On the 11 July 1988 the media was buzzing with news of a budding relationship between two eccentrics. One was declared ‘the baddest man on the planet’, the other is now dubbed as ‘the most ridiculed President ever’. You’ve probably guessed they were boxing legend Mike Tyson and US President Donald Trump.

Mike Tyson hired Donald Trump as his chief strategist and adviser. The partnership was set up within hours of Mike Tyson’s 91-second knockout win over the undefeated heavyweight Michael Spinks in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Donald Trump reportedly spent $ 11 million organising the fight, to promote his Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, announcing, ‘This is the greatest live gate in the history of professional sports.’ The fight attracted more than 21,000 spectators, who paid more than $ 12 million to watch the bout. It is said Trump earned another $ 15 million that night from gambling revenue at the Trump Plaza Casino.

The partnership was confirmed in a 1988 report published in the New York Times, which quoted the real estate tycoon Trump as saying, ‘Mike Tyson has asked me and I have agreed, to serve jointly, with regard to future decisions about Mike Tyson’s career’. Trump was hired for a substantial fee which was not disclosed.

A long list of issues soon brought the Tyson-Trump pairing to an end, including an alleged affair between the future US President and the boxer’s wife Robin Givens.

11 July. 2019

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