Mayor William D. Franklin of Warren, Ohio, proclaimed Wednesday, January 26, as “Don King Day” at the final press conference for Don King’s PPV event on Saturday at the W.D. Packard Music Hall in Warren, Ohio. In the featured bouts, WBC cruiserweight champion Ilunga Makabu will defend his world title against #1 Thabiso Mchunu in the main event while WBA heavyweight champion Trevor Bryan will square off against WBA #13-ranked Jonathan Guidry.
Ilunga Makabu: “I hope everybody knows who I am. I’m very thankful for this opportunity to be here today in front of you guys. I’m very thankful to Don King Productions for making this event happen because plenty of events have been disturbed by COVID. I’m very happy to be here and to have the opportunity to defend our title on January 29. I don’t have much to say. I just want to say good luck to my opponent Thabiso Mchunu because this is the second time I’m fighting him now. Thanks to all who come to support us. Thanks to my team. Enjoy the fight on the 29th.”
Thabiso Mchunu: “The hard work has been done. Come fight night, I am ready to go. All the best to everyone who is fighting on Saturday night.”
Trevor Bryan: “I am here to stay, to keep proving myself. I have a strong opponent in front of me in Jonathan Guidry. I appreciate him being out here. This is a big opportunity for him as well. We are going to show it out for you in Ohio and showcase all this talent for the whole world to see. It’s been a long road, a lot of hearsay. I am here to stay. It won’t be long now. I am the journey.”
Jonathan Guidry: “All the hard work is done. I am just glad we got the opportunity. We are just thankful to be out here to shock the world.”
Don King: “We’re going to have a sensational evening of boxing. I am very pleased to be home again. It will give people a chance to have fun again. No one should take it lightly. It would be much better if you take the vaccinations and the shot, wear your mask and socially distance.
“We are here to give you a moment of respite. Hey everybody, let’s have some fun. Live it once, and when you’re dead, you’re done. No matter whether you are young or old, let the good times roll.
“I have to thank God because we had a governor (of Ohio) who reduced the charge for me, basically because he said it wasn’t possible. Nevertheless, he put his reputation on the line. They sent me to the Ohio penitentiary. They said they were going to give me shock probation. I had never been arrested so they were going to give me 30-90 days. I ended up doing four years. I made the time serve me. I educated myself in the penitentiary. When I came out of the penitentiary, the good citizens of Cleveland were waiting to tell me about the hospital that was going to be closed down for lack of funds and would I promote a fundraiser for the hospital.
“I called Muhammad Ali to come in and box five or six guys. In so doing, we would raise money for this hospital. He told me that I was the greatest promoter he had ever seen, and I should go into boxing. So, my first fight was Muhammad Ali. We made history together. Then he got convicted by not taking that step into the Army. He was sentenced to five years and a big fine at the height of his career. He stood as a conscientious objector. The United States Supreme Court reversed that decision. Ali then came back and made history again with me promoting him.
“The four years that he (Ali) was out, no one knows how great he would have really been because he was at the top of his career. Plus, he would have made millions of dollars during those four years.
“You’ve got to say, ‘Muhammad Ali take a deep breath. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. Your hands can’t hit what your eyes can’t see.’ He was so fast that he could turn the switch off and get in bed before the room got dark.”
Bernie Profato (Executive Director of Ohio Athletic Commission): “In 1972 Don King called me and I was a young referee at the time. He asked if I wouldn’t mind donating my time because they were going to do a boxing show for this hospital. I said, ‘Don, for you, absolutely anything.’ Don King is the only person in the state of Ohio that I have issued a lifetime boxing license to. No one deserves it more than him. This is probably the greatest overall fight card in the 20 years that I have been at the Ohio Athletic Commission to be promoted in Warren, Ohio. I am so honored that Don has done this.”
The biggest event of the year!!!
LOL… I guess these comments don’t allow for the sarcastic font. The truth is these *might* be good fights, but calling any of these guys “champion” makes the word have no credibility. I won’t pay for it solely out of principle, but I might care enough to stream it on a bootleg feed.
Makabu – Mchunu should be a pretty good fight I think, but I’m right there with you. No way in hell I’d pay anything to watch this card.
Both seem like good guys, too. And in a sport with so many douchebags, that means something to me. I mean read these quotes, Don King is trying to be in the center of everything. It’s laughable; is he promoting fights or himself?
The last time he promoted a card is going to be exactly a year to the date of this one. It was Bryan – Stiverne on January 29, 2021. You KNOW Don King is eating up all that attention. Look whose face and name is at the top of all those fight posters, even ahead of the actual fighters.
Makabu-Mchunu is a damn good match-up, but I wouldn’t pay for it either. Don’t know the contractual situation here, but if King doesn’t have options on future Mchunu fights, there’s no way Mchunu gets a decision, especially with the winner supposedly getting a shot at a big payday with Canelo. Don’t see Mchunu knocking Makabu out. This looks like an uphill battle for him to say the least if he’s not signed with King.
Just looking ahead a bit….I actually would be interested in seeing Bryan-DuBois once the debacle this weekend is over. I actually think Bryan is a little more skilled than DuBois, who IMO might be a bit overrated. That match-up looks a little more even than some on this board seem to think IMO.
DuBois may be a bit overrated and I’m probably guilty of it as well because I think DuBois would win that fight against Bryan and it wouldn’t be too hard for him, but what do I know? I thought he was going to beat Joyce too and, as it turned out, he had a jab magnet on his head.
I am really curious to see Bryan’s weight for this fight. He put on 30lbs between his last two (though they were two and a half years apart). It shouldn’t effect the result of the fight in anyway, but hopefully he doesn’t do that again.
DuBois can punch, and maybe he blasts Bryan right out, but I doubt it unfolds that way. Bryan has a decent jab, and can box a bit. DuBois was hit by approximately 100% of Joyce’s jabs in that fight, and showed no ability to adjust. Other than punching power, I’m not sure where DD has much of an advantage over Bryan.
I’d be curious to see what Bryan’s weight will be as well, just to see how serious he is about his career at this point. If he’s at a reasonable weight though, be absolutely could be a problem for DD, IMO anyway, if and when that fight happens. Bryan had to be rusty, and was quite a bit heavier for his last fight after the long layoff. I would imagine he could only look better if he can stay active. He looked pretty good pryor to his 2 or 3 (or whatever it was) years off. It’s not Ali-Frazier, but it’s a somewhat interesting match-up, and a decent test for each of them.
Saying Joyce only landed 100% of his jabs may be a bit low actually.
I don’t think Dubois is overrated. He’s a gifted fighter, just very raw. Joyce exposed him a bit, but he’s young and should continue to improve. Plus, getting beat by Joyce doesn’t mean you suck…. I think Joyce is pretty talented and the fight was competitive while it lasted.
Looks like WBA Heavyweight Champion trained at the buffet table.
Ilunga Makabu vs Thabiso Mchunu first fight was one the most exciting fights out there. Watch it if you can. Doubt though this second fight will be able to live up to the first, they both were younger and more in their prime in the first fight in 2015.
How is this a title bout? These organizations needs to be kicked out. It is funny how people still buying into this fossil King`s crap. it is sad that the Makabu fight have to be on this Crap, it is the only real match on the card.
How can people sit and listen to King running up his gob for so long.
Is this Don King’s last promotion? Or will he come back in 2-3 years with another event that he plays up to be the biggest thing?
I’ve actually been thinking about it, and the more I do, the more I think this is his last promotion. There are too many things that, at least to me, point in that direction.
And thank whatever God you pray to for that.
The ones who will tune in for this farce, are the same Muppets who are still ‘vaccinating’, masking in their cars alone and social distancing:)
I’m gonna pass on all of it, thank you.
The WBA sanctioned this and removed all doubt about their relevance in Boxing