Mike Tyson: Why He Would Have Thrived Sans Don King, a "Slimy, Reptilian" Jerk

Villainous boxing promoter Don King was stopped Sunday night by members of the Transportation Safety Administration at Cleveland’s Hopkins International Airport for possessing ammunition for .38-caliber and .357-caliber firearms in his luggage.

King, 79, a scumbag who was charged for killing two men in separate incidents 13 years apart and was investigated for his connections to notorious mobster John Gotti, was released to continue his trip.

“How does that guy basically get a slap on the wrist for murder? I mean, he got less than four years in the slammer,” said Brad Sherwood, a longtime boxing fan and resident of South Boston.

The reprehensible native of “The Forest City” has promoted some of the most recognized names in the annals of pugilism, including Muhammad Ali, “Iron Mike" Tyson, George Foreman, Evander Holyfield and Larry Holmes.

Tyson (50-6-0-2, 44 KOs), who at 20 became the youngest boxer to capture the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles, verbally lambasted the heinous King in a recent interview.

“King is a wretched, slimy, reptilian mother (expletive). This is supposed to be my ‘black brother,’ right? He’s just a bad man, a real bad man,” said Tyson, 44, a convicted rapist who has seemingly managed to genuinely turn his life around for the better. “He would kill his own mother for a dollar. He’s ruthless, he’s deplorable, he’s greedy and he doesn’t know how to love anybody.”

Tyson has made many horrible decisions in his life and his past is certainly sordid and unsavory.

Nevertheless, perhaps if “Iron Mike” never forged a partnership with King, that slimy reptile, his personal life and professional career would have been far less turbulent.