By Mauricio Sulaimán
WBC President – Son of José Sulaimán

What a great card enthralled and thrilled Las Vegas! It was an event that reminded me of the spectaculars of old times.

All the fights were intensely competitive. The main event was spectacular and dramatic. Dozens of champions and legends of the ring were present, the atmosphere was electrifying, and once again, our sport was at its peak, seeing how, after five years of perpetual rivalry, fueled by bile, a give-no-quarter battle was waged and it raged in the ring. After it had subsided, David Benavidez and Caleb Plant embraced, as they mutually recognized their virtues, admiration and respect had been earned and each sincerely wished the other success for in the future.

In today’s boxing, it is very common to see how the undercard fights are uneven, basically mismatches, and before those fights, you can basically have an idea of ​​who is going to win, so it’s just a matter of seeing how they do it.

The boxers signed with the promoter come out of the red corner, and their rivals from the blue one.

When the fighters in the blue corner win, it means that the matchmaking was successful, and they were evenly matched.

And, so it happened. Of the four main fights, two were won by those in the blue corner.

Great stars gathered to witness this long-awaited battle for the super middleweight interim world title between the Mexican-American David “Monstruo Mexicano” Benavidez, (as Mike Tyson nicknamed him) and the American Caleb “Sweet Hands” Plant.

In attendance were Floyd Mayweather, Deontay Wilder, Gervonta Davis, Riddick Bowe, Fernando Vargas, Jermall and Jermell Charlo, Devin Haney, Joe Joyce, Yordenis Ugás and many more.

The card was impressive with all close fights and a wonderful atmosphere. Unfortunately, there was a tremendous brawl in the crowd, which is very unusual. It is incredible that there are people who pay hundreds and even thousands of dollars for a ticket to see boxing at the highest level, and yet get distracted and irked by watching a fight in the stands!

I was very happy to experience the review process of controversial actions, in which instant replay was effectively used, as in the Crowley vs. Ramos fight. The referee ruled that Cody Crowley had touched the canvas with his glove after a great punch by Ramos, giving him the mandatory 8-count; The replay proved otherwise, and the official scores by the judges changed from 10-8 to 10-9.

This rule has been used in boxing for many years, but with only for a short time embraced as an enabling tool of boxing commissions in the USA. The Nevada State Athletic Commission has developed a unique protocol with direct communications with the TV truck, an appointed review official, and a flawless timing in order to make the right call and make sure justice prevails.

In the fight of the night, Benavidez conquered the fans and earned his spot as official challenger of the World Boxing Council in super middleweight division.

Did you know…?

David Benavidez holds the Guinness Record for being the youngest fighter to win a super middleweight world title, since he conquered it at the age of 19. He is also already a triple world champion. He first lost the championship for using forbidden substances, but he overcame this in an exemplary way. He subsequently recaptured the title only to lose it on the scales during the complications of the COVID-19 pandemic, ultimately clinching the current interim title by spectacularly knocking out David Lemieux.

Today’s anecdote

The first fight in the history of the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, was when Julio César Chávez lost his undefeated record against Frankie Randall, on January 29, 1994.

My dad told me how Julio was inconsolable after the fight.

“I lost. I can’t believe it, I’m finished.” Julio Cesar told my father as he hugged him in tears.

However, Don José had words of support for the Mexican Superstar.

“My dear Julio, all the greats have lost. From Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Roberto Durán, all of them lost and so I can say to all the champions that by losing, they gained the opportunity to obtain a place in history, by getting up from the canvas and being a great once again.

“Calm down, champ. Here begins the next chapter of your legend.”

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