Will Donald Trump Make Boxing Great Again?

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 may wonder what this has to do with sports in general, much less boxing. However, seasoned veterans of the boxing community are looking with enthusiasm at the inevitable impact that President Trump’s term in office will have on boxing.

As many casual fans don’t know, Donald J. Trump’s name was synonymous with boxing until he became famous for his presidential run. One could go so far as to say that he was the Turki Alalshih 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 v. Holmes. Trump not only hosted 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 prized business acumen to ensure fighters make as much money as possible while battling corruption at unprecedented levels and successfully standing up to nefarious personalities and compromised commissions whose predatory activities have threatened the physical and financial health of fighters, as well as integrity boxing itself.

Donald Trump’s positive impact on the sport of boxing is reflected in the various recognitions 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 received the prestigious Muhammad Ali Entrepreneur Award and the Sports Business Journal’s Most Influential Sports Personality Award. Trump is also, to this day, a staunch and passionate fan and supporter of boxing, often appearing at events to thunderous applause and cheers from packed arenas full of combat fans who remember what the man did to bring combat sports to where they are. today.

Unfortunately, due to the inevitable political slander and rhetoric that comes hand in hand with challenging the most powerful men and conspiracies in the world, a significant amount of ordinary boxing fans have been forced to associate the name of Donald J. Trump with negative political factors. rhetoric. To maintain this narrative, the media almost universally suppresses 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 fiancee across state lines. It was universally 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, reigning in boxing’s highest station, the heavyweight championship of the world. 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 endured through the next 16 administrations, including notable 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 freeing the man from the reputation of this political and racial conviction.

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 and that Iron Mike eventually hired Trump to be his advisor through his legal troubles and career moves. After successfully helping Tyson in his management dispute with Bill Caton and paying Mike his biggest paycheck to date, nefarious entities tried to poison the relationship by generating 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 early years in prison, Mike Tyson had only one lawyer and supporter, Donald Trump, who demanded that Mike be allowed to train and encouraged 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 climate of 2024.

Impact on boxing

Trump’s impact on boxing

With less than a month to go before Donald Trump’s inauguration, let’s look at the potential positive impact of having a proven, passionate supporter of boxing in the White House. First of all, President Trump could start with a stronghold on the sanctioning body. With each passing year, the word “Champion” is diluted and sold in portions by entities that wield the power of public perception. There is an obvious conflict of interest in the enormous financial benefit to these authorities of having as many fighters as possible wear seat belts and pay the associated penalties. Another conflict of interest is that these sanctioning fees are based on a percentage of the fighter’s purse rather than a flat fee, meaning it is in the sanctioning body’s best financial interest to have the boxers who generate the biggest purses wear the belts. but simply the best fighters. The results of these sonic conflicts of interest likely have the potential to affect everything from rankings to results. 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, Undisputed Champions stripped of their belts to make way for undiluted sanctioning fees from popular fighters like Anthony Joshua, and clean wins for fighters like him Tyson Fury was listed as a loss to accommodate opponents with 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 penalties. Other effects of these conflicts of interest even lead to fighter safety being compromised, with popular fighters like David Benavidez and Devin Haynie entering 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 formed, with the power to override and sanction local commissions that deviate from the rules. This commission would oversee and enforce weekly weigh-ins and drug testing beginning six weeks after 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 match judges. It would not be necessary to try to deregulate existing commissions, many of which are outside the jurisdiction of President Trump, but to create a new commission that would quickly gain public trust and perception as the only authority that counts.

President Trump’s bold and proactive ambitions for America and global influence have been fueled by a rumored, 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 unrelenting love and support for boxing, it could only be a matter of time before the idea comes to his attention or is brought to his attention through the advocacy of true boxing fans around the world.