"Micah and I talked a couple days ago,"

Duke Tanner remembers witnessing a murder on his first day in prison in 2004."I watched the guy walk out the unit, blood seeping out of his neck. He dropped on the floor and

later," Tanner told Fox News Digital, recalling his thoughts at the time."'It's my new environment. I got to survive. I'm not going to die in here. I'm not going to be him.'"He wound up in jail after getting caught in a drug trafficking sting operation while trying to make additional money for his family.

"I thought it was a robbery at first. So, when I saw it was cops, I was really at peace," he said.He was sentenced to two life terms, ending his boxing career and separating him from his family, including his son, who was just 2 at the time, for 16 years. He dedicated his time in prison to embracing Christianity and taking up every rehabilitation program available.

And Tanner remembers the night in 2018 when he came to the realization President

would be the one who would end his sentence."I had a dream, and I woke up," Tanner said. "I started writing a letter once a week to the White House after I had that dream, and, two years later, I was let go."

After being denied by former President Barack Obama in 2016, Tanner was granted clemency by Trump in 2020.Last August, Tanner published a book, "Duke Got Life: A Boxer's Fight for Freedom and One Last Shot at Redemption," detailing his story.

And then just last month, the former boxer was granted a full presidential pardon. Tanner even visited the White House to thank Trump in person."I got to thank him, and he remembered my case. And he said, 'Man, you had a bad road, but you got a beautiful son. I hear you’re doing great things. And continue the good work. I'm watching you,'" Tanner said.