Powerplay - podcast cover

Powerplay

BBC Radio 5 Livewww.bbc.co.uk

Don King killed two men. The first case was ruled justifiable homicide. In 1967 he was found guilty of stomping to death an employee, Sam Garrett, on the street. Garret owed him $600. Released just five years later and later pardoned, King entered the world of boxing, promoting some of the biggest fights in sports history, including The Rumble in the Jungle, and managing the most famous names in the fight game, including Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson. Former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis and boxing writer Steve Bunce tell the story of the controversial life of Don King.

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Episodes

Episode 8: The Endless Struggles of King

Don King was fighting for his position as the top of boxing. He went to court for Mike Tyson’s next fight and their very own ‘Watergate’. And, what of King now?

Jun 27, 202430 minSeason 2Ep. 9

Episode 7: Buster Douglas Knocks Out King

A harrowing defeat for Mike Tyson in Tokyo. King, was sitting at ringside next to Donald Trump, his guest in Japan. His fighter lost, but King always had a plan.

Jun 20, 202440 minSeason 2Ep. 8

Episode 4: The Full King Takeover

Don King was at the very top of Boxing, and he meant to stay there. Steve Bunce and Lennox Lewis with the story.

May 30, 202439 minSeason 2Ep. 5

Episode 3: King Makes The Rumble Happen

In October 1974 Muhammad Ali and George Foreman had a ‘Rumble in the Jungle’, a fight that has become one of the most famous events in sports history, and Don King made it happen.

May 23, 202431 minSeason 2Ep. 4

Episode 2: Free at Last

Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion Lennox Lewis and Steve Bunce examine the early days of Don King, Boxing Promoter, as he prepares to take on the fight game.

May 16, 202433 minSeason 2Ep. 3

Introducing... Powerplay: The House of Don King

Steve Bunce and Lennox Lewis take a dive into one of the most recognisable and enduring figures in boxing, promoter Don King, with contributions from rivals, partners, law enforcers and fighters.

May 06, 20242 minSeason 2Ep. 1

Sepp Blatter: 9. Hello Sepp, Goodbye Sepp

Sepp Blatter resigns dramatically, ending a 17 year run as FIFA President. And we hear from the man himself as he sits down with us for a defiant interview.

Dec 13, 202235 minSeason 1Ep. 10

Sepp Blatter: 8. The Bad Idea

While police raids hit the headlines, an ill fated film, paid for by FIFA, reveals the truth of FIFA’s hubris as Sepp Blatter faces his downfall.

Dec 06, 202237 minSeason 1Ep. 9

Sepp Blatter: 7. The Raid

FBI and IRS agents co-ordinate a raid that shocks FIFA, with senior executives suddenly in handcuffs. Sepp Blatter is clinging to power by a thread.

Dec 06, 202233 minSeason 1Ep. 8

Sepp Blatter: 6. The Americans

An internal FIFA report generates controversy, and a dangerous investigation is brewing in New York.

Nov 29, 202234 minSeason 1Ep. 7

Sepp Blatter: 4. The Underdog

When two World Cups come up for grabs in 2010, the bidding contest reveals questionable practices and a power struggle that threatens to bring Sepp Blatter down.

Nov 22, 202235 minSeason 1Ep. 5

Sepp Blatter: 3. The FIFA Lie

Sepp feels untouchable, but journalists begin to ratchet up the pressure after a key company affiliated to FIFA goes bankrupt, and its secrets spill out.

Nov 22, 202234 minSeason 1Ep. 4

Sepp Blatter: 2. The Trade Off

With Sepp Blatter newly installed as FIFA President, he builds links with Jack Warner and Chuck Blazer, important executives with reputations for corruption.

Nov 19, 202233 minSeason 1Ep. 3

Sepp Blatter: 1. Power and Money and Power

Fifa President João Havelange transforms the organisation into a money machine, while his protégé Sepp Blatter plots to take over the throne.

Nov 15, 202233 minSeason 1Ep. 2

Introducing… Powerplay: The House of Sepp Blatter

Over ten thrilling episodes, David Morrissey tells the story of the man who ran world football, and led FIFA in an era of endemic corruption and controversy, from cash in brown envelopes at a Caribbean hotel to the awarding of the Qatar World Cup, mired in allegations of impropriety and vote buying. From his meteoric rise to his stunning and sudden downfall after an FBI and IRS investigation of senior FIFA figures, insiders and whistleblowers tell the story of the world's most popular sport beco...

Nov 14, 20222 minSeason 1Ep. 1
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