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03/06/2008 Archived Entry: "Don King Quits Juan Diaz"
Don King Quits Juan Diaz
Diaz’s Attorney Fred Levin Quit Undefeated Lightweight Champion in February; Promoter Decides to Follow Suit by Abandoning Star Boxer after Saturday’s Match
Press Release
CANCUN, MEXICO—Boxing promoter Don King made a surprise announcement on Wednesday that he will no longer represent undefeated unified lightweight world champion Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz after his match on Saturday with Nate “Galaxxy Warrior” Campbell in Cancun, Mexico.
King has represented Diaz since September 2006, and it is highly unusual for the world’s greatest promoter to give up on a star client without an attempt to keep him in his stable of fighters.
King is in Cancun presenting a world championship doubleheader on Saturday featuring the first world heavyweight championship ever staged in Mexico when World Boxing Council champion Oleg Maskaev defends his title against WBC interim champion Samuel “The Nigerian Nightmare” Peter as well as Diaz facing Campbell, the International Boxing Federation No. 1-ranked mandatory challenger.
King made the announcement at the final press conference for the event, named “History in Cancun.” With principals from Saturday’s fight card assembled in front of the media, King read passages from a February resignation letter from Diaz’s attorney Fred Levin addressed to Diaz’s manager Willie Savannah.
“It has come to the point where I can no longer in good conscience represent Juan Diaz,” Levin wrote, lamenting the fact that he had only spoken to Diaz on one occasion.
The highly respected and successful lawyer added: “Willie, I’ve been practicing law for almost 47 years. I have never had a client complain about anything that I have done in the practice of law until now.”
King echoed Levin’s sentiments, noting that he, too, is enduring a barrage of complaints from Savannah while Diaz’s career continues to skyrocket.
“Juan Diaz and Willie Savannah seem to be doing just fine,” King said. “Juan was lucky to make $100,000 for a fight before he came to me. He made $2 million in his first year with me and I arranged for him to fight for two more world titles, which he won. He’ll make another $800,000 on Saturday night.
“It seems to me that Juan has been doing his job inside the ring and I’ve been doing my job as his promoter outside the ring. I’m still trying to figure out what it is Willie’s not getting when looking back upon one of the best financed and most successful career progressions I have ever been part of.”
King then announced his resignation.
“I bring this up to you today because, like Fred Levin, I have made a decision to no longer promote Juan Diaz after Saturday’s fight. And it’s not because I wouldn’t like to continue to work with Juan. It’s for the same reason the esteemed Fred Levin quit. I will no longer work with Juan’s manager Willie Savannah.”
