14 DAY TRIAL // Over the weekend, confirmation came that a much-hyped boxing match between rapper DMX and George Zimmerman, the former community guard accused and then acquitted of the murder of Trayvon Martin, had been canceled. The rapper is now seeking to distance himself from the controversy.
The organizer of the event, Damon Feldman, told the media that he had backed out of plans for the fight after realizing how wrong it would be to help Zimmerman cash in on his notoriety and, at the same time, how much it would hurt Trayvon’s family and other people affected in one way or another by the tragedy.
Domenick Nati, DMX’s publicist, is now saying that Feldman and Zimmerman were lying from the start, trying to cash in by having the rapper dragged into the mess, even though he never agreed to the fight.
Reports said that the star was stalling to sign on the dotted line because he wanted more money. Nati is now saying this was never the case because DMX, a respectable artist, would never agree to the fight in the first place.
“The supposed boxing match between George Zimmerman and DMX was announced very prematurely. DMX has not signed any paperwork for this event and the official announcement should have never been made,” Nati says, as cited by The Source.
“This went from literally a reporter asking [DMX], ‘Would you do this? And what would you do if you were in the situation?’ And DMX fans know that he gets excited and shoots his mouth off. He’s not going to answer any question the politically correct way. He’s gonna answer how he feels,” the publicist continues, offering an explanation for why the rapper said he’d beat the living lights out of Zimmerman and then relieve himself on his face, at the end of the match.
Moreover, Nati says, this whole thing was orchestrated by Feldman at the behest of Zimmerman, who is itching to make a name for himself as a “celebrity.” Newsflash to him from Nati: he’s not.
“DMX is a celebrity because he sold 30 million albums; George Zimmerman is famous because he killed an unarmed teenager. I think it’s offensive and an insult to the family. How would this have gone 15 years ago? What if OJ Simpson said ‘I’ll fight any white person’? I think it’s outrageous. We’re making celebrities out of criminals,” the publicist continues.
“DMX never wanted to insult anyone; his purpose was to defend the black community. DMX is not a gimmicky personality. He wants to be a recording artist and perform for his fans. This situation was blown way out of proportion,” Nati concludes.
So far, no word yet on whether Zimmerman will try to find another celebrity opponent to attempt to take down in the ring.