A member of the WWE Hall of Fame who actually got into the ring at one point in 2007, former President Donald Trump has signed a deal with Triller to provide commentary during a four-fight boxing card on Saturday night on the 20th anniversary of 9/11.
Highlighted by 58-year-old former heavyweight champ Evander Holyfield returning to the ring to take on 44-year-old former UFC light heavyweight champ Vitor Belfort, the event will take place at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Oscar De La Hoya was supposed to fight but was replaced by Holyfield after he tested positive for COVID-19.
“I love great fighters and great fights,” Trump, who will be joined by his son Donald Trump Jr, said. “I look forward to seeing both this Saturday night and sharing my thoughts ringside. You won’t want to miss this special event.”
Fight fans who purchase the event, which will also feature a boxing match between retired UFC champions Anderson Silva and Tito Ortiz, will pay $49.99 and have the option of watching the main feed with longtime HBO broadcaster Jim Lampley providing blow-by-blow commentary or the “No Holds Barred’’ alternative feed featuring the Trumps giving “unfiltered boxing commentary.’’
Triller, a TikTok rival that has expanded into boxing, has dabbled with celebrity commentators before and had Snoop Dogg in the booth for last year’s Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. pay-per-view event. Though Triller isn’t directly marketing it that way, it seems pretty reasonable to assume that enlisting the 75-year-old president to provide commentary has something to do with the event taking place on 9/11’s 20th anniversary, which makes the whole thing feel a little bit sleazier than a night of glorified exhibition fights at the Hard Rock Hotel already would.
But at least, as noted above, the elder Trump certainly has some experience with exhibition fights thanks to his WWE ties.
“Long before he stepped into the Oval Office, Trump was helping to shape the future of the squared circle. In fact, he had been making a consistent impact on WWE since the days when Andre the Giant was still king,” per the WWE. “The Donald’s Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, N.J. hosted both WrestleMania IV and WrestleMania V — the only venue to present The Show of Shows two years in a row. Since those unforgettable nights, Trump has remained a familiar face in the front row of WWE events, but it wasn’t until 2007 that the billionaire got in on the action.”
Now, at least in a way, he’s back to his old tricks.
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