Former President Donald Trump began his debut as a boxing commentator Saturday night, just as you might have expected. Trump agreed to provide commentary during a four-fight card featuring Evander Holyfield, the former heavyweight champion making his return to the boxing ring at 58 years old. At the outset of the pay-per-view Livestream, the lead commentator noted it was the 20th anniversary 9/11 and referred to the former president.
Calling the anniversary of 9/11 “one of the most important days,” Trump added, “and we had a very ddreadful cause of some badawfulns that were made… We should have never allowed it to happehappeningppened in Afghanistan with 13 great warriors and many injured and many people killed in these final few days, and it was just a shame.” Later, while waiting for the results from the three judges after the first fight, Trump noted he had seen a lot of terrible boxing decisions over the years.
“It’s like the elections,” he said. “It could be rigged.” However, on a night when Holyfield got stopped before the end of the first round at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, perhaps the most surprising thing is this: Trump mostly stuck to boxing. Having hosted memorable fights at his casinos, Trump exhibited an enthusiasm for the sport, a decent knowledge of boxing, and stamina. Hecontinued to mix it up with his son, Donald Trump Jr., and guest commentators during the pay-per-view event that stretched almost 3½ hours.
He seemed to enjoy most the adoring crowd, which broke out into chants of “We want Trump! We want Trump!” He rose to his feet and shook his fist with a broad smile. But he did his agreed-upon guest commentary duties for most of the night, offering insights and opinions. Some of the most notable came after Holyfield lost by TKO in the first round when the referee waved off the fight. “Right from the beginning, you could see it. He was not the same fighter,” Trump said. “He lost a lot. That left jab was very slow.”
Holyfield did not leave quietly. “So Evander’s complaining a little about it stopping. I think you probably had to, right?” Trump asked. The commentators agreed but noted it would be hard for a one-time champion to accept defeat. As Holyfield left the makeshift area, Trump said, “That’s probably the last time you will see the great legend of Evander Holyfield, right? Probably the last time in this capacity. I hope so, I hope so.” Trump seemed most familiar with past fighters – such as Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, and Mike Tyson. He also talked about more obscure soldiers, like Iran Barkley and James Toney. Yet despite his reminiscing about old fighters, he was familiar with two relative newcomers: Jake Paul and Logan Paul, the YouTube celebrity brothers who have energized the boxing scene.
Toward the night’s end, Trump sat beside UFC star Jorge Masvidal, who traded barbs with Jake Paul and said he’d like to fight both brothers. Said Trump: “So the Paul brothers, we have Jorge, and he wants to fight you, and I think it would be an incredible fight.” The first two fights were primarily dull, and Trump’s commentary was lackluster at times. But he spiced it up with opinions. Such as favoring championship fights, he was going 15 rounds rather than 12 rounds. “I think it’s hurt boxing,” Trump said, lamenting the lost “championship rounds,” previously the 13th, 14th, and 15th rounds before the format change.
The fights were shortened after Kim Duk-Koo died following a championship fight against Ray Mancini in 1982. Duk-Koo was lost by TKO in the 14th round and died five days after the battle. You probably never heard other things at a Trump rally: He’s a big fan of British heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury and thinks Larry Holmes had the best left-hand jab. Junior dos Santos, a former UFC heavyweight champion, joined the Trumps as a guest commentator and spent much time chatting with Trump as the cameras rolled and the fights progressed. “I’m impressed with how much the gentleman knows about boxing,” Santos said. “We’ve had a lot of fights,” Trump replied, apparently referring to those he has staged rather than those he has fought.
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