Boxing: Who wants to be a Don King millionaire?

The two fighters and the referee are the most important people involved in the title fight between New Zealand's Kali Meehan and former world champion Hasim Rahman, right?

Wrong. Don King is the man whose shadow - and hairdo - looms over this bout.

King is the king of heavyweight boxing, controlling the accession to the various thrones and effectively deciding who fights who. And he may be pulling for a Meehan victory. The reason? The race card.

King has a win-win scenario. If Rahman wins, he can set up a former undisputed champion against one of his other champions.

If Meehan wins, King can line him up to fight for a title.

However - and much more importantly - with Meehan, King will have a white contender to take on Vitali Klitschko, regarded as the number one heavyweight in the world now Lennox Lewis has retired. This fight will probably attract audiences way above any title fight involving Rahman.

King knows that race sells. Tasteless as it may seem, a 'Great White Hope' has long been a major drawcard in American boxing.

However, another white man on the same card today is former Polish star Andrew Golota. Golota won a bronze medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, but suffered defeats at the hands of Lewis, Mike Tyson and Riddick Bowe twice, both through disqualification.

Golota - if he defeats John Ruiz in their bout - has a more recognisable name and may be preferred to Meehan for the 'Great White Hope' slot.

There are literally millions of dollars riding on the results of these two fights.