Don King says bantam bout to bring ‘glory’ back to Vegas

By Jeff Haney

Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009 | 2 a.m.

It stands to reason Don King would invoke the memory of the “Rumble in the Jungle,” another late-October boxing match, in hyping Saturday’s show at Treasure Island on the Strip.

The “Rumble,” which matched George Foreman against Muhammad Ali in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), was a pivotal event for King early in his career as a promoter.

For much of the next couple of decades, King’s name was closely associated with boxing’s heavyweight division, home of the sport’s biggest men and its erstwhile biggest attractions.

This week King showcases a couple of boxing’s littlest competitors.

Joseph “King Kong” Agbeko puts his IBF bantamweight (118 pounds) championship belt on the line against Yonnhy Perez, the No. 1-ranked mandatory challenger, in the headliner Saturday at the Treasure Island Ballroom.

Showtime (Cox cable channel 240) will televise.

It’s King’s first fight as lead promoter in Las Vegas in four years.

He played the “don’t call it a comeback” card pretty strongly, though, and with characteristic bravado suggested he was the one welcoming Las Vegas back into the fold. Or something.

“I’m just happy to bring Vegas back, to the extent of giving them the excitement,” King said. “It’s the 35th anniversary of the ‘Rumble in the Jungle,’ almost to the hour.

“I think the Treasure Island is going to become my destination where many people can come and have the excitement of being No. 1. That was the spirit and the feeling of Vegas, which we have to restore again because we’ve sort of lost our way.”

King said an alliance with Phil Ruffin, the new owner of TI, was crucial in bringing boxing to the property.

“First of all, I really never left Las Vegas,” King said. “I’m always there. But when I found a guy named Phil Ruffin, who is able to give the people what they want, who’s not so corporate and can be more human, then I came back and worked with him to be able to bring back the glory of yesteryear back into Las Vegas ...

“Let me say this. Phil Ruffin is the man. He’s the man who came up with the handshake and convinced me to come out and brand the place.”

Agbeko (27-1, 22 knockouts) won the world title against Luis Alberto Perez in 2007 and has successfully defended it twice. He fights out of the Bronx, N.Y., and is a native of Accra, Ghana, the homeland of former world champions Azumah Nelson and Ike Quartey.

“Azumah and Ike inspire me and are very good champions of Ghana,” Agbeko said. “I always look up to them and they always advise me. They’ve been there before and they were able to make it, too. They teach me what to do and they always point me in the right direction. I also want to become like them.”

Perez (19-0, 17 KOs), originally from Cartagena, Colombia, fights out of Santa Fe Springs, Calif. His biggest victory came in his most recent fight, against Silence Mabuza in May.

“Of course it was a boost of confidence, but one thing that everyone needs to be aware of is that my confidence didn’t come just from that fight,” Perez said. “I’m confident every time I step in the ring, no matter who I’m facing. Beating Mabuza was a great deal for me, but I had confidence in my power and my ability even before I stepped in the ring.”

In Saturday’s cofeature, also scheduled for 12 rounds, former WBA lightweight champ Jose Alfaro fights Antonio DeMarco.

Though it’s been dormant for some time, expect the signature King weirdness to surface in Las Vegas as fight time nears: A news conference is scheduled for Wednesday — on one of the TI’s pirate ships in front of the hotel. And Saturday night, Halloween, promises to draw a collection of Don King look-alikes to the vicinity of the resort.