Mike Tyson spent Friday at the White House, then flew with President Donald Trump on Air Force One to a midterm rally in Syracuse, New York. It was the most public moment yet in a relationship that goes back almost 40 years to Atlantic City.

The day started with a surprise. Tyson turned up in the White House briefing room in the afternoon and told reporters he was traveling with the president. Asked if Republicans would win the midterms, he answered, “I think Donald Trump will win,” according to the White House pool report.

At 5:04 p.m., Trump walked out of the White House with Tyson at his side. “I won’t be fighting him today,” the president joked, according to the Associated Press.

Then Trump talked about Tyson the fighter. “People were afraid to fight him. They were afraid to fight him,” he said, per a later pool report. He called Tyson a real champ, said the two have been friends for a long time, and said the Syracuse crowd would be happy to see him.

New York Yankees president Randy Levine joined them on the lawn, and the group boarded Marine One. At Joint Base Andrews, Tyson followed Trump off the helicopter and gave the press a thumbs up. Trump pointed at him and said his nickname. The travel pool noted the flight was on the Air Force One jet gifted by Qatar.

Air Force One landed in Syracuse at 6:39 p.m. The passenger list released to the pool included Tyson, Levine, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, and Representatives Claudia Tenney and Nick Langworthy.

The rally, at the Oncenter, was held in support of Bruce Blakeman, the Republican trying to unseat Governor Kathy Hochul. Election Day is November 3.

The Atlantic City Years

The Tyson and Trump story starts on the Boardwalk. In the late 1980s, Trump and Don King brought Tyson to Atlantic City for four heavyweight title fights. The biggest was June 27, 1988, when Tyson knocked out Michael Spinks in 91 seconds. Trump also served for a time as an adviser to Tyson.

When Tyson was convicted of rape in Indiana in 1992, Trump argued publicly that he should not go to prison. Tyson served three years.

Tyson returned the loyalty in politics. He endorsed Trump in October 2015, telling HuffPost Live, “He should be president of the United States.” He has stayed in that corner since. This year alone he attended a White House film screening in January and joined the administration’s healthy eating campaign in February.

The Diddy Letter

The visit also comes with a subplot. In January, Trump told the New York Times that Sean “Diddy” Combs had written to him. “He asked me for a pardon,” Trump said, adding that he was not considering it. Combs is serving a 50-month federal sentence on prostitution-related charges.

Days later, reports citing sources close to Tyson said he had hand delivered the letter during a White House visit last November. A White House spokesperson responded at the time, “Any media reports on a Diddy pardon are not accurate.”

On Thursday, Tyson confirmed it himself on SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live. He said he spoke with Combs once by phone. “He wanted me to give a letter to the president,” Tyson said. He did not describe what the letter said, only that he did as he was asked.

What’s Next

The timing is good for Tyson. His four-part Netflix documentary series, TYSON, directed by Floyd Russ, premieres Tuesday, October 13. A one-man special, Mike Tyson: Return of the Mike, follows on November 3.

At 60, Tyson remains the most famous fighter alive. On Friday he walked onto the president’s plane to prove it.