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With Don King's multisyllabic faux-cabulary and towering hairdo, it often seems like he's not a real person. The video game that his name adorns, though, tries very hard to offer a realistic depiction of the sport. There are licensed boxers from both this era and years long past, as well as famous arenas where classic fights were held. The slow-paced, defensive-oriented matches also mirror the real sport, rewarding well-timed blows rather than chaotic punches. However, this realism is marred by a severe lack of impact. Punching someone in the face should fuel the uncouth barbarian buried far below the average person's surface, but in Don King Boxing, it carries no weight. This sanitization makes the matches feel sluggish and bland, and even with a bevy of classic boxers to control, the game gets knocked out in the first round.

The controls in Don King Boxing are entirely motion based, and for the most part, they work well. You can throw three different types of punches--jabs, hooks, and uppercuts--by swinging your arms in the appropriate direction, and the game does a good job of differentiating between your movements. There are times when it will mistake your attempted hook for an uppercut, but it doesn't affect the in-ring action, so it's not much of a detriment. The defensive controls also work admirably. You hold A to put up your gloves, and then tilt the controller to dodge and duck. Timing your feints can be difficult when a heavyweight is bearing down on you, but usually it's only your dull reflexes that will be exposed.