REPORT AND PHOTOS FROM L.A.

Don King invaded L.A.

He came. He saw. He conquered.

And I survived the force of nature known as Don King…”Only in L.A.!”

The “Only in America” icon took over the Emerald Ballroom as only he can at the news conference for THIS weekend’s “Relentless: Cotto vs. Mayorga” clash taking place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“It’s WAR!” declared the one and only Don King as he climbed up the stairs to join fellow promoter Bob Arum, their fighters and respective teams at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. It will be “Caguas, Puerto Rico vs. Managua, Nicaragua” as the tough Miguel Cotto (35-2, 28 KOs) takes on the fiery Ricardo Mayorga (29-7-1, 23 KOs) in defense of the WBA Super Welterweight belt. Top Rank and Don King Promotions’ “RELENTLESS” will air on Showtime PPV.

Let’s just say, when the notorious and controversial King is in the room you know it. In fact, while seated in the cavernous venue, I actually heard the flag-waving, hair-raising, denim-wearing promoter before I even saw him. As King strolled to the stage, his voice boomed and bellowed as he made his ascent to his favorite spot: at the microphone in front of a live and captive audience. But this man needs no mic to be heard as the large crowd could hear him a mile away. It’s no understatement to say his distinctive voice leaves quite an echo.

It really was a study of contrasts between the two camps.

On one side was the boisterous King, Mayorga, Al Bonnani and Luis Leon.

On the other side was the calm Arum, Cotto, Emanuel Steward and “the always classy” Jimmy Lennon Jr.

In Monday’s “war of words,” Don King immediately put his foes on blast. While Mayorga was declared an 8-1 underdog, King insists that his fighter will claim victory. The boxing vet, who brought us “Rumble in the Jungle” and the “Thrilla in Manilla,” said Cotto has “two chances: Slim and None–and Slim’s out ot town!” to beat Mayorga.

King spoke before Mayorga–and after Mayorga–took to the podium. Yes, his fellow Hall of Famer promoter Bob Arum also spoke, as did Miguel Cotto. But as you can imagine, the buzz in the room and all the memorable statements, actions, gestures and theatrics were owned by the uncensored Team Mayorga.

Clutching a dozen different flags in his two diamond-encrusted fists, King was also weighed down by several necklaces that would make Mr. T proud with a red, white and blue tie around his neck, clad in that “Bedazzled,” painted, and studded denim jacket that he proudly sports. Around his fingers were several heavy rings showcasing his own personal diamond mines. There was a lot going on with the flamboyant boxing promoter, who also served time for second-degree murder. The only thing subtle about him were the plain black slacks he was wearing that helped anchor all that eye-popping bling going on upstairs.

Now King and Arum have banded together once again in Saturday night’s “Relentless” showdown. Joining forces, this weekend’s collision will be their first co-promotion in five years. Besides the main event, Arum raved about a solid undercard including Yuri Foreman vs. Pawel Wolak and Miguel Vazquez vs. Lenny Zappavigna. Both men have won the battle of longevity–and success–in the biz. Their long-lasting legacy in the sport is remarkable; no one can deny that.

Greeting Fred Sternburg, PR man extraordinaire and Owner/President of Sternburg Communications, Inc. I couldn’t help but laugh as we witnessed King hold court during his time on stage. Marveling over the longevity that the pair of promoters have built, Arum and King remain unbeatable in the fight game. And the venerable duo will both celebrate their 80th birthdays later this year. “But Bob is the ‘baby’ of the two,” the amiable Sternburg tells me. I asked Sternburg if King is always this way. Maybe he has some quiet moments behind the scenes? “Never!” Fred answers with a smile.

On stage, the larger-than-life King yelled out, “Togetherness!” while praising Arum and their anticipated co-promotion. “Unity in America!” he continued. “There’s something for everyone!”

Through the years, Arum has received his fair share of criticism from fans and pundits in the sweet science, but King’s career has been intertwined in headline-making controversies. Take your pick. From early illegal bookmaking to alleged connections in organized crime along with two homicide accusations the promoter was also sued by Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, among a stable of others.

But in the boxing world, Don was a “King”–and is still promoting after all these decades. With the well-regarded Arum, his fellow monarch in the sport, the “Relentless” promoters promise fans an exciting night of boxing.

And come Saturday, King’s betting on his boxer to claim another victory.

At the press luncheon, Cotto was deemed the odds-on favorite in the junior middleweight matchup. But a confident King told all of us in attendance that this is your “chance to be wealthy” by betting on Mayorga. “Mayorga will win by a KO!” the veteran proclaimed, his voice ricocheting from the stage all the way to the back of the ballroom.

After calling his fighter up to the microphone, King performed an impromptu “exorcism” by waving his hands around the crazy Mayorga, whom he announced by saying, “The man is absolutely INSANE–and is the most promotable fighter in the world!”

Known for his trash-talking, cigarette-smoking and heavy-drinking ways, Mayorga still remains an unpredictable foe in the ring.

The bad boy brawler seems to relish in his role as “villain in the black hat.” Wearing dark shades while seated on the dais, he switched the sunglasses on and off as he unleashed a torrent of inflammatory comments toward Miguel Cotto.

The Nicaraguan power puncher and fight underdog also promised, “I will knock him out! His friend will have to carry him out. Bet for the knockout–not just for the win and you’ll win a lot of money!” Mayorga also said he is putting money on himself to win.

Further taunting his opponent and hoping for a “Thriller” of a performance, Mayorga also flashed his abs not once but twice while lifting up his Michael Jackson T-shirt in trying to get a reaction out of the mellow Cotto, outfitted in a lavender sweater and purple shirt ensemble. The pride of Caguas kept his gaze straight ahead and was seen even yawning a couple of times. Keeping his hands clasped in front of his face, the relaxed Boricua was unfazed by the verbal jabs thrown by the explosive Mayorga. Trainer Emanuel Steward chuckled and grinned during the torrent of at-times humorous comments from both Mayorga and King. Top Rank CEO Arum kept his classy and calm demeanor intact. And his prizefighter and world titlist never flinched, not even once.

Mayorga, 37, tried vigorously to rile up his boxing compadre by clenching both hands in a threatening, “Look at these fists–You will see these Saturday night UP CLOSE!” He also begged Cotto, 30, to not take a knee like he did in his defeat at the hands of Antonio Margarito.

“Cotto WILL be sacrificed!” King further stated.

After King finally took his seat, Arum said with a nod, “That was a vintage Don King performance.”

I have to admit that there were many “laugh out loud” moments during the speeches with the majority of outrageous responses courtesy of King and Mayorga, of course.

But as they say, talk is cheap.

During his time in the spotlight, a subdued Miguel Cotto barely took two minutes to express his thoughts. Choosing to take the high road against what he called his “past his peak” foe, he said, “We just have to take care of business. We can’t think about anything specific regarding Mayorga.”

And come Saturday night, the tough Puerto Rican warrior will only need three-minute rounds to dispatch of his mouthy opponent.

As they also say, styles make fights.

World Champion Cotto has defeated Shane Mosley, Yuri Foreman, Carlos Quintana, Zab Judah, Joshua Clottey, Paulie Malignaggi, Alfonso Gomez, among various others on his way to becoming one of the most popular and beloved boxers.

While King and former champ Mayorga may have won the “war of words” during yesterday’s presser, perhaps it was Miguel Cotto who really got the last word in–without saying a thing.

The pride of the Puerto Rico islands let his actions speak louder than words.

After the speeches and hyperbole from the opposition had ceased, the Cotto camp posed for a group photo with Team Mayorga. But the obligatory “face off” money shot between the two warring fighters did not take place.

The Boricuan boxer was quickly ushered toward an exit–depriving his hyper opponent from any further incendiary remarks or actions.

With the rapid departure of Cotto, a visibly stunned Mayorga and King were left standing on the stage alone–with no face off for the flashbulbs.

Shocked at being robbed of another opportunity to get inside the head of his foe, Ricardo tried to goad Cotto into coming back on stage. I observed the animated slugger in his efforts to get Miguel back in front of the cameras. He shouted, he gesticulated, he whistled loudly, he flashed his abs yet again but to no avail. The “king” from Caguas had left the building. But the “king” known as Don King remained…as did the microphones and video cams that quickly swarmed around the promoter and his fighter.

Don King and Ricardo Mayorga came to L.A. en route to their Vegas war versus Bob Arum and Miguel Cotto in their “Relentless” collaboration in the squared circle.

Don King may have won this war of words on Monday.

Come Saturday, let’s see if his fighter can put his money where his mouth is in scoring a KO against Cotto–as his team promises.

A powerhouse Puerto Rican and a hard-hitting Nicaraguan will face off in the Mecca of boxing while fans worldwide will watch.

As the promoter himself would say, “Only in America!”

Tickets: mgmgrand.com

Photos by Maria Hedrick.com