Boxing promoter Don King hit with $3B lawsuit over ‘Rumble in the Jungle 2’ cancellation

Boxing promoter Don King faces a $3 billion lawsuit in New York federal court from a sports executive who claims King destroyed his efforts to stage an event in Nigeria commemorating the 50th anniversary of the “Rumble in the Jungle” fight in the heavyweight championship between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.

Cecil Miller claimed that King defamed and defrauded him by sending a cease-and-desist letter to everyone involved in the production of the anniversary event, weeks before the project was due to start during the 2024 Global Entrepreneurship Festival in Nigeria with an alleged fight between “Sugar” Shane Mosley and Victor Ortiz.

The event would have come 50 years after the legendary 1974 fight in which Ali regained the heavyweight title by defeating Foreman, which took place in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, then known as Zaire.

In the cease-and-desist letter posted on the Facebook page of King’s company, Don King Productions Inc., lawyers say King never gave Miller permission to stage the event. But Miller claims King had given him his blessing to do so years earlier and had been involved in various aspects of planning.

“DKP claimed they had no knowledge of the event, but surprisingly they knew exactly who to send their cease and desist to in the Nigerian government. DKP’s letter, directly targeting contacts provided by BYD,” Miller said in a lawsuit announced Dec. 31. BYD refers to his two companies, BYD Management and BYD Sports.

According to the lawsuit, Miller and King began working together in 2021 for a promotional deal for the now deceased boxer, Alonzo Butler. Over time, they collaborated on other projects, with King eventually revealing his own plans to stage a commemorative event for the 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle” fight between Foreman and Ali, Miller said.

“It was clear to Mr. Miller that Mr. King needed some help and offered his help to continue the fight in Africa in 2024,” according to the lawsuit. “Mr. The King agreed.”

After that, Miller began working with bankers in the United States and Africa to put together an event, allegedly briefing King during preparations, according to the suit. But King declined to sign any written agreement and instead confirmed his involvement in the event in a video, Miller said.

Miller claimed that during preparations, King offered assurances that Miller could go ahead with the event, including allegedly offering to compile the fight card, the list of participating boxers. But King was quiet in the final months of planning as Miller coordinated final logistics and secured sponsorships and visas, Miller said.

Finally, on Oct. 28, King called Miller and denied his involvement in the planning, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit seeks at least $3 billion in damages, including $600 million in lost revenue for the initial fight and $2.4 billion in lost future revenue. The damages appear to be based on the grosses of 1974’s “Rumble in the Jungle,” which was seen by an estimated 1 billion people worldwide.

The lawsuit joins a string of complaints against King, who has both promoted – and been sued by – some of the biggest names in boxing. A longtime client of King’s, Mike Tyson sued the man in 1998 for $100 million, alleging that King took advantage of him and cheated him out of millions.

When reached for comment, the attorney for Miller, New York City-based entertainment attorney Anthony JM Jones of The Jones Law Firm, expressed disappointment that the anniversary special was unable to materialize.

“We’re in 2025 and a 50-year homecoming hasn’t been able to be produced,” Jones said. “It’s sad for boxing. It is sad for Africa. It’s just a shame. We had boxers here, in Africa and the United States. A lot of people put effort into this and it kind of got swept away.”

Don King Productions did not immediately respond to a Thursday request for comment.