3. Don King
Boxing promoter Don King has a bit of a sordid past. Whilst we've had a variety of drugs charges and violent charges on the list I'm not sure someone else has had such world-wide success after killing someone. During the early sixties, King was a fairly successful gangster running a numbers game in his local area. In 1966, an employee named Sam Garrett stole from him. King chased him down, dragged him out of a bar, and killed him in the street. A murder charge was considered, but later reduced to first degree manslaughter. He was sentenced to a maximum of 20 years, but was released after serving five. In 1982, the Ohio Parole Board pardoned him. He didn't run numbers afterwards. Three years after his release, the King promoted The Rumble in the Jungle between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali. After that success, his career in boxing promotion was set.