EDITOR'S NOTE: Trump has denied Bloomberg's report, stating that he never invited Tyson to be a speaker at the RNC.
Donald Trump is lining up quite the undercard of speakers for the Republican National Convention in Cleveland next month — including the former undisputed heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson.
The presumptive GOP presidential nominee has invited the likes of Tyson, Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka, former Indiana University basketball coach Bobby Knight and NASCAR chief Brian France to appear at the gathering, according to Bloomberg Politics.
Trump, throughout his bizarre campaign, has often boasted that he has the backing of major sports stars such as Tyson.
“Mike Tyson endorsed me, I love it,” Trump said at an April rally in Indiana. “You know, all the tough guys endorse me. I like that.”
While bragging about the endorsement, Trump has received a lot of heat from his critics over the constant praise of Tyson, because Iron Mike served three years in prison after being convicted in 1992 for raping a beauty pageant contestant.
“It’s my opinion that to a large extent, Mike Tyson was railroaded in this case,” Trump told NBC News at the time.
Never one to shy from controversy, Trump has said he wants the Cleveland event to be more than just a gathering of politicians, Bloomberg reported.
“We’re going to do it a little different, if that’s OK,” he said in Virginia earlier this month. “I’m thinking about getting some of the great sports people who like me a lot.”
