Canadian PM Trudeau slips from political ring to boxing ring

By Melissa Fares
NEW YORK, April 21 (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau showed off his sparring skills outside the
political ring on Thursday, lacing up a pair of boxing gloves
for a workout during a trip to New York.
Returning to the spotlight that accompanied his White House
visit and "bromance" with U.S. President Barack Obama last
month, Trudeau donned a red sleeveless top that revealed his
large native Haida raven tattoo to spar at Gleason's in
Brooklyn, a gym made famous by the likes of Muhammad Ali, Mike
Tyson and "the Raging Bull" Jake LaMotta.
With a mix of gym faithful and media members looking on, the
44-year-old Trudeau, who was accused during last year's election
campaign of being a political lightweight, spent most of his
hour-long workout sparring with professional boxer and former
WBA super welterweight champion Yuri Foreman.
"It was great to train him. He is very likable and he has
the potential to impact people in his country and around the
world very positively," Foreman said afterward. "And he's got a
heavy punch!"
Trudeau's Liberal government has rolled out a mandate of
economic investment, refugee assistance and open government, and
has enjoyed a prolonged honeymoon in the public eye, avoiding
major mistakes and maintaining popularity with voters and
international media alike.
He was in New York a day early in advance of signing the
Paris climate-change agreement on Friday.
On a visit to the White House last month, Trudeau sparked a
storm on social media and myriad memes and jokes about the
shared admiration between Trudeau and Obama.
On Wednesday, GQ magazine awarded Trudeau a spot on its list
of "Most Stylish Men Alive Right Now", calling him a real-life
version of a Disney prince and a "snowboarding John Mayer
doppleganger."
The men's magazine also mocked up a cover featuring Trudeau,
in a navy suit and tie, as "That new suave Canadian leader
dude," but said the issue would not make its way to newsstands
because it had already put too many Canadians on its front page
in recent times.
"He seems like a pretty cool guy," said Tony Baldwin, who
has been a trainer at Gleason's for seven years, after watching
Trudeau take on a string of sparring partners.
When Trudeau was asked how he felt as his workout came to a
finish, he first caught his breath and then replied with his
trademark smile, "Good! Oh, yeah."