Donald J. Trump is a global figure who needs no introduction. The recently re-elected President of the United States will begin his second term as Commander-in-Chief of the United States on January 20, 2025. Fans on a casual level may wonder what this has to do with sports at all, let alone boxing. However, veterans in the boxing community are excitedly watching the inevitable impact that President Trump taking office will have on the sport of boxing.
As many casual fans may not know, Donald J. Trump's name was synonymous with boxing until he became known for his run for president. One could go so far as to say that he was Turki Al Sheikh of the 1980s and 1990s, and was responsible for organizing some of the biggest fights of all time, including but not limited to Tyson vs. Spinks, Holyfield vs. Foreman, and Tyson vs. Spinks. Holmes. Not only did Trump host these historic events at his wildly successful casinos, he promoted and/or sponsored them. Trump has kept the sport alive for more than 30 years by using his esteemed business acumen to ensure fighters get as much money as possible while suffering corruption at unprecedented levels, successfully standing up to nefarious figures and corrupt kickbacks whose predatory activities threatened health. Physical and financial. fighters, as well as the integrity of boxing itself.
Donald Trump's positive impact on the sport of boxing is reflected in the various accolades and awards he has received. Aside from his permanent induction into the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame and the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame, Donald Trump has received the Muhammad Ali Entrepreneurship Award and the Sports Business Journal's Most Influential Person in Sports Award. Trump is also, to this day, an avid and passionate boxing fan, often showing up at events to thunderous applause and adulation from packed arenas full of combat sports fans who remember what the man did to bring combat sports to where they are. today.
Unfortunately, given the inevitable political slurs and rhetoric that comes along with challenging the most powerful people and gangs in the world, a large number of boxing fans on a casual level have been forced to associate Donald J. Trump's name with negative politics. Rhetoric. To maintain this narrative, the media almost universally suppresses certain incidents in boxing history.
Jack Johnson
In 1913, during the Jim Crow era, when US law enforced racial segregation, the first black heavyweight champion in history, Jack Johnson, was charged with violating the Mann Act. His crime was transporting his white fiancée across state lines. It is universally accepted that this was a blatant use of lawfare by whites who could not stand the influence of a black man living with a white woman, ruling the highest station in boxing, the world heavyweight championship. Although he was charged for incidents that occurred before the Mann Act was signed into law, an all-white jury found Johnson guilty of the crime and sentenced him to prison.
Democratic President Woodrow Wilson allowed this injustice to continue, resulting in a permanent stain on Johnson's record that would negatively affect him for the rest of his life. The conviction remained throughout the subsequent 16 administrations, which included prominent civil rights presidents Barack Obama (8 years), Bill Clinton (8 years), Jimmy Carter, John F. Kennedy, and Franklin Roosevelt (12 years). Not until 2018 did President Donald J. Trump issue a full posthumous pardon to Jack Johnson, finally exonerating the man's reputation from such political and racial condemnation.
Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson's turbulent career is well documented. However, many casual fans may not know that Donald Trump played such a positive role in Mike Tyson's career and that Iron Mike eventually hired Trump to be his advisor on his legal issues and career moves. After successfully helping Tyson during his management feud with Bill Keaton and paying Mike his largest payday to date, sinister entities attempted to poison the relationship by stirring up unsubstantiated rumors about Trump and Tyson's then-wife, Robin Givens. Shortly after, Mike Tyson was accused of rape, convicted and sentenced to six years in prison despite overwhelming evidence that the relationship with the alleged victim was purely consensual. During his first years in prison, Mike Tyson had only one defender and supporter, Donald Trump, who is demanding that Mike be allowed to train and is pushing the appeal for his conviction. To this day, Mike Tyson publicly praises Donald Trump as a man who has always been by his side, going so far as to publicly support Mr. Trump in his 2024 re-election bid despite the very heated political atmosphere in 2024.
Impact on boxing
Trump's impact on boxing
With less than a month before Donald Trump's inauguration, let's take a look at the potential positive impact of having a passionate and proven supporter of boxing in the White House. First and foremost, President Trump can start with a stronghold on the sanctioning bodies. With each passing year, the word “hero” is diluted and sold to pieces by entities that wield the power of public perception. There is a clear conflict of interest in the enormous financial benefit these authorities gain from having as many fighters as possible wearing the belts and paying the accompanying sanctioning fees. Another conflict of interest is that these sanctioning fees are based on a percentage of a fighter's purse rather than a flat fee, meaning that it is in the best financial interest of the sanctioning bodies to have the boxers who produce the biggest purses wear the belts rather than just the best fighters. These resounding conflict-of-interest findings have the potential ability to impact everything from rankings to scorecards. Here in 2024, we've already reached the point where fighters are losing on the world stage, only to have their “undefeated” records restored through the court systems, and undisputed champions stripped of their belts to make way for undiluted punishment fees from the likes of grassroots fighters. Like Anthony Joshua, clear victories for fighters like Tyson Fury have been recorded as losses to accommodate opponents who have more years left in the sport than the champion. Boxing has gone from eight weight classes and eight champions to 17 weight classes and as many as 187 “champions,” with many weight classes having two or even three boxers wearing the same belt and paying sanctioning fees. Other effects of these conflicts of interest endanger the safety of fighters, as popular fighters like David Benavidez and Devin Haney are allowed to enter the ring three or four weight classes heavier than their opponents.
President Trump can end this madness and make boxing greater and safer than ever. Since America is the globally recognized authority on boxing, a boxing department could be established under the US government. One tournament can be created with 13 weight categories. A single federal commission could be created, with the power to override and punish local committees that deviate from the rules. This committee will oversee and carry out weekly weigh-ins and drug checks six weeks after a fight, with no licenses being issued to fighters on short notice of less than six weeks. This committee will also be the global authority in selecting, training and licensing all referees and fight judges. It would not be necessary to attempt to deregulate existing commissions, many of which lie outside the scope of President Trump's authority, but rather to create a new commission that would quickly gain the public's confidence and perception as the only authority that matters.
President Trump's bold and proactive ambitions for America's global influence are compounded by rumors of a much-needed redefinition of the 22nd Amendment, which could pave the way for a second Trump term lasting eight years instead of four. Combined with President Trump's love and lifelong support of the sport of boxing, it may only be a matter of time before the idea reaches his attention or is brought to his attention through the advocacy of true boxing fans around the world.
