Thirty years ago Don King became the Barnum of boxing … and he still reigns.

King's original super circus in 1974, The Rumble in the Jungle, left Zaire world famous (and nearly broke), gave Muhammad Ali his greatest hour, even won a Hollywood Oscar.

Don King could do it all again for Kali Meehan, the Australasian boxer from Wyong, NSW. The high-voltage Electric Head has Kali meeting Lamon Brewster for the WBO heavyweight title in Las Vegas on 4 September.
The twelve months after that could make Kali a world sporting figure.

Kali Meehan, 34, stands two metres tall at 17 stone weight and has features as striking as the fists which put 24 KOs among his 29 wins.
Only Danny Williams beat Kali, and Danny is momentarily hot after melting Iron Mike Tyson.

Kali was born in Auckland, New Zealand and lives now in Wyong, NSW. He made a full time hobby out of ironing Australian heavyweight champions, Colin Wilson four KOs, Bob Mirovic, not forgetting Aussie heavyweight title fighters James Grima and Danny Buzza.

But it was his no-decision workouts with WBA heavyweight champion John Ruiz in the United States that caught the attention of Don King. "He has been signed by the infamous Don King," said Kali's PR release from Sydney last week, "Don is backing him to win the Lamon fight, saying he is the most marketable boxer he has backed for a while."

The World Boxing Organisation is loosely seeded fourth in status after the alphabet leaders, WBC, WBA and IBF. None of them has an outstanding heavyweight champion, whether you look at the Federation's Chris Byrd, the Council's Vitali Klitschko or the Association's John Ruiz.

It's within the bounds of the attainable that Kali Meehan could thrust them one by one aside and unite the throne that hasn't been intact since Lennox Lewis.

First he must surpass Lamon Brewster at Mandalay Bay, 4 September. They speak with great respect of each other. On the same April night that Brewster knocked out Wladimir Klitschko for the WBO belt, Meehan knocked out Dangerous Damon Reed.

Kali's sixth round, in which he smashed Dan to the deck five times, stamped the lofty anzac vividly in the minds of millions of watchers.

Kali Meehan has been lifted from rugby footballer on NSW Central Coast to the spotlight by Don King. It could happen - the epigram was Don King's - "Only in America", but stands upon the indispensable shoulders of trainer, Mark Janssen, and Sydney businessmen, Ted Allen and Greg Nelson.

Janssen still carries the subtitle "Magic Mark." FIGHTER Magazine bestowed it on him on July 1986 front cover. Mark looked like a model, won the Australasian middleweight title. And was never beaten in the ring.
So Don King has got a packet from Down Under.

Sound the circus sirens. Meehan, Briggs and Darchinyan are moving up beside Mundine and Green as the new cover men.