Ex-boxer opens up about being granted clemency by Trump and the president potentially pardoning Diddy

Former professional boxer Duke Tanner remembers witnessing a execution connected his archetypal time successful situation successful 2004. 

"I watched the feline locomotion retired the unit, humor seeping retired of his neck. He dropped connected the level and ended up dying later," Tanner told Fox News Digital, recalling his thoughts astatine the time.

"'It's my caller environment. I got to survive. I'm not going to dice successful here. I'm not going to beryllium him.'"

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He coiled up successful jailhouse aft getting caught successful a cause trafficking sting cognition portion trying to marque further wealth for his family.

"I thought it was a robbery astatine first. So, erstwhile I saw it was cops, I was truly astatine peace," helium said.

He wa sentenced to 2 beingness terms, ending his boxing vocation and separating him from his family, including his son, who was conscionable 2 astatine the time, for 16 years. He dedicated his clip successful situation to embracing Christianity and taking up each rehabilitation programme available. 

And Tanner remembers the nighttime successful 2018 erstwhile helium realized President Donald Trump would extremity his condemnation early.

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"I had a dream, and I woke up," Tanner said. "I started penning a missive erstwhile a week to the White House aft I had that dream, and, 2 years later, I was fto go." 

After being denied clemency by erstwhile President Barack Obama successful 2016, Tanner was granted clemency by Trump successful 2020. In May, the erstwhile boxer was granted a statesmanlike pardon. Tanner visited the White House to convey Trump successful person.

"I got to convey him, and helium remembered my case. And helium said, 'Man, you had a atrocious road, but you got a beauteous son. I perceive you’re doing large things. And proceed the bully work. I'm watching you,'" Tanner said. 

Former boxer Duke Tanner was granted clemency by President Donald Trump successful 2020 and granted a statesmanlike pardon past month. (Courtesy of Duke Tanner)

In August, Tanner published a book, "Duke Got Life: A Boxer's Fight for Freedom and One Last Shot astatine Redemption," detailing his story. 

Weeks aft Tanner received his statesmanlike pardon, Trump floated the thought of giving a statesmanlike pardon to hip-hop creator Sean "Diddy" portion he's connected proceedings for enactment trafficking. 

Tanner, who admits helium hasn't followed the "Diddy" lawsuit intimately and isn't "at liberty" to sermon the rapper's charges, revealed however helium would consciousness astir the thought of Combs getting a pardon from Trump. 

"This medication is going to work each portion of paperwork. They're going to get to the facts. They're going to get to the bottommost of everything. And if helium decides to marque that move, it's a affirmative move, due to the fact that helium went done the system," Tanner said, referencing Trump's transgression proceedings past summertime implicit alleged hush wealth to big movie prima Stormy Daniels. 

"He knows what they did to him to effort and marque him a convicted felon, to marque him get recovered blameworthy of each those counts. So, helium knows the prosecution misconduct. He knows however they bash it. He knows that it's a breached system." 

Tanner besides suggested Trump's pardons are a means of holding those progressive successful the transgression justness strategy accountable. 

"And he's trying to amusement them, 'You guys bash y'all occupation right, oregon I'm going to travel and hole it for you and embarrass you,'" Tanner added. 

"So, with that being said, if helium decides to bash it, evidently helium saw something, and helium got the champion lawyers astir him. …  I'm not astatine liberty to adjacent talk connected [the Diddy trial]. I don't cognize what's going on. I'm conscionable saying I don't attraction who it was. If the president said that helium wanted to bash it, judge me, there's a crushed down it, and that the instrumentality wasn't handled correctly." 

Tanner said helium knows a batch of different radical who are incarcerated who helium believes merit clemency. 

Duke Tanner with Donald Trump (Courtesy of Duke Tanner)

"I decidedly cognize there's truthful galore men and women that request clemency to beryllium fto retired of the system," Tanner said. 

Tanner has already witnessed different president springiness a bid of arguable pardons successful the past year. Former President Joe Biden granted a bid of pardons earlier leaving bureau successful December, including to his lad Hunter Biden, who was owed to beryllium sentenced for national weapon and taxation convictions. 

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"I heard astir it. He freed his son," Tanner said. "It tin ne'er beryllium comparable to my ain due to the fact that helium ne'er went to prison. He ne'er adjacent got charged. I did 16 years, six months and 21 days, taken distant from my 2-year-old son. … He tin ne'er comparison to the symptom I went through. And past I came location inactive warring for different people.

"What has [Hunter] done? Have we adjacent heard from him since helium got the pardon? Did helium adjacent talk astir it? Did helium adjacent convey his begetter astir it? So, we tin ne'er comparison a feline similar that to me." 

Still, Tanner said he's not offended by Hunter Biden's pardon.

Trump’s Justice Department is reviewing the database of radical granted pardons by erstwhile President Joe Biden successful effect to caller concerns astir Biden's usage of an AutoPen to automatically motion documents and concerns astir his authorities of caput successful his last months successful office, Fox News Digital previously reported. 

Tanner declined to remark connected the investigation. 

The erstwhile boxer is focused connected continuing to bash assemblage work and helping his 19-year-old nephew go a aboriginal boxing satellite champion. 

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