'Only in America' comes to Germany

Apr 14, 2007
By Air Force Capt. Darrick Lee U.S. European Command Public Affairs

STUTTGART, Germany — Boxing promoter Don "Only in America" King signs autographs at the Patch Gym April 13 with his special guest Air Force Tech. Sgt. Kim Fleming, from Special Operations Command Europe. King requested to the visit the troops in Stuttgart following a chance meeting at the airport with Fleming. In addition to signing autographs and posing for photos, King provided more than 500 tickets to the April 14 World Boxing Association heavyweight championship bout at the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart. (Department of Defense photo by Air Force Tech. Sgt. Devin L. Fisher)

It happens occasionally whenever you talk about airline travel. If not to you, then maybe you've heard the story from someone else. The sentence usually starts like this: "You'll never guess who was on the plane …" (Then you wait excitedly for the answer.)

In this case, Air Force Tech. Sgt. Kim Fleming of the Special Operations Command Europe Headquarters Commandant's office, ended her sentence with: "Don King." Yes THAT Don King! With the hair! The boxing guy!" Fleming shared a plane ride with the "World's Greatest Promoter."

"I was returning to Stuttgart after becoming injured at Airborne school," says Fleming, who during her second jump, had a bad landing. She hurt her leg and ankle.

"Some guy across the aisle asked about my bandage, and that started the conversation. He told me he worked for Don King, the promoter. I was like, ‘yeah, right'. But when they wheeled me off the plane, Don King himself asked me if he could visit the base."

Fleming promised to forward the request. When she returned to Stuttgart, she contacted U.S. European Command Public Affairs. Two days later, Don "Only in America" King was at the Patch gym, chatting with the base boxing team, the Stuttgart Stallions. Plenty of fans filled the bleachers to get a glimpse of the man whose career brought us the Tyson-Holyfield bouts and the famous Ali-Foreman "Rumble in the Jungle" of 1974.

Or, maybe the fans just wanted to get a glimpse of the hair for themselves. Sporting lots of necklaces and rings, and a jean jacket with a U.S. flag pattern, King was certainly a sight to see. There was no mistaking that Don King loves America. If the multiple flag pennants he waved weren't enough to convince a spectator, maybe they would believe once they saw his diamond-studded four-inch flag pendant outlined with the words "Only in America" … written in diamonds.

Some of King's critics say he is a discredit to the flags he adorns himself in. A standard Internet search will reveal that King's had his run-ins with the law during his younger years. Regardless of his history, his message to the fans at Patch offered nothing but praise for service members.

"You are the vanguards of freedom," said King. "Without you, it [freedom] wouldn't be possible."

King and his entourage were in Stuttgart to promote a World Boxing Association bout between heavyweight champion Nikolai "the Russian Giant" Valuev and top challenger Ruslan "White Tyson" Chagaev at the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart April 14. It promises to be an interesting bout, as Valuev is 7 feet tall, compared to Chagaev's 6'1". King signed autographs and gave out more than 500 tickets to the match.

When the tickets were handed out, King personally made sure Fleming received her's. He asked her to sit next to him while he signed autographs and posed for pictures with fans. "I enjoy the fact that somebody is willing to do something like this for us," Fleming said. When asked if she would use the tickets, she exclaimed, "I got good seats; I'm going! I hear that European matches are sometimes a bit quiet, but I think after Mr. King's visit, tomorrow's going to be a bit rowdy!"

Fleming will be returning to Airborne school once her injury heals. When she does, she'll have an interesting story to tell her class about how her bad fall turned out to be good news for more than 500 boxing fans. It looks like "Only in America" works in Germany, too.