Don King(I)

Don King coined the phrase, "Only in America." He lives it. He breathes it. He believes it. It's part of his soul. "Only in America can a Don King happen," explains Don. "America is the greatest country in the world-I love America. What I've accomplished could not have been done anywhere else." Indeed, the odds have always been long for King. A product of the hard-core Cleveland ghetto, he beat those odds to become the world's greatest promoter. His shocking hairstyle, infectious smile, booming laugh and inimitable vocabulary have made Don King universally recognizable. He has been featured on the covers of Time, Sports Illustrated, Ebony, Jet, and countless other magazines. He has appeared in movies, television shows and on numerous television and radio talk shows. There was even an award-winning unauthorized movie loosely based on his life and numerous other attempts by Hollywood to depict his larger-than-life personality. Don's promotions have entertained billions around the globe. His life has been devoted to staging the best in world-championship boxing as well as always giving something back to the people. Don King-promoted events have given the sports and entertainment world some of its most thrilling and memorable moments. Inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame in 1997, King was the only boxing promoter named to Sports Illustrated's list of the "40 Most Influential Sports Figures of the Past 40 Years." The following year as part of New York City's centennial celebration, King, along with such notables as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Thurgood Marshall, musician Duke Ellingon, and poet Maya Angelou, was named by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture as one of the New York City's 100 top black achievers of the century.