George Zimmerman Fight Will Happen on March 15th
After announcing and then canceling and then waffling on his decision to cancel the March 15th George Zimmerman vs. DMX boxing match, fight promoter Damon Feldman held a press conference on Tuesday at the Marple Sports Arena outside of Philadelphia announcing that he is no longer involved with the fight. But that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.
British billionaire Alki David, who phoned in his presence at the press conference and spoke via speakerphone, confirms that the fight will happen on March 15th at an undisclosed location. DMX has not been confirmed as the opponent. David says that there are eight potential opponents.
The fight will be broadcast online and on cable TV in Europe. According to David, the venue will not be open to the general public. “It would turn into a bloodbath,” said Feldman’s publicist.
According to David, Zimmerman “will not be paid” for the fight. Whether or not there will be a charitable component or how that would work remains unclear.
“It’s very emotional,” says Feldman of his withdraw from the fight. “Because I worked my whole life and career for this… But to be very clear, I am out. Damon Feldman is not involved in this fight.”
Feldman and his team said that Mike Tyson, Reverend Al Sharpton and Floyd Mayweather Sr. all reached out to talk him out of the fight. “I don’t want to work with a killer,” says Feldman.
Feldman was accompanied by a bodyguard. Local police also showed up, but there were no disturbances or protestors.
[PHOTOS: Victor Fiorillo, Philadelphia magazine]
And if you need to play catch up…
A Timeline of the George Zimmerman Boxing Match
February 5th: Damon Feldman apologizes for announcing the George Zimmerman vs. DMX boxing match on the eve of Trayvon Martin’s birthday. Meanwhile, the White House petition to stop the fight stood at just 4,000 signatures.
February 8th: Feldman tells us that he’s partnered with billionaire Alki David to broadcast the George Zimmerman fight. Later that day, Feldman tweets that the fight is canceled but then deletes those tweets.
February 10th: Feldman says the fight is not canceled. Our poll asking whether the fight should be canceled stands at 91% voting yes. The anti-fight Facebook page has over 320,000 likes. The White House petition is up to 28,000 signatures. The Change.org petition has over 100,000 signatures.
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