Since his high-profile victory over Mike Tyson in November 2024 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Jake Paul has been absent from the boxing ring. While the YouTuber-turned-boxer continued to call out big names in the sport, no fights materialized—until now. El Gallo is now all set to face the son of Mexican boxing legend and former WBC middleweight champion Julio César Chávez Jr. on June 28 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. It is expected to be a high-profile bout, and it seems only valid to want to know if important figures like U.S. President Donald Trump would be attending the grand showdown ringside, given his friendship with The Problem Child.

Jake Paul, an ardent supporter of the 47th President of the United States, even campaigned online to ensure Trump was elected president for the second time. As a result, after the win, Jake Paul was one of many influencers to be invited to the inauguration in Washington, DC. And now that Jake Paul is preparing for his ten-round cruiserweight bout, will he be returning the favor and inviting Donald Trump, since Trump is a regular fixture at many UFC events? He answered this very question after their recent press conference in LA.

Jake Paul is expecting a packed show

At the press conference in the sparkling movie neighborhood of Hollywood, a reporter from The Mayweather Channel, run by Floyd Mayweather Sr. and his brother Jeff, posed a question just 30 seconds into the interview: Has Paul invited President Trump to the fight? “Not currently,” Paul replied, confirming no invitation had been sent. However, when asked who he hopes to see in the audience, the 11-1 fighter hinted at a star-studded event. “We’ll see. It’s LA, so I think a lot of people will show up,” said Jake Paul hopefully.

From wrestler Hulk Hogan, actress Rosie Perez, NBA champion Tyson Chandler, UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal, and Nate Diaz, the Problem Child’s fights have always been an attention-grabbing scene. And, for this particular bout, he is expecting no less. However, it is unlikely that someone as busy as Donald Trump will attend the fight in person. But, what exactly is the relationship of President Trump with a sport like boxing? Well, the ties link back to when Mike Tyson used to drop shivers down fans’ spines.

Donald Trump and boxing: old friends who grew apart

There was a time when the current president was just a businessman and a boxing enthusiast. During the 1980s, Trump was a real estate mogul owning a casino. To boost his brand, he would promote, or to be specific, finance boxing matches at his Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, using his properties as venues for some of the most high-profile boxing fights. He was involved with key players of the sport, like Don King, at the time.

The 78-year-old has hosted four Mike Tyson fights to date. Two of them took place in 1988, against Larry Holmes and Michael Spinks in Atlantic City. Trump was also involved in the making of Evander Holyfield vs. George Foreman (1991). During that time, these financially lucrative opportunities were just what Trump needed to tackle the financial issues he was facing. But, not to mistake that he was in it only for financial gains.

As a fan of the sport himself, Trump’s support for boxers extended outside the ring. There was a time when he served as Iron Mike’s financial advisor. In 1988, Tyson’s first match against Frank Bruno at Wembley Stadium was delayed when he suffered an injury in a street brawl with Mitch Green. Donald Trump helped negotiate the matchup, which ended up happening in Las Vegas the next year.

Moreover, in 2018, a year after becoming the President of the United States, he issued a posthumous pardon to Jack Johnson, the first Black African American boxing champion, who was convicted in 1913 under the Mann Act. The pardon was announced at the White House, with Sylvester Stallone, Lennox Lewis, and Deontay Wilder present to herald his decision. Lately, though, it doesn’t seem like Trump is so interested in boxing anymore. Before he attended UFC 309, the card of Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic walking alongside UFC president Dana White, Trump said that boxing was “very slow.” He hasn’t watched it for 10 years now. So, it is unlikely that he will attend Jake Paul and Chávez Jr.’s bout.