Before Donald Trump became the nation’s 45th president, was impeached, and ran for president again, he was almost on the receiving end of what could’ve been a life-threatening knockout punch from heavyweight champion boxer Mike Tyson.
A 2005 biography titled “TrumpNation: The Art of Being the Donald” provided some details about an alleged confrontation between the “Baddest Man on the Planet” and the current Republican U.S. presidential nominee. Timothy L. O’Brien, the biography’s author, claimed that Tyson approached Trump angrily after learning of a rumor involving the wealthy businessman and his then-wife Robin Givens.
Robin Givens’ name was splashed across headlines in the late 1980s when her marriage to the heavyweight boxing champion crumbled. The pair wed in 1988 after a year of dating. That same year, Givens filed for divorce, one month after she and Tyson did an explosive interview with Barbara Walters, and she revealed that the star boxer was physically abusive and mentally ill. Givens and Tyson’s divorce was finalized on Valentine’s Day in 1989.
During an appearance on the “Oprah Winfrey Show” in 2009, the famous boxer claimed he and Givens were both guilty of hitting one another.
“I have socked her before, and she socked me before, as well. It was just that kind of relationship,” he said.
While Tyson’s name was often associated with the negative aspects of the relationship, the boxer is adamant that there was toxicity on both sides. In an April 2012 episode of “Conan,” Tyson revealed to the late-night talk show host that, despite divorcing, he and Givens still had intimate relations, and, according to Tyson, he had to end things when he caught his ex-wife with Brad Pitt.
This would not be the only time Tyson believed Givens was seeing other men, however. Allegedly, there were rumblings that Givens and Donald Trump, a friend of Tyson’s, were romantically involved. In 1993, biographer Harry Hurt wrote about the accusations in his book “Lost Tycoon.” According to sources cited in the book, while Tyson and Givens were still married, Givens had been spotted alone with Trump on numerous occasions. It’s also rumored that Trump was once overheard discussing Givens’ oral sex skills.
O’Brien’s book, however, details an incident in which Tyson allegedly confronted Trump over the rumored extramarital affair.
“Could I ask you, are you f—ing my wife?” Tyson said, to which Trump replied, “What?”
Tyson then repeated himself. “Are you f—ing my wife? Everyone’s telling me that you’re f—ing my wife.”
According to O’Brien, Tyson then showed Trump a copy of Vogue magazine, which featured Givens wearing a Trump-branded hat.
“Mike, let me tell you something: I never even thought about it. And I heard those rumors and they’re disgusting,” Trump responded, per O’Brien. “In fact, I called you a couple of times to tell you that I heard those rumors and it pisses me off. And I never, ever even thought about it. She’s your wife, she’s with you, she’s loyal to you, and it’s total bulls—t,” he continued.
O’Brien reveals that once the confrontation was over, Trump said, “Now, if I froze, I’m dead, you would have zero chance. Here’s the heavyweight champion of the world, and he’s a solid piece of f—ng armor.”
The former reality TV star eventually wrote the interaction off.
“Looks like Donald avoided a bruising,” one fan reacted to the alleged heated altercation on X.
“Trump was shaking in his boots,” another person asserted.
But Tyson appeared on “The Pivot” podcast in June 2022 and added some clarity about the infamous encounter.
“I know you and Donald Trump are friends, but there is a story that you actually checked him about a woman before,” podcast co-host and former NFL player Ryan Clark asked.
But the boxer pushed back against the idea that he had a close personal relationship with the former president. “That’s not true.”
Tyson suggested that he only used to interact with Trump because he promoted several of his fights over the years.
“Well, he promoted like 18 of my fights, all right and so how can I not know him well?” Tyson said. “You know your promoter, he promotes you, he’s taking pictures with you during the holidays, runs this show with you for what, six weeks taking pictures doing all kind of s-t in front of the hotel, and he’s just some guy like us that became president,” he added.
However, he did recall Trump being what he called a “good guy” prior to his transition into the political world.
“He was good to everybody when he was giving everyone free tickets and free hotel rooms, you know. He just became a president, and I guess his politics changed or whatever it is, but I always remember him for being a good guy.”
Tyson’s relationship with Trump dates back several decades. In 1986, the Trump Plaza and Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey hosted Tyson’s bout against the Michael Spinks. The high-profile fight was billed as “Once And For All,” due to two undefeated fighters going head-to-head. Tyson ultimately won the fight in the first round, which further legitimized his claimed to the heavyweight champion of the world.
As for the Givens and Trump rumors, Givens has vehemently denied ever being intimate with the former president.
