Will Donald Trump make boxing great again?

Donald J. Trump is a world figure who needs no introduction. The newly 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 how this has anything to do with sports, let alone the boxing However, veterans in the boxing community are watching with excitement the inevitable impact that President Trump’s term will have on the sport of boxing.

As many casual level fans don’t know, Donald J Trump’s name was synonymous with boxing until he became known for his presidential bids. He was arguably 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 vs. Holmes. Trump not only hosted these historic events at his blockbuster casinos, he promoted and/or sponsored them. Trump kept the sport alive for more than 30 years by using his revered business acumen to ensure fighters made as much money as possible while enduring unprecedented levels of corruption and successfully taking on nefarious figures and committed commissions whose predatory activities threatened their physical and financial health. of fighters, as well as the integrity of boxing itself.

Donald Trump’s positive impact on the sport of boxing is reflected in the various honors and awards he has received. In addition to his permanent induction into the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame and the New Jersey State Boxing Hall of Fame, Donald Trump has won the coveted Muhammad Ali Entrepreneur Award and the to Sports Business Journal’s Most Influential Person in Sports. Trump is also, to this day, an avid and passionate boxing fan and supporter, often appearing at events to thunderous applause and adulation from arenas full of combat sports fans who remember what the man has done to bring combat sports to where they are. today

Unfortunately, due to the inevitable political smearing and rhetoric that comes with challenging the world’s most powerful individuals and cabals, a significant number of casual level boxing fans have been forced to associate the name of Donald J. Trump with negative politics. 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 bride across state lines. It is universally accepted that this was a flagrant use of the law by whites who could not stand the influence of a black man living with a white woman, reigning in boxing’s highest station, the championship world heavyweight championship. Despite being indicted 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 stand, resulting in a permanent stain on Johnson’s record that would affect him negatively for the rest of his life. The conviction stood through the 16 subsequent administrations, which included notable civil rights presidents Barack Obama (8 years), Bill Clinton (8 years), Jimmy Carter, John F. Kennedy and Franklin Roosevelt (12 years). It wasn’t until 2018 that President Donald J. Trump issued a full posthumous pardon to Jack Johnson, finally relieving the man’s reputation of this political and racial deed. 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 your career moves. After successfully helping Tyson in his administrative dispute with Bill Cayton and paying Mike his biggest paydays to date, nefarious entities sought to poison the relationship by creating unfounded rumors surrounding Trump’s then-wife and Tyson, 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 lawyer and supporter, Donald Trump, who demanded that he be allowed to train Mike and pushed for an appeal against his conviction. To this day, Mike Tyson publicly praises Donald Trump as the man who was always there for him, going so far as to publicly support Mr. Trump in his 2024 re-election bid despite the highly combustible political atmosphere of 2024.

Impact on boxing

Trump’s impact on boxing

Less than a month before Donald Trump’s inauguration, we look at the potential positive impact of having a proven and passionate supporter of boxing in the White House. First, President Trump could start with the bastion of sanctions bodies. With each passing year, the word “Champion” is diluted and sold in portions by the entities that hold the power of public perception. There is an apparent conflict of interest in the enormous financial benefit to these authorities of having as many fighters as possible wear belts and pay the punitive fees that go with it. It’s another conflict of interest that these sanctioning fees are based on a percentage of a fighter’s purse rather than a flat fee, meaning it’s in the best financial interest of the sanctioning bodies than the boxers who generate the purses older wear belts. more than just the best fighters. The results of these blatant conflicts of interest have the potential to influence everything from rankings to leaderboards. Here in 2024, we’ve already reached the point where fighters lose on the world stage, only to reclaim their “undefeated” records through the court systems, undisputed champions stripped of their belts to make way for fees undiluted sanctions of the size of popular fighters. like Anthony Joshua, and clear wins for fighters like Tyson Fury marked as losses to accommodate opponents who have more years left in the sport than the champion. Boxing has gone from having eight weight classes and eight champions to having 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 compromised fighter safety, with popular fighters like David Benavidez and Devin Haney being able 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. With America as the universally recognized authority on boxing, a boxing division of the US government can be established. A championship could be established with 13 weight classes. A federal commission can be created, with authority to overrule and sanction local commissions that deviate from the rules. This commission would oversee and enforce weekly weigh-ins and drug tests starting six weeks into the fight, with no licenses being issued for fighters with a short notice of less than six weeks. This commission would also be the universal authority in the selection, training and licensing of all fight referees and judges. It would not be necessary to try to deregulate existing commissions, many of which are outside President Trump’s jurisdiction, but to create a new commission that would quickly gain the public’s trust and perception as the only authority that counts.

President Trump’s bold and proactive ambitions for America and global influence are exacerbated by the rumored and 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 undying love and support for the sport of boxing, it could be only a matter of time before the idea catches his eye or gets his attention through the advocacy of the true fans of boxing around the world.