Most of today's youth - even the fight fans - hear the name Jack Johnson and immediately think of the chill, guitar-strumming musician. But, no, Jack Johnson was a boxer, and was the fierce African-American boxer who came long before all of the others, at a time many probably wouldn't even think possible.
Johnson defeated Tommy Burns for the heavyweight title in 1908, at a time when blacks and whites rarely entered the same ring. He then mowed down a series of "great white hopes," culminating in 1910 with the undefeated former champion, James J. Jeffries.
Johnson was convicted in 1913 for violating the Mann Act, which made it illegal to transport women across state lines for "immoral" purposes. He died in 1946. His great-great niece has pressed Mr Trump for a posthumous pardon, with Senator John McCain and former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid having been pushing Johnson's case for years. But Stallone's call to Trump may be the tipping point.