On March 31, 2012, guided by the sound advice of his trainer Charles Ali Nestor, Justin Trudeau easily defeated Conservative Senator Patrick Brazeau. To this day, it remains the most-watched boxing match in Canadian history. $230,000 was raised for cancer research.
Heavily underestimated by the bookmakers, Justin Trudeau dominated the fight after 30 grueling seconds. Later, during the election, when he was once again heavily underestimated against the Conservatives and New Democrats, he won the victory. Boxing served Justin Trudeau well. Without boxing, he might never have become prime minister.
When I learned that Christine Fréchette was going to plunge us into an election campaign, I was so happy. I love two things in life: boxing and politics. So I dug into my memories to introduce you to some important figures in boxing who have also been actively involved in politics.
“Politics is a dirty game. In boxing, we have our rules. In politics, there are no rules. In a young democracy like Ukraine, it’s more like MMA.”
— Vitali Klitschko, former heavyweight world champion and mayor of Kyiv.
Photo: Men’s Health – Vitali Klitschko
Vitali Klitschko is the most spectacular example of a boxer who has worn both hats.
Vitali Klitschko began his political career in 2006, while he was still a professional boxer. In 2010, he took over as leader of UDAR, a pro-European and reformist party, and was elected to parliament in 2012.
In 2013–2014, he became one of the faces of the Maidan Revolution. He later withdrew from the 2014 presidential race to support Petro Poroshenko and was elected mayor of Kyiv, a position he still holds today.
Since the Russian invasion in 2022, Klitschko has become one of the international symbols of Ukrainian resistance, managing the capital alongside his brother Wladimir during its most critical moments.
Photo: ESPN – Manny Pacquiao
Manny Pacquiao
Manny Pacquiao is one of the most famous examples of a boxer who became a politician. After dominating world boxing, he was elected to the House of Representatives in the Philippines in 2010, then re-elected in 2013 and 2016. He subsequently became a senator in 2016, pursuing an active political career while remaining an enormous national celebrity.
In 2022, Pacquiao took another step by running for president of the Philippines. He finished third, behind Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Leni Robredo.
In 2025, Pacquiao returned to the Philippine Senate.
His brother Bobby Pacquiao is also a city councilor in the Philippines.
Other international examples
Alexis Argüello — mayor of Managua, Nicaragua.
Ruslan Provodnikov — regional lawmaker in Russia.
Luke Campbell — mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire, United Kingdom.
Photo: LA Times – Ruslan Provodnikov
Quebec Too
Quebec has also had several politicians who came from the world of boxing.
Marie-Ève Dicaire had a brilliant professional boxing career, becoming a two-time IBF super-welterweight world champion and finishing her career with 18 wins in 20 fights.
After retiring in 2023, she turned to municipal politics. In 2025, she was elected unopposed as a city councillor in Terrebonne, representing the Seigneurie–Île-Saint-Jean district. Among other things, she hopes to work on social issues, sports infrastructure, and advance Terrebonne’s bid to host the 2029 Quebec Games.
Bernard Barré
Bernard Barré is a well-known figure in Quebec boxing and municipal politics. A former boxer, he has worked as a coach, trainer, and boxing analyst, in addition to holding important positions within Quebec’s boxing community.
He became a city councillor in Saint-Hyacinthe in 1988. He also tried his hand at provincial politics with the ADQ and at the federal level with the Conservatives.
A rather unique career that allowed him to experience boxing from several different perspectives: boxer, coach, analyst, and politician.
Photo: Facebook – Bernard Barré
Reggie Chartrand
Reggie Chartrand was a former professional boxer who competed as a welterweight from 1952 to 1955, winning 24 of his 34 fights.
After settling in Montreal, he opened a boxing school, but his involvement soon shifted toward the Quebec independence movement.
In the 1960s, he became an activist figure within the Rassemblement pour l’indépendance nationale (RIN) and founded the Chevaliers de l’indépendance in 1964, a militant organization that played a role in providing security at independence demonstrations.
In 1966, he was the RIN candidate in Verdun in the Quebec provincial election.
My friend Jules Falardeau even made a documentary about him in 2010: Reggie Chartrand, patriote québécois.
Photo: Wikipedia – Reggie Chartrand
François Legault
François Legault himself said in 2025: “Sometimes, it’s true, I feel a little like a boxer taking punches.”
He even mimicked boxing movements to the song Eye of the Tiger during a speech to his supporters.
When you think about it, boxing and politics may have much more in common than one might think.
In both cases, you have to be able to take a punch. You have to know your opponent, have a strategy, know when to attack, and above all, know how to get back up when you fall.
The difference is that in boxing, you know the date of the next fight.
In politics, the next fight can begin at any time.
As for me, I’ll continue following both.
Because I love two things in life: boxing and politics.
Photo: National Post – François Legault
