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 The three-round match would have pitted Zimmerman, who was found
not guilty in the 2012 shooting death of unarmed, black teenager
Trayvon Martin, against the trash-talking musician with a history of
arrests, most of them drug or driving offenses.
Damon Feldman, who has organized numerous bouts between celebrities,
said on Twitter that the Zimmerman-DMX match was off after
generating a public outcry this week.
"Done with George Zimmerman if you had a major payday sitting in
front of you, I know no one else would walk away like I did
***Next!!," he said in a Tweet.
Martin's shooting and Zimmerman's self-defense claim polarized the
United States on issues of racial justice, stand your ground laws
and gun control.
Feldman came under a barrage of criticism after the fight between
Zimmerman and Earl Simmons, better known as DMX, was announced on
Wednesday, Martin's birthday.
Civil rights leader Reverend Al Sharpton, who has backed Martin's
family, cautioned against glorifying Zimmerman. The "Cancel George
Zimmerman's 'Celebrity' Boxing Match" Facebook page generated
315,000 "likes."
Sherry Schaefer, Feldman's assistant, said that the promoter had
been threatened and had to get a bodyguard.
Feldman was approached about seeking a bout for Zimmerman, although
the promoter did not consider him a celebrity, she said.
Schaefer said billionaire Alki David had backed the proposed fight
for his FilmOn.com online television service.
The fight was first set for March 1 and then switched to March 15.
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In a statement, a spokesman for DMX said the rapper had never agreed
to the fight and it would not affect his concert schedule.
After Zimmerman's acquittal, his lawyer said it would be difficult
for his client, like defendants in other notorious crimes, to find
normal employment.
In his 2013 trial, Zimmerman was accused of racially profiling,
following and shooting Martin, a 17-year-old guest in a gated
neighborhood in central Florida, as the youth was returning from a
convenience store. Zimmerman claimed self-defense.
The trial put the spotlight on Florida's stand your ground law,
which allows someone in fear of his or her life to use lethal force.
Since his acquittal, Zimmerman has had several brushes with the law.
He has twice been stopped for speeding, once in Texas and again in
Florida.
In September, Zimmerman was questioned by police after his estranged
wife called authorities saying he threatened her with a gun. He was
not charged in that incident.
(Reporting by Ian Simpson in Washington;
editing by Dan Grebler and
Lisa Shumaker)
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