When he was at his peak, boxer Mike Tyson possessed the most lethal knock-out punch in the history of boxing. With a knock-out percent of 88 in his list of victories, Tyson was ranked 16th in the 100 greatest boxers of all time. ESPN named him as the hardest hitter in history and he was widely regarded as the most ferocious fighter to step into a boxing ring.
But what is less known about him is that he once hired Donald Trump, (recently sworn 47th President of the USA) to act as his financial manager cum advisor. While several Presidents of the USA were known to have done unusual tasks, this was the first time that a man who was employed by a boxing champion later became the President of the country.
It happened in 1988 soon after the bout between Mike Tyson and his rival Michael Spinks. That was one of the shortest bouts in boxing history because Tyson unleashed one of his hardest punches and knocked out Spinks in only 91 seconds.
The bout was held at the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. After this bout, Mike Tyson fired his manager Bill Cayton over disagreements regarding payments.
William Cayton was a boxing promoter and manager. His clients included Mike Tyson, who sued him but agreed for a settlement four years later. Cayton also acted as a film historian and producer to preserve boxing’s legacy, according to Wikipedia.
In the removal of Cayton, Trump saw an opportunity and stepped in. His assistants approached Tyson for a deal and Tyson agreed to hire Trump as his new manager for a substantial fee. The exact sum was not disclosed to the media.
The news of their partnership led to several jokes and memes. Many people came up with funny responses and some said that ‘one day the man whom you are now employing, may become the president of your country. Be careful how you behave with him.’
Both Trump and Tyson benefitted
The deal between the two had its ups and downs but they remained steadfast in business for several years. Both of them profitted from the partnership. Trump was able to create the image of a sports-loving man and an astute leader while Tyson had the benefit of having Trump’s financial team carry out business on his behalf.
Trump supported Tyson
However, in 1992, Mike Tyson was convicted and jailed on rape charges. At that time it was Trump who gave him some form of support. Trump was one of the few public figures to speak up for Tyson suggesting that Tyson be allowed to continue his boxing career and that the money earned from the bouts should be donated to charities supporting rape victims.
Roles reversed
Many years later, the roles were reversed. In 2015, when Donald Trump faced a severe backlash during his presidential campaign for controversial comments about Islam, Tyson who had by then converted to Islam, publicly supported Trump and said: “He (Trump) is a man of honour and he should be the president of the United States.”
Tyson has admitted on many occasions that it was because of Trump remaining loyal to him that his boxing career could be revived after his release from jail.
In the second innings, Tyson again climbed to the top and destroyed all opposition just as impressively as he had done in the earlier part of his career. However, now aged 58 and having recently lost to Jake Paul, the unpredictable and temperamental boxer will probably never think of entering the ring again.
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