Some revelations about the lesser-known relationship between Mike Tyson and former President Donald Trump.
During the 1980s and 1990s, Mike Tyson was one of the most prominent figures in the boxing world, while Donald Trump was a well-known businessman and real estate developer. The two crossed paths and developed a working relationship.
It has been revealed that Donald Trump spent $11 million to promote Mike Tyson’s 91-second fight against Michael Spinks in 1988, in order to boost his casino business. As a result, Trump reportedly made $26 million from the event.
There has been ongoing discussion on social media about the relationship between Mike Tyson and Donald Trump. Photos of them together from over thirty years ago have been widely circulated.
In July 1988, Mike Tyson hired Donald Trump as his strategist and financial advisor. This led to a popular online joke: “Mike Tyson hired Donald Trump as his financial advisor. Now Trump is the President of the United States. Your employee yesterday could become your President tomorrow. So be kind to everyone.”
The collaboration between Mike Tyson and Donald Trump was confirmed by a 1988 report published in The New York Times, which quoted Donald Trump, the real estate mogul, as saying: “Mike Tyson made a proposal, and I agreed to work together to make decisions for his future career, including the ongoing lawsuits between Mike and his current manager, Bill Cayton.” This decision was made shortly after Tyson’s knockout victory over Michael Spinks.
Donald Trump organized the fight between Mike Tyson and Michael Spinks to promote his Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino. The fight took place in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Prior to the match, Trump made a strong statement: “This will be the greatest fight in the history of professional sports,” as Michael Spinks was a former Olympic boxing gold medalist, and Mike Tyson was the first boxer to hold all three major world titles simultaneously – WBC, WBA, and IBF.
It is said that Donald Trump paid $11 million to organize the Tyson-Spinks fight. The event attracted over 21,000 spectators, who paid over $11 million to watch the fight. Trump also made an additional $15 million in gambling revenue at Trump Plaza that night.
According to The New York Times report, Tyson hired Trump for a significant fee, the exact amount of which has not been disclosed to this day.
Their collaboration encountered difficulties after the death of Tyson’s co-manager, Jim Jacobs. Tyson’s wife, Robin Givens, and her mother, Ruth Roper, began questioning the amount of money the legend was earning.
In 1992, Tyson was sentenced to six years in prison for raping a beauty pageant contestant. When the world turned its back on Tyson, Trump publicly expressed the view that Tyson should continue fighting, and the earnings from his matches would be donated to a charity organization for rape victims.
