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Gloves autographed by Muhammad Ali will be displayed at the Obama Presidential Center

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For years, a pair of red Everlast boxing gloves autographed by Muhammad Ali sat quietly in a private office just outside the Oval Office.

The gloves, with the uncomplicated inscription “For Barack,” were more than just a memento of then-President Barack Obama. They reminded us of resilience.

Soon the audience will have the opportunity to see them up close.

Obama is loaning the gloves to the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, where they will be on display starting in June.

The announcement comes on the anniversary of one of the most iconic nights in sports history: February 25, 1964. Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, defeated Sonny Liston to become heavyweight champion at the age of 22. The upset marked the emergence of a fighter who would change not only boxing, but also the cultural and political landscape surrounding it.

More than sixty years later, Ali’s gloves are a actual reminder of his influence.

For Michael Strautmanis, director of corporate affairs at the Obama Foundation, the gloves carry both personal and historical significance.

“Muhammad Ali is a personal person to everyone,” Strautmanis told ESPN. “I knew what this relationship symbolized was very personal to President Obama. So he kept it close to him.”

Ali’s victory in 1964 was just the beginning. He became known as “The Greatest” not only for his speed and precision, but also for risking the title and enduring public backlash for his beliefs.

“Muhammad Ali’s activism and his skills in the ring complement each other,” Strautmanis said. “He was willing to take punishment in and out of the ring for what he believed in.”

In a 2010 essay and again in a statement after Ali’s death in 2016, Obama reflected on this legacy.

“Muhammad Ali was the Greatest. Period,” Obama wrote. “…Of course, he wasn’t perfect. For all his magic in the ring, he could be reckless with his words, and as his faith evolved, he was full of contradictions. But his wonderful, contagious, even innocent spirit ultimately won him more fans than enemies – perhaps because we hoped to see something of ourselves in him.”

Although the gloves are not associated with a specific fight, Strautmanis describes them as deeply symbolic. For Obama, this example was essential at a time when, as he once joked, he had to “fight it out here in Washington.”

“There were times when I got beat up a little bit,” Obama joked while showing off his gloves in a video posted to Facebook on June 9, 2016, a few days after Ali’s death.

During his presidency, the gloves were displayed in a private room near the Oval Office, beneath an iconic photo of Ali towering over Liston – a photo taken during their May 25, 1965 rematch in Lewiston, Maine. Since Obama left the White House, they have remained in his Washington office, where Strautmanis has seen more of them in recent years.

“I never get tired of it,” he said. “I always stopped and stopped and thought, wow. I’m glad the world will have a chance to experience the same thing.”

Their fresh home at the Obama Presidential Center hints at the role sports will play on the museum campus. The center will feature a full-size NBA-compliant basketball court, as well as other sports-related exhibits and artifacts.

“If one person walks through this museum, sees these gloves and decides they want to be part of something bigger than themselves,” Strautmanis said, “then we have more than done our job.”

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Boxing

Eddie Hearn questions Dana White’s boxing future

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Image: Eddie Hearn Questions Whether Dana White Can Handle Boxing

“I just don’t think they’re going to face the fire,” Hearn told iFL TV about Dana White and his company at Zuffa.

“You have years of catching, putting out fires and being bombarded with pellets and grenades to overcome this.

“I just don’t think they’ll be ready for the fire. You must be a little unwell.” [__] to do this. That’s what I do.”

Hearn also ridiculed White’s recent comments about boxing promotion and said the UFC president faces criticism now that he is in the boxing industry.

“He stank,” Hearn said.

“He’s not used to this. Don’t forget what we do, which is meeting people, giving interviews. But he had a narrative.

“He didn’t have anyone like that. That’s why he can’t do it and instead just says weird lyrics.”

Hearn later joked that White’s repeated comments about him actually helped escalate his visibility in the United States.

“I have to thank Dana White,” Hearn said.

“Every press conference he holds, he talks about me.

“I think there are people asking, ‘Who is this Eddie Hearn?’ Little Google, boss, Eddie Hearn.

Promoter Matchroom also rejected White’s recent claim that no promoter has staged more boxing events this year than Zuffa Boxing.

“The entire media audience responded, ‘Okay,’ and moved on to the next question,” Hearn said.

“Imagine if I said that. I would be fried by it in an instant.”

Hearn’s latest comments come as Zuffa Boxing continues to try to establish itself in the sport following months of public photos between White and several longtime boxing promoters.

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Boxing

Roy Jones Jr Says There’s ‘Only One Fight Ahead’ for David Benavidez: ‘You’ll Beat Everyone’

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Roy Jones Jr says there is ‘only one fight’ for David Benavidez next: “You beat everyone else”

Roy Jones Jr urged David Benavidez to follow in his footsteps rather than fight Dmitry Bivol in an undisputed lithe heavyweight clash.

The “Mexican Monster” appears the sixth round ended with a victory over Gilberto Ramirezwhom he dethroned earlier this month to become three-division world champion.

However, despite winning the WBO and WBA cruiserweight titles, Benavidez expressed interest in returning to 175 pounds, where he still holds the WBC belt.

That would mean chasing unified champion Bivol, who must first defeat IBF mandatory challenger Michael Eifert on May 30.

The Russian hasn’t fought since he overtook Artur Beterbiev in February 2025, when he exacted revenge by majority decision and became the undisputed king.

Bivol then vacated the WBC title after deciding to undergo back surgery, which allowed Benavidez to be promoted from “interim” to full champion.

But rather than return to lithe heavyweight, Jones would prefer to see Benavidez test his skills at heavyweight, as he did against John Ruiz in 2003.

In a conversation with professional boxing fans, the pound-for-pound legend said that a fight with Oleksandr Usyk, who still holds the WBC, IBF and WBA titles, is the only fight that makes sense for him.

“This is the only fight for him right now and the only fight I want to see him in.

“You beat everyone in every other category, [so] go upstairs and fight Usyk. This is the best fight for him.”

While Benavidez has expressed a desire to challenge Usyk at heavyweight, he has said he won’t be ramping up his weight gain anytime soon and is therefore much more likely to receive his next assignment against Bivol.

It then remains to be seen whether Usyk will stay in the sport long enough to face the 29-year-old, which could end up fighting another heavyweight champion.

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Boxing

Keyshawn Davis missed weight again for the rematch

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Image: Keyshawn Davis Misses Weight Again Ahead Of Nahir Albright Rematch

The weigh-ins quickly turned tense when Albright apparently sent a message directly to Davis during their bout.

“Be a professional,” Albright said in a recording later released by DAZN Boxing.

The lack of weight immediately sparked a backlash online, as Davis has dealt with weight issues before. Last year, Davis lost his WBO lightweight title after losing more than four pounds ahead of his scheduled defense against Edwin De Los Santos.

Friday also marked the second time Davis has failed to make weight in his last three fights.

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum admitted that Davis was having difficulty gaining 140 pounds and suggested that the problem may still exist.

“Well, obviously he has issues at 140,” Arum told Fighthype. “The problem is the next category is seven pounds. That’s a gigantic difference.”

Arum also compared Friday’s setback to the loss of Davis, who was previously more than four pounds compact before his canceled fight with De Los Santos last year.

“It was inexcusable because he was five pounds overweight,” Arum said.

“He is now 0.1 weight off which he will improve and get down to 140 or less.”

Keyshawn was later asked by DAZN what he told Albright during Friday’s matchup.

“I didn’t say anything,” Davis said. “That’s what I do. I knock people out.”

When asked what kind of performance he expected in the rematch, Keyshawn gave a compact answer.

“An unexpected spectacle.”

There was already bad blood in the rematch after their first fight in October 2023 was later changed to a no-contest after Keyshawn tested positive for marijuana. Their original meeting initially resulted in Keyshawn winning by a majority vote.

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