide on Oct. 1, 1975 in Quezon City, Philippines.
- First promoter to sell a fight for $2 million to a network featuring heavyweight contenders when Ken Norton faced Jimmy Young on ABC at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nev., on Nov. 5, 1977. Promoter of Ultimate Glory between legendary Mexican champion Julio Cesar Chavez and Hector "Macho" Camacho, which became the then-highest-grossing gate for a non-heavyweight fight in history ($4.5 million) and fastest boxing sellout (36 hours) at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on Sept. 12, 1992.
- First and only promoter to place two world-heavyweight title bouts on the same card during The Crown Affair, which pitted Larry Holmes against Tim Witherspoon for the World Boxing Council title as well as the second clash between Michael Dokes and Mike Weaver for the World Boxing Association championship in Las Vegas, Nev., on May 20, 1983.
- First promoter to sell Home Box Office a heavyweight world-title fight telecast for I Love New York featuring Larry Holmes vs. Mike Weaver at Madison Square Garden in New York City on June 22, 1979. He declined an $800,000 bid from ABC in favor of HBO for $125,000.
- Don King Productions holds the distinction of having promoted or co-promoted some of the largest pay-per-view events in history, as gauged by total buys, including three of the top five: Holyfield vs. Tyson II, 1.99 million buys, June 1997; Tyson vs. Holyfield I, 1.6 million buys, November 1996; Tyson vs. McNeeley, 1.58 million buys, Aug.1995; and Bruno vs. Tyson, 1.4 million buys, March 1996.
- First promoter to sell Home Box Office a fight for $2 million for Michael "Dynamite" Dokes vs. Mike Weaver I at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nev., on Dec. 10, 1982. Sold Home Box Office a $26 million heavyweight elimination series in 1986, which resulted in Mike Tyson being crowned the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Muhammad Ali.
- First promoter to guarantee a boxer $10 million paying that amount to "Sugar" Ray Leonard to face Roberto Duran at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Canada, on June 20, 1980. Promoter of the first fight card at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., featuring Julio Cesar Chavez vs. Frankie Randall on Jan, 29, 1994.
- First promoter to establish his own television network, the Don King Sports and Entertainment Network (DKSEN), in 1982.
- Don King Productions holds the record for the highest attendance at a boxing event in the state of Nevada with a paid attendance of 29,214 for Larry Holmes vs. Gerry Cooney on June 11, 1982, breaking its previous record at a temporary 24,790-seat outdoor arena for the Holmes vs. Ali fight on Oct. 2, 1980.
- Promoter of The Last Hurrah featuring Larry Holmes vs. Muhammad Ali, which produced the then-largest live gate in history, $5,766,125 million, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nev., on Oct. 2, 1980. The estimated worldwide TV audience was a record two billion people, and for the first time in history, a professional boxing event was televised in the People's Republic of China.
- Promoter of over 900 championship fights. More than 100 boxers have earned $1 million or more in Don King Productions-promoted fights.
- 1983 - Informed by then-President Ronald Reagan that his name was placed in nomination by Sen. Alfonse D'Amato to join the National Republican Senatorial Inner Circle in 1983. King joined such luminaries as Henry Ford II, Bob Hope, Jimmy Stewart and John Connally in the prestigious organization.
- Campaigned for Jimmy Carter, and after Carter became president in 1976, worked tirelessly for peace in the Middle East between Israel and Egypt. Was commended by the Democratic National Committee for his support of President Carter, who himself viewed the Camp David Accords as his most important accomplishment in office.
- 1992 - Promoter of Ultimate Glory between legendary Mexican champion Julio Cesar Chavez and Hector "Macho" Camacho, which became the then-highest-grossing gate for a non-heavyweight fight in history ($4.5 million) and fastest boxing sellout (36 hours) at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on Sept. 12, 1992.
- 1993 - Co-promoted Judgment Day between Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank for Benn's WBC super middleweight title, which set the record for highest attendance for a British boxing match, 47,000, on the grounds of the Manchester United Club at Old Trafford Stadium on Oct. 9, 1993.
- Purchased his hometown Call & Post newspaper in 1998. The Call & Post has been published since 1919 in Cleveland and was founded by Garrett Morgan (inventor of the gas mask and electric traffic signals). Considered the most influential voice for African Americans in Ohio, the paper also has Columbus and Cincinnati editions.
- 1994 - First and only promoter to ever hold six world-title fights on the same card-and he did it twice in one year: Judgment Day in Monterrey on Dec. 10, 1994, in Mexico and Unfinished Business on Sept. 17, 1994, in Las Vegas, Nev.
- 1993 - Promoter of The Fight between Pernell Whitaker and Julio Cesar Chavez attended by 59,995 (the second-highest attendance ever for an indoor bout) at The Alamodome in San Antonio, Tex., on Sept. 10, 1993, which becomes the then-highest-grossing non-heavyweight match in history-breaking his own record for the third time in less than a year. Pay-per-view audience tops 1 million buys.
- Recipient of a Doctor of Humane Letters degree and named to the prestigious Board of Trustees of Shaw University, the oldest black college in the South, in 1998.
- 1994 - Promoter of the first fight card at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., featuring Julio Cesar Chavez vs. Frankie Randall on Jan, 29, 1994.
- 1997 - Purchased a new fire truck for the Deerfield Beach Fire Department in Florida in 1997. In appreciation of his generosity, Fire Chief Gary Lother named King the first person in history to be named honorary fire chief in Deerfield Beach and presented him with a golden ax as well as a fire chief's helmet to symbolize his appointment.
- Only boxing promoter named to Sports Illustrated's 40 Most Influential Sports Figures of the Last 40 Years in 1994.
- 1993 - Promoter of the Grand Slam of Boxing featuring four world championship bouts headlined by Julio Cesar Chavez facing Greg Haugen, which holds the record for largest in-person paid attendance in boxing history with 132,274 people packed into Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Mexico, on Feb 20, 1993 garnering him a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.
- 1993 - Named Promoter of the Century by the World Boxing Association for 1993.
- Honored by the World Boxing Council with a Lifetime Achievement award in 2016 at the 54th WBC Convention in Miami, Florida.
- Promoter of The Middleweight World Championship Series to determine the first undisputed 160-pound champion since Marvelous Marvin Hagler held that distinction from 1980 through 1987.
- Named One of the 50 Most Powerful African Americans in Sports by Black Enterprise Magazine in 2005.
- Inducted in to the New York Boxing Hall of Fame.
- Recipient of honors as Goodwill Ambassador to China in 2001. Recipient of both the Donkey in the Teakettle award in 2001 previously presented to President Bill Clinton and the Golden Dragon award in 2001 previously presented to President George H. Bush.
- Invited in 2013 by Professor Hooshang Amirahmadi of Rutgers University, the president of the Iranian American Council (AIC), to join the Board of Directors of the AIC. The attributes that attracted King to the AIC was his 'Peace Activism and the initiation of a Sport Diplomacy between Iran and the United States.'.
- First promoter to host a boxing card at the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami with Glory & Adventure: A Tale of Two Cities featuring Felix "Tito" Trinidad vs. Mammadou Thiam on July 22, 2000. The 12,506 paid spectators contributed to a gross of over $1.2 million.
- Inducted in the inaugural class of the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame in December 2012.
- Showed his support for first responders after the Sept. 11th attack, when in 2002 he and former boxing champion Félix Trinidad and his father, Félix Trinidad Sr., donated a $650,000 fire truck to Ladder Company 30, Engine 59 in Harlem.
- Inducted into the Gaming Hall of Fame, the American Gaming Association's highest honor, at their 20th Annual ceremony and charity dinner on Sept. 16, 2008.
- Recipient of an authentic Championship Belt by the World Boxing Council as a "Special Award of honor to the greatest promoter in the history of boxing" in 2008.
- Named the "Greatest Promoter Ever" by the World Boxing Council in 2010 at their 48th Convention in Cancun, Mexico.
- Named All-Time Greatest Promoter by the World Boxing Organization in 2012. First and only promoter to ever hold eight world-title fights on the same card with 13 titles at stake: in Atlantic City on Dec. 13, 2003, in New Jersey.
- 1987 - Recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference's women's membership.
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