Don Elbaum, a passionate and influential figure in the boxing world with a career spanning decades as both a boxer and a renowned promoter, passed away on July 27th at the age of 97.
Elbaum had a brief professional boxing career from 1964 to 1969, accumulating a record of three losses and one draw. However, it was his work outside the ring that earned him high recognition and admiration across the sport. His journey in boxing began much earlier, in the 1940s, as an amateur boxer. Notably, he holds a unique place in boxing history as the individual who introduced legendary promoter Don King to the boxing world in the 1970s.
A proud war veteran, Elbaum served in the Korean War and was widely admired for his sharp wit and great sense of humor.
His promotional prowess was evident in his ability to stage 196 shows in less than five years at the Tropicana Hotel & Casino in New Jersey alone. As a well-known New York resident, Elbaum owned and operated Don Elbaum Promotions, a company that ran an impressive nearly 358 events between 1958 and 2016. His promotions featured an extraordinary roster of boxing legends and notable fighters, including Sugar Ray Robinson, Willie Pep, Sonny Liston, Emile Griffith, Floyd Patterson, Bobby Czyz, Aaron Pryor, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, Bennie Briscoe, Livingston Bramble, Rocky Lockridge, Lonnie Smith, Freddie Pendleton, Maurice Blocker, Marlon Starling, Roberto Duran, Lupe Aquino, Arturo Frias, Juan Laporte, Vicente Rondon, Nino Benvenuti, James Kinchen, Greg Richardson, James Smith, Leon Spinks, Vito Antuofermo, George Foreman, Alex Stewart, Sharmba Mitchell, Vinnie Pazienza, Simon Brown, Michael Dokes, Luis Santana, Alicia Ashley, and Jorge Vaca, among many others.
Elbaum's immense contributions to boxing were officially recognized with his induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2019, joining a distinguished class that included Teddy Atlas, Lee Samuels, Julian Jackson, Donald Curry, Tony DeMarco, Guy Jutras, and Buddy McGirt.
At the time of his passing, there was a possibility of a book about his remarkable life emerging in 2025, as well as a documentary or film dedicated to his indelible mark on boxing.
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