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The Life and Crimes of Don King: The Shame of Boxing in America
An updated edition of award-winning columnist Jack Newfield’s best-selling biography of America’s boxing mogul, the source for the Emmy-winning movie Don Only in America. When Jack Newfield’s unauthorized biography of Don King first appeared in 1995 it was hailed as one of the most important pieces of sports journalism of the decade. The HBO movie based on the book continues to be a television favorite. Now, for the first time, The Life and Crimes of Don King is available in paperback. Jack Newfield provided a new introduction and an extensive epilogue--”The Shame of Boxing in America”--for this new edition. Here’s what critics had to say about the earlier “Jack Newfield is a writer who understands how to celebrate the rich complexity of American life while pulling the covers off of those monsters who threaten its very essence. In The Life and Crimes of Don King, he provides us with a book that stings in every direction—across class, race, profession, gender, religion, national boundaries, media, and law enforcement. We learn that Don King is an American so purely made of charisma and con that no one could have invented him.” —STANLEY CROUCH, New York Daily News columnist “It is difficult to imagine anyone better suited to tell the fascinating tale of Don King’s life than Jack Newfield. In The Life and Crimes of Don King Newfield has brilliantly captured the complex man beneath the flamboyant image and in the process produced an absolutely fabulous story,” —DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian “Jack Newfield brings a reporter’s craft and fan’s love of boxing to this study of the complex, brilliant promoter Don King. Newfield continues the tradition of great writers like A. J. Liebling, Budd Schulberg, and Norman Mailer who have brought their sharp focus to the world of boxing.” —CHARLIE ROSE, PBS host
344 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 5, 2022
We’ve all heard what a con man Don King is.
Reading this book gives you an unquestionable dislike for king as a human being, but an odd sense of respect for the depths he will go to to satisfy his own goals.
He is undoubtedly a workaholic that outworks anyone he is dealing with, and anyone that dares to cross him.
This book was written in the 90’s and could have volume #2 written today and still be as shocking.
That 2nd book would be twice as thick with more lawsuits, ill treated fighters stories and dirty deals.
The fact that in 2022 he is still involved with boxing, maybe not at the highest level, but there with controversy still surrounding him (alongside the WBA and their bizarre ratings of King fighters, and the dubious ‘world title’ fights) is a testament to King’s pursuit of power, control and talent for making money.
Well written and well researched book.
Reading this book gives you an unquestionable dislike for king as a human being, but an odd sense of respect for the depths he will go to to satisfy his own goals.
He is undoubtedly a workaholic that outworks anyone he is dealing with, and anyone that dares to cross him.
This book was written in the 90’s and could have volume #2 written today and still be as shocking.
That 2nd book would be twice as thick with more lawsuits, ill treated fighters stories and dirty deals.
The fact that in 2022 he is still involved with boxing, maybe not at the highest level, but there with controversy still surrounding him (alongside the WBA and their bizarre ratings of King fighters, and the dubious ‘world title’ fights) is a testament to King’s pursuit of power, control and talent for making money.
Well written and well researched book.
May 31, 2022
The book is about one of the most well known and sneaky boxing promoters of all time I would say. Not the type of guy that you'd hope to welcome into your family because of his nefarious background but Don king will always be able to claim that he was able to put together the greatest fight in boxing history - the rumble in the jungle between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. He was a bit of a gangster who killed someone but managed to swindle his way out of prison for the full sentence he should have got. While he was in there he read books. When he came out he was able to quote Shakespeare and if he'd been around today I'm sure he would have been a gangster rapper coming up with lyrics quiet otherworldly. In places I have to admit I found this book a little bit boring and it went massive onto the legal side of things because he was sued so many times by so many people, because you generally got the gist that he swindled a lot of the boxes that he was promoting and only ultimately had eyes for himself. However, if Machiavelli had had a long lost son, Don King would have been him :)
Here are the best bits from the book:
As he repeatedly says I didn't serve time I made time served me. Don king did read his way through the prison library absorbing ideas from histories heavyweight thinkers such as Frederick Douglass, Smith, Shakespeare, Voltaire, Jean Paul Sartre, Friedrich Nietzsche, John Stuart Mill, Tolstoy, Saint Thomas Aquinas , the reverend Martin Luther King junior, Marx and Hitler.On my first day in prison a guy gave me a book: the meditations of Marcus Aurelius and I lay there on my bed in a four man cell and I just went deep into this book.
He used the gym to make friends with pain
Chuck Wepner made such an impression as the underdog blue collar, fearless Tavern gladiator that Sylvester Stallone who watched the fighter in a theater used him as the inspiration for rocky Balboa in a series of five rocky movies that grossed millions.
Don king understood every fight who grew up poor was a sucker for a big pile of cash, that cash is fresh green currency and can make more of an impression than a check for 50 times the amount. Tim Witherspoon despite his high school diploma was no exception.
As undisputed undefeated heavyweight champion he should not have a single contract with any single promoter but should make all promoters bid competitively for his services.
He once nodded in agreement when cus d’amato raised the old aphorism: the only thing money is good for is throwing off the back of trucks to strangers.
In an amateur fight Tyson wanted to quit after the second round and Teddy Atlas had to talk him into coming out for the third round. Before another amateur fire in an instant captured on video for a documentary Tyson cried on Atlas shoulder sobbing that no one would like him anymore if he were to lose. Even before some championship fights tyson's hair fell out because of his nerves and he bolted from camp and disappeared for a few days to get himself back together.
The mother of his 11 year old son was dying of a terminal disease. His wife had left him. And just 23 days before his fight his beloved mother Lula people had died of a stroke. Douglas fought like he had nothing more to lose. (So what's your “why”?)
But as cus d’amato often told his pupils: the hero and the coward always feel exactly the same emotion of fear. The only difference is that the hero learns how to control his fear and then he does whatever he has to do.
Here are the best bits from the book:
As he repeatedly says I didn't serve time I made time served me. Don king did read his way through the prison library absorbing ideas from histories heavyweight thinkers such as Frederick Douglass, Smith, Shakespeare, Voltaire, Jean Paul Sartre, Friedrich Nietzsche, John Stuart Mill, Tolstoy, Saint Thomas Aquinas , the reverend Martin Luther King junior, Marx and Hitler.On my first day in prison a guy gave me a book: the meditations of Marcus Aurelius and I lay there on my bed in a four man cell and I just went deep into this book.
He used the gym to make friends with pain
Chuck Wepner made such an impression as the underdog blue collar, fearless Tavern gladiator that Sylvester Stallone who watched the fighter in a theater used him as the inspiration for rocky Balboa in a series of five rocky movies that grossed millions.
Don king understood every fight who grew up poor was a sucker for a big pile of cash, that cash is fresh green currency and can make more of an impression than a check for 50 times the amount. Tim Witherspoon despite his high school diploma was no exception.
As undisputed undefeated heavyweight champion he should not have a single contract with any single promoter but should make all promoters bid competitively for his services.
He once nodded in agreement when cus d’amato raised the old aphorism: the only thing money is good for is throwing off the back of trucks to strangers.
In an amateur fight Tyson wanted to quit after the second round and Teddy Atlas had to talk him into coming out for the third round. Before another amateur fire in an instant captured on video for a documentary Tyson cried on Atlas shoulder sobbing that no one would like him anymore if he were to lose. Even before some championship fights tyson's hair fell out because of his nerves and he bolted from camp and disappeared for a few days to get himself back together.
The mother of his 11 year old son was dying of a terminal disease. His wife had left him. And just 23 days before his fight his beloved mother Lula people had died of a stroke. Douglas fought like he had nothing more to lose. (So what's your “why”?)
But as cus d’amato often told his pupils: the hero and the coward always feel exactly the same emotion of fear. The only difference is that the hero learns how to control his fear and then he does whatever he has to do.
June 24, 2008
If Hauser's Black Lights shows us an unflattering snapshot of Don King in his natural habitat, Newfield's book is an Animal Plant documentary mini-series.
It is the most candid look behind the curtain of the business end of boxing available, and delivers an acid etched portrait of the man who is largely responsible for the current structure of the sport.
It is the most candid look behind the curtain of the business end of boxing available, and delivers an acid etched portrait of the man who is largely responsible for the current structure of the sport.
May 29, 2022
Essential reading. As King moves slowly into retirement, and it is tempting to look back at him with nostalgia, this is a brutal reminder that he was a remarkable man, but an awful man who ruined a lot of lives.
January 31, 2019
Not well written but a rollicking good time.
October 6, 2019
Brilliant, well researched and very honest. Everyone knows Don King is a con man, thief and not a nice person this book confirms that to a level nobody had a clue about.
August 21, 2025
Excellent book 📖. Really enjoyed it. well written
March 10, 2014
In a world where one is constantly bombarded with millions of biographies of the same old historical leaders over and over again, it was refreshing to read a book about one of the pivotal people of an aspect of American sports that seemed to have left the minds of most people of this generation. Jack Newfield, the author, managed to write a fascinating book about the rise of Don King, boxing promoter and manager of some of the biggest boxers of the time. The book is very comprehensive and includes interviews with the people talked about in the book. However, I do have some issues with calling the book a biography. While Don King is certainly the center point of the book, the book rarely gets into the individual actions of King and instead talks mainly about the events that King was involved. For instance, there is a large part of the book that focuses on the Rumble in the Jungle tournament that is so filled with details about the fight and the boxers in it that it fails for even mention King for several passages.The book could easily just be called by its subtitle (The Shame of Boxing in America) which would be a far more appropriate title. Otherwise, the book is a good read, especially for boxing fans who want to better understand the golden era of boxing.
August 7, 2025
Excellent compilation of stories highlighting the corrupt, backstabbing and unbelievably crass aspects of Don King's keys to success. The shameless self-promoter who once monopolized the heavyweight division with shady practices once went on a videotaped tirade against the author for his journalistic endeavours into boxing corruption, of which, King was a big part. Newfield, however, makes it clear that King was a symptom of the boxing world and not the actual problem. Many others before him had used similar tactics to become rich on the backs of boxers who put their life and limb on the line while King sat in a cushy chair ringside and watched two fighters whose purses he'd be skimming, as he represented both.
July 11, 2013
An excellent piece of reporting, stacked with some great interviews and insights into business and boxing and the intersection of the two that speak to Jack's expertise. However, the editing was appallingly lousy, really to the point where it distracted heavily from the content. For such a thorough history on King (the scope is also a little limited) the editing just did not match the reporting and occasional great writing flourishes.
January 29, 2014
I think most sport fans knew how unscrupulous Don King was, and this lays it out in detail. Even down to how the lack of popularity (compared with yesteryear) of boxing today has his dirty hands all over it. A fascinating and eyeopening read.
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January 12, 2012Am anticipating to read this book.The movie is real good and I bet this book tells a lot more.....
September 12, 2012
Not necessarily a good book, or even a competent writer. But it tells a fascinating story. Good triumphing over evil? Not in this story.
March 31, 2013
What a crook!
July 20, 2014
You THINK you know how much of a scumbag King is, but after reading this superb book, what you thought of King was the tip of the tip of the iceberg.
August 7, 2015
An expose of Don King the boxing promoter.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews