Don
King, super promoter and king of the heavyweights, flexes his muscle. While Hasim Rahman's management and former promoter Cedric Kushner were hard at work negotiating deals with HBO and Showtime, King was secretly wooing the new champ himself. Sneaky or smart, by hook or crook. it doesn't matter. Don King has signed Rahman to some type of promotional agreement which gives him control.
King won't comment, saying only that he won't confirm or deny the signing of Rahman. And he won't comment until after the Saturday night fight between Felix Trinidad and William Joppy.
Kushner released a statement saying all talks of negotiations for Rahman's first title defense have stalled due to interference by Don King Productions.
"It's unfortunate that a young man with such a bright future could be subjected to legal action which threatens to stall his promising career,'' the release states. "We don't have all the facts in our possession and I'm sure Rock was not fully aware of all the legal implications in dealing with another promoter."
Kushner further stated he is already dealing with the US Surpreme Court on a simular matter with Don King Productions and is fully prepared to pursue this matter to its end.
"It's unfortunate that Don King once again interferes with a young boxer reaping the rewards of his accomplishments," said Kushner. Kushner also claims he had arranged for Rahman to receive in excess of $100 million for his next series of fights. Kushner did not elaborate or go into any detail about the arrangement. The lucrative deals being made by HBO and Showtime were starting to unravel at the seams.
Due to the lawsuit filed by Tyson against the WBC, the WBC signed a stipulation in U.S. District Court in Manhattan that would strip Rahman of the title if he fought Lewis next. A similar law suit filed by David Tua against the IBF is expected to have similar results, thus making fights with Lewis or Tyson a little less significant.
Now King will have the option to have Rahman defend each title independently. Should an agreement be unworkable with the #1 rated fighter (Tyson), the title bout would go to the highest bidder (King). Sneaky or Smart... you make the call.