The World Boxing Council sends its best wishes to Donald Trump, his family and friends and to all the people of a great nation, The United States of America.
Donald Trump is a valued member of the boxing community, in addition to being a great fan of our sport, he became a promoter in the 80s and 90s. His partnership with Don King was highly successful, and it was precisely what led him out of multiple financial problems that he suffered in those years.
Mike Tyson fought five times under Trump´s promotion at the Trump Plaza, just when he was the great world champion and considered the most feared fighter on the planet. Julio César Chávez also showed his exceptional greatness in Atlantic City, and many more champions managed to make this venue a prime destination of world boxing for a number of glorious years.
There and back then, Donald Trump was seen as very active in the press conferences, weigh-ins and in the ring, alongside Don King.
Boxing owes Donald Trump tremendous gratitude for one of the most important acts in the history of sport, in relation to justice, inclusion and categorical rejection of racial discrimination.
World champion Jack Johnson was the first black boxer to be crowned in the heavyweight division, at the beginning of the 20th century, when he won the title in Australia. Subsequently, the fight that would define his final destiny took place. His challenger, James Jeffries, was a former world champion, brought out of retirement to face Johnson, and nicknamed “The Great White Hope”. As it was a must that the heavyweight title returned to white supremacy. Legendary promoter Tex Rickard built a stadium to hold the fight there, and the great expectation was that white would beat black.
Quite the opposite happened. Jack Johnson gave Jeffries a systematic, comprehensive drubbing, which precipitated the fury of the audience, and led to race riots throughout the country, which claimed many lives of black people. Discrimination was brutal and prevalent back then, especially in the South of the United States, where it was deeply and malignantly rooted.
The champion infuriated many white people, because far from repressing himself and acting with restraint, he used his power and fame to proudly proclaim himself. He dressed flamboyantly, drove luxurious cars, flaunted his success and his women were all white.
In 1913 he was tried and sentenced to a year in prison; His crime was driving a car in the company of a white woman, precisely his wife, and crossing from one state to another. He had to flee the country, and upon his return, five years later, he was imprisoned and stripped of all his property. Johnson died destitute in 1946, and considered a criminal by American law.
Many attempts were made over the decades, under the leadership of Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard and others, to right, correct, rectify and redress a grievous wrong, due to foul racism, with the absolute and unconditional support of the WBC. The objective was to achieve a Presidential pardon, and clear the name of the great champion. The petition passed through the Senate, and was on the desks of Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, but none of them granted a pardon.
A final supreme attempt occurred in 2018, when the WBC sent the request for a pardon, and on this occasion, Sylvester Stallone personally took up the case with passion and steadfast determination. It was on May 24, 2018 that Donald Trump granted a Presidential pardon to Jack Johnson, and he presented the certificate to Jack’s Great, Great Niece Linda Haywood ( RIP ) , at an historic event in the Oval Office of the White House.