
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 4, 1990                   TAG: 9007040148
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-9   EDITION: HOLIDAY 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK                                LENGTH: Medium

TRUMP TESTIFIES IN KING'S LAWSUIT

As the heavyweight title fight between James "Buster" Douglas and Mike Tyson progressed, businessman Donald Trump recalled telling Don King that the promoter was a sure winner.

"I said, `Don King, you can't lose on this,' and he said, `I can't lose,' " Trump, who has staged several high-profile fights at his Atlantic City casino, testified Tuesday during King's breach-of-contract suit against Douglas and his manager, John Johnson.

That testimony was given under cross examination, and when Trump was asked who he was rooting for, he replied: "Tyson."

Asked who King was rooting for, he said, "I assume Don King was rooting for Mike Tyson."

Earlier in the day, Shigeru Kojima, executive director of the Japan Boxing Commission, also testifying for King, said he thought the promoter protested a long count when Douglas was knocked down in the eighth round. Asked what he based his opinion on, Kojima said through an interpreter, "I could understand by his gestures and by his words: `long count.' "

King bases his breach-of-contract suit on the fact that Douglas and Johnson signed a contract with Steve Wynn's Mirage Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas to fight for the Mirage, should Douglas get out of his promotional arrangement with King.

Douglas has filed a breach-of-contract suit against King in federal court in Nevada charging that the promoter tried to overturn the result of Douglas' 10th-round knockout of Tyson on Feb. 11 at Tokyo on the basis that Douglas should have been counted out in the eighth.

King has contended he merely was trying to build interest in a Douglas-Tyson rematch.

Trump testified that he began talking to King about a Douglas-Tyson rematch as early as the fifth round of the Tokyo fight to replace a Douglas-Evander Holyfield bout which Trump had bought for $12.5 million and tentatively scheduled for June 18 in Atlantic City.

"After the fight, I continued to talk to Don about a rematch," Trump said. "It looked like it would be one of the greatest rematches you could have.

"We shook hands right after the fight on the rematch. It was going to be for $12.5 million. It was going to replace the Holyfield fight, a fight that was no longer viable."

Keywords:
BOXING

by CNB