Trump's 9/11 plans include hosting a boxing match with "no holds barred commentary"

The former president and his son will sit ringside during the fight, months after an insurrection at the Capitol

Published September 8, 2021 9:34PM (EDT)

Former US President Donald Trump (ANDY JACOBSOHN/AFP via Getty Images)
Former US President Donald Trump (ANDY JACOBSOHN/AFP via Getty Images)

Despite Donald Trump's new claims about firefighters pulling him to safety on 9/11, his big plans for observing the 20th anniversary of that day don't appear to be honoring first responders or even those we lost. Instead, he'll be getting ready to rumble.

The ex-president will host the Triller Fight Club heavyweight boxing match between Evander Holyfield and Vitor Belfort on Saturday, Sept. 11, FITE announced on Tuesday. The fight between two UFC heavyweight champions is set to take place in Florida, where Trump has primarily resided since leaving the White House in January.

"I love great fighters and great fights. I look forward to seeing both this Saturday night and sharing my thoughts ringside. You won't want to miss this special event," Trump said in a press release shared by Variety.


Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.


The former president as well as his son, Donald Trump Jr., or Don Jr., will both provide ringside, "alternative No Holds Barred commentary" throughout the fight. Trump has previously hosted boxing matches at his casinos in the 1980s and 1990s.

You'll note that in FITE's tweet announcing Trump's presence at the upcoming match tags his son, Don Jr., but not the ousted 45th president, himself. That's because, in case you've forgotten, as FITE seems to have, Trump's Twitter was permanently suspended after he used it to encourage his supporters to stage an insurrection at the Capitol after losing the 2020 presidential election.

As you'll recall, after nearly four years of spreading massive amounts of misinformation and lies about everything from COVID and immigration to the outcome and integrity of the 2020 election, for weeks, Trump refused to concede and facilitate an orderly transition of power with the incoming Biden administration. 

This nightmarish saga led to one of the darkest days in modern American history, when his supporters stormed the Capitol, resulting in several injuries and deaths. The terror of Jan. 6 reminded some onlookers of the fear that engulfed the nation on 9/11.

The Holyfield vs. Belfort fight set for Saturday has been plagued with complications even prior to the announcement that it will be a Trump family affair. Belfort was originally set to fight Oscar De La Hoya, who had to drop out after testing positive for COVID-19 on Sept. 3. Other fights scheduled for this Saturday include Anderson Silva v. Tito Ortiz, David Haye v. Joe Fournier and Andy Vences v. Jono Carroll. 


By Kylie Cheung

Kylie Cheung is a staff writer at Salon covering culture. She is also the author of "A Woman's Place," a collection of feminist essays. You can follow her work on Twitter @kylietcheung.

MORE FROM Kylie Cheung


Related Topics ------------------------------------------

9/11 Boxing Brief Donald Trump