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Legendary boxing promoter Don King is being sued for more than $3 billion by another promoter. BYD Sports and BYD Management, the plaintiffs, claim King misled them with regard to their 50th anniversary “Rumble in the Jungle 2” event.
King, who promoted the iconic original “Rumble in the Jungle” fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in 1974, is being sued in the Southern District of New York. Cecil Miller, CEO of BYD Sports, is alleging fraud, defamation, breach of contract and more in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit claims Don King Productions intentionally sabotaged BYD Sports’ 50th anniversary “Rumble in the Jungle 2” boxing event in during the final stages of planning. Miller claims, according to NBC News, that he was working with Don King for more than a year when Don King Productions suddenly issued a cease-and-desist letter claiming the company had no affiliation with the event.
Fortune reports that the complaint and court documents allege Don King encouraged Miller to pursue the 50th anniversary event in Africa.
Miller then moved forward with the creation of the “Rumble in the Jungle 2” event planning despite not having a formal agreement in place with King and later learning that King allegedly did not own the rights to the “Rumble in the Jungle” name.
It wasn’t until after working to line up a series of boxing matches in Nigeria as well as associated musical events, securing licenses for the event, a pay-per-view partner, potential sponsors, and tickets were about to go on sale that he says King allegedly withdrew his support.
“My clients have received information that you are falsely representing to the Nigerian Government and others that DK/DKP has authorized you to stage an event know as ‘Rumble In The Jungle 50th Anniversary/The Freedom Belt (RJ50/Freedom Belt),’ this, as you well know, is not true,” Don King Promotions wrote in a cease-and-desist letter to BYD Sports. “DK/DKP does not and has not granted you permission to solicit, discuss, negotiate or arrange this Event or any event under the guide of being affiliated with DK or DKP.”
“It’s confounding when you look at how many people were working on this,” Miller’s attorney Anthony J.M. Jones told Fortune. “This is just a sad day for the sport. We are now in 2025 and there will never be a chance to do a 50th anniversary of a fight between Foreman and Ali — and to do it in Africa.”
BYD Sports is seeking $600 million, based on the original fight between Ali and Foreman grossing $100 million with more than a billion viewers globally, plus $2.4 billion in prospective damages and a formal written apology.