Donald J. Trump is a world 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. Casual fans might wonder what this has to do with sports, let alone boxing. However, seasoned veterans of the boxing community are watching with enthusiasm the inevitable impact that President Trump's tenure will have on the sport of boxing.
As many casual level fans are unaware, Donald J Trump's name was synonymous with boxing until he became famous for his presidential runs. One could go so far as to say that he was the Turki Alalshikh of the 1980s and 1990s, responsible for setting up some of the biggest fights of all time, including but not limited to Tyson vs. Spinks, Holyfield vs. Foreman and Tyson against. Holmes. Trump not only hosted these historic events in his wildly successful casinos, he promoted and/or sponsored them. Trump has kept the sport alive for more than 30 years by using his prized business acumen to ensure fighters make as much money as possible while wallowing in corruption at unprecedented levels and successfully standing up to vicious figures and compromised commissions whose predatory activities have threatened the physical and the financial health of fighters, as well as the integrity of boxing itself.
Donald Trump's positive influence on the sport of boxing is reflected in the various honors and awards he has received. In addition to being permanently inducted into the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame and the New Jersey State Boxing Hall of Fame, Donald Trump has received the prestigious Muhammad Ali Entrepreneur Award and the Sports Business Journal's Most Influential Person in Sports. To this day, Trump remains a staunch and passionate fan and supporter of boxing, often appearing at events to thunderous applause and adulation from packed arenas full of martial arts fans who remember what the man did to bring martial arts to where it is. today.
Unfortunately, due to the inevitable political vilification and rhetoric that comes hand in hand with challenging the most powerful men and cabals in the world, a significant number of ordinary boxing fans have been forced to associate the name of Donald J. Trump with negative political rhetoric. To maintain this narrative, the media almost universally glosses over specific consequential incidents in boxing history.
Jack Johnson
In 1913, during the Jim Crow era, when American 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 generally accepted that this was a blatant use of the law by white men who could not stand the influence of a black man living with a white woman, ruling the highest position in boxing, the World Heavyweight Championship. Despite being charged with 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 stand, resulting in a permanent stain on Johnson's record that would affect him negatively for the rest of his life. The ruling lasted through the next 16 administrations, including prominent civil rights presidents Barack Obama (8 years), Bill Clinton (8 years), Jimmy Carter, John F. Kennedy and Franklin Roosevelt (12 years). Until 2018 when President Donald J. Trump issued a full posthumous pardon to Jack Johnson, finally exonerating the man of this political and racially driven belief.
Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson's often troubled career is very well documented. However, many casual fans may not know that Donald Trump played such a positive role in Mike Tyson's career that Iron Mike eventually hired Trump to advise him on his legal matters and career moves. After successfully helping Tyson in his management dispute with Bill Cayton and paying Mike his biggest payouts to date, the evil entities tried to poison the relationship by creating baseless rumors surrounding Trump and Tyson's then-wife, Robin Givens. Soon 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 advocate and supporter, Donald Trump, who demanded that Mike be allowed to train and pushed for an appeal against his conviction. To this day, Mike Tyson publicly praises Donald Trump as the man who has always been there for him, going so far as to publicly endorse Mr. Trump in his 2024 re-election bid despite the highly inflammatory political atmosphere of 2024.
Impact on boxing
Trump's impact on boxing
With less than a month to go before Donald Trump's inauguration, let's take a look at the potential upside of having a proven, passionate boxing fan in the White House. First of all, President Trump could start with a stronghold on the sanctions authority. With each passing year, the entities that hold the power of public perception of the word “champion” are diluted and sold off in pieces. There is an obvious conflict of interest in the enormous financial benefit to these authorities of having as many fighters as possible wear belts and pay the associated sanctioned fees. Another conflict of interest is that these sanctioning fees are based on a percentage of the fighter's purse rather than a fixed fee, meaning that it is in the best financial interest of the sanctioning bodies to have the boxers who make the biggest purses wear belts rather than simply the best fighters. The results of these vocal conflicts of interest can likely affect everything from rankings to leaderboards. Here in 2024, we've already reached the point where fighters lose on the world stage, only to have their “undefeated” records returned via the court systems, Undisputed Champions stripped of their belts to make way for undiluted fees from popular fighters. like Anthony Joshua, and clear wins for fighters like Tyson Fury that are scored as losses to satisfy opponents who have more years left in the sport than a 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 holding the same belt and paying penalty fees. Other effects of these conflicts of interest even result in fighter safety being compromised, with popular fighters like David Benavidez and Devin Haney allowed to enter the ring three or four weight classes heavier than their opponents.
President Trump can end this madness and make boxing bigger and safer than ever before. Since America is the universally recognized authority in boxing, a boxing department of the US government can be established. One championship with 13 weight categories could be established. A federal commission can be established with the power to override and sanction local commissions that deviate from the rules. This commission would oversee and conduct weekly weigh-ins and drug tests beginning six weeks before a fight, with no licenses issued to fighters on short notice of less than six weeks. This commission would also be the universal authority in the selection, training and licensing of all referees and fight judges. It would not be necessary to try to deregulate existing commissions, many of which are outside of President Trump's jurisdiction, but instead to create a new commission that would quickly gain public trust and perception as the only authority that matters.
President Trump's bold and proactive ambitions to influence America and the world have been fueled by rumors of a much-needed redefinition of the 22nd Amendment, which could pave the way for Trump's second term to last eight years instead of four. Combined with President Trump's uncompromising love and support for the sport of boxing, it could only be a matter of time before this idea comes to his mind or is brought to his attention through the advocacy of true boxing fans around the world.