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"Jail was my school," says King. "I came out armed and dangerous. Armed with wisdom and knowledge. I read Aristotle and Homer. I got into Sigmund Freud. That almost blew my mind. I've been taught by Hegel, Kant, Gibran, Fanon and Samuelson. Man, I love Bill Shakespeare. He was some bad dude."
Making Movies. When paroled, though, King headed home to Cleveland, where he had reigned as numbers baron. "Most people would rather deposit with me than the Federal Reserve," he says of his days in the policy game. Not long after his return to Cleveland, he helped promote a charity boxing exhibition, and was soon putting together rights of his own. King's first big-time bout as promoter was Foreman's championship defense against Ken Norton in Caracas in March 1974. Even before that fight took place, King was busy bidding for and eventually tying up the Foreman-Ali showdown. Ali has fought for no other promoter since.
Where does he go from here? King recognizes that once Ali retires or loses, much of the million-dollar glamour of boxing will fade. To avoid fading with it, he is expanding into producing records, representing pro athletes and making movies. With financial backing from Arab contacts, he has even made a bid to buy Madison Square Garden. "One day I will realize I can't make every deal. That day," he intones, "has not come."