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Speaking on the latest episode of Piers Morgan Uncensored, Tyson discussed his history with Trump, whom he first met as a young heavyweight in the 1980s as the future President was making a name for himself in New York and Atlantic City real estate.
'I voted for him,' the 60-year-old Tyson told Morgan. 'I ran the streets for him. You know, me getting votes… I'm very proud of him. He's somebody that everybody should be proud of.'
Tyson doesn't have many remaining personal ties to his early days in the ring. The boxing legend's famed trainer, Cus D'Amato, died in 1985, his turbulent marriage to actress Robin Givens ended four years later and Tyson's fragile business relationship with promoter Don King finally ruptured in the late 1990s.
But for all of the turnover surrounding Tyson, Trump has been a constant for the former heavyweight champion. Not only did Tyson fight at Trump's hotels and casinos, later adding the real estate mogul to his unofficial entourage, but the two remained friends throughout the ups and downs of their later lives.
And it's those obstacles that make Trump an admirable figure in the eyes of Tyson: 'Listen, if you didn't know who Donald Trump was and you didn't know his name, you would think he's Black.'
According to Tyson, it's Trump's perseverance in the face of multiple bankruptcies and sexual misconduct allegations that have made him a formidable figure.
'When he went for President, he was bankrupt... He owed taxes, he owed so much money,' Tyson said, somewhat erroneously.
While Trump's businesses did declare bankruptcy six times, the last filing came in 2009, well before his successful 2016 White House run.
But it's not just the financial problems that give Trump credibility in Tyson's eyes. Tyson was also impressed with the way Trump survived multiple waves of sexual misconduct claims.
'All this sex abuse and all that stuff that he went through,' Tyson continued. 'People don't normally go that well. They normally have a nervous breakdown. He handled it. And that's why everyone has to respect him. Just from the way he handled his court procedures… I don't care if you hate his guts… you have to respect that. Just off the bat.'
Trump has never been convicted of any sexual misconduct, although in May of 2023, a federal jury found him liable in a civil trial for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll. A later trial resulted in a federal jury ordering Trump to pay an additional $83.3 million on top of the initial $5 million penalty he was ordered to pay Carroll.
Previously, Trump supported Tyson in the face of sexual misconduct claims. When Tyson was convicted of rape in Indiana in 1992, the future President told NBC the boxer was 'railroaded in the case' and questioned the victim's story.
