YES: there are limits to someone who tries to use their fame — of infamy — to try and make big bucks. Sometimes there’s a big, fat, you-sure-as-hell-better-not and sometimes those poised to make big bucks will listen. The boxing match between DMX and George Zimmerman has been called on account of an international opinion firestorm.
Pity — or not — Zimmerman, the guy who shot and killed Skittles-armed Trayvon Martin (hey, if he had been carrying Red Vines that would be even more life threatening). First he sold a painting and made big bucks on that. But when he tried to sell a painting on eBay that basically looked liked a traced version of an AP photo both the photographer and AP threatened to sue.
In far-from-surprising news, a celebrity boxing match announced earlier this week – set to pit George Zimmerman against rapper DMX ‘for charity’ – has been called off, with the promoter saying he would rather make people happy than make money from the fight.
In a series of Tweets on Saturday, which have now been deleted, Damon Feldman, who has been orchestrating the fight, said the decision to cancel was based on the public backlash he received for working with Zimmerman.
‘This was the wrong person to put in the ring and define celebrity boxing thank you,” Feldman Tweeted from his handle, @hollywoodbox11.
‘I walked away from av [sic] million dollar payday with this fight but to be honest I’d rather be happy and make people happy thank you.’
When you read this piece on the must-read mailonline.com, you can just see the components of hype:Feldman told TMZ earlier in the week that DMZ had been selected out of a pool of more than 15,000 willing fighters to get in the ring with the infamous killer of unarmed black teen Trayvon Martin.
In January Zimmerman, 30, said he has been training for months for a boxing match and that it was his idea to organize a fight.
Not surprising..
But due to concerns from the public Feldman, apologized Saturday and said he did not wish to go through with it, The NY Daily News reported.
‘I wasn’t being disrespected [sic] to anyone I had a plan here with this fight I’ll let you know soon hope everyone is happy I’m very sorry,’ he tweeted.
The only certainty? Within a month there will be news of another Zimmerman related money-making project.
A wrestling match?
Sell a product on Home Shopping Network?
George Zimmerman autographed shot glasses?
But at least in this instance, we saw that there are boundaries on quaint things such as people profiting from death, And good taste – and a karmic form of justice — could prevail.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.