By Mauricio Sulaimán
Son of José Sulaimán / President of the WBC

It will be very difficult to describe in this column everything that happened this week in the monumental event called The Battle of the Baddest, via which Riyadh Season opened with the fight between the WBC heavyweight world champion, Tyson Fury, against the former UFC heavyweight monarch, Francis Ngannou.

I had never experienced anything similar. The promotion, prepared by His Excellency Sheik Turki Alalshikh, with the co-promotion of Top Rank and Queensberry, was spectacular in every way. The number of legendary boxers and athletes was a dream come true: Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Larry Holmes, Manny Pacquiao, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Durán, Érik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, Lennox Lewis, Ricky Hatton, Naseem Hamed, Amir Khan, Joe Calzaghe, Frank Bruno, Riddick Bowe, Shannon Briggs, Buster Douglas, Roy Jones Jr., Michael Spinks, Jared Anderson, Artur Beterbiev, Dmitry Bivol, Badou Jack, Tim Bradley, Bakhodir Jalolov, Antonio Tarver, Miguel Cotto, Conor McGregor, Randy Couture, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Figo, Eminem, Liam Payne, and a huge number of other superstars. Continue reading “Battle of the Baddest an event for legends”

By Mauricio Sulaimán
President of the WBC – Son of José Sulaimán

Boxing is going through a complicated period of adjustments as a new era is beginning, eliciting a transformation.

The announcement by the Showtime network to end its boxing programming, after 37 years of being one of the world leaders has come as a considerable surprise to the world, creating uncertainty and concern for many members of the industry of our great sport.

Boxing is the oldest sport of humanity, and its modern version began more than 300 years ago in England. People gathered on vacant lots to watch and bet on bare-knuckle fights between two sturdy individuals, basically devoid of rules. Eventually it became regulated, took shape, formulated, and by the beginning of the 20th century, it was a highly popular sport throughout the world. Continue reading “An era in boxing ends, a new one begins”

By Mauricio Sulaimán
Son of José Sulaimán / President of the WBC

This last week was one of significant activity, and one of the most important events was the sensational meeting with General Luis Cresencio Sandoval González, Secretary of National Defense of Mexico.

I had the honor of accompanying a great leader of national sports, Daniel Aceves, medalist in Los Angeles 1984, who is President of the Association of Mexican Olympians, and my brother Héctor, President of Valores del Deporte por el Desarrollo y la Paz, to notify the General of the nomination for the National Sports Award (PND), in the field of protection and promotion of the practice of sports. Continue reading “Working for the Good of Boxing”

By Mauricio Sulaimán
President of the WBC – Son of José Sulaimán

The world is united in prayers for peace, following the terrible events of this past weekend in the never-ending cycle of conflict between Israel and Palestine. More war, in addition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, bringing death, destruction, chaos and grief. This violence impacts the daily life of families, schools, livelihoods, and generations in every way imaginable. The only thing we can do is ensure that harmony and unity prevail in our close circles. Let’s all pray for peace in the world, to end the cowardly attacks to innocent people and civilians, to end brutality and chaos and stop terrorism. Continue reading “WBC promotes dignity of women with boxing”

By Mauricio Sulaimán
President of the WBC – Son of José Sulaimán

Hurrah! Mexico roared again in Las Vegas! The Mexican Independence celebration was fanfared and reverberated not on the 15th, but on September 30th, with a thrilling demonstration of greatness by the Mexican idol, Saúl Álvarez.

Canelo made a great fighter look ordinary. The masterful, maestro dominance was tremendous. He willed, exerted, and imposed himself against Jermell Charlo and it was impressive. From the moment the first bell rang, he brought to bear constant pressure and connected from round one with accurate power punches to the arms, body, and the head, forcing Jermel to mill on the retreat, obliging him to be reactive rather than proactive. Continue reading “Big Fight in Las Vegas”

By Mauricio Sulaimán
President of the WBC – Son of José Sulaimán

We are now entering the final stretch for one of the most important fights of 2023, a year that has been characterized and distinguished for the great fights which have kept boxing fans from around the world entertained and thrilled to see the best fight the best in many divisions.

Saul “Canelo” Álvarez, undisputed champion of the super middleweight division, will fight against Jermell Charlo, undisputed monarch of the super welterweight division.

It is the first time that two undisputed champions meet in the ring in the era of the four belts: WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF. Continue reading “Canelo vs. Charlo Saturday Night”

By Mauricio Sulaimán
President of the WBC – Son of José Sulaimán

It has been difficult for me to write this column, after the terrible tragedy that occurred in Tijuana.

While the tenth round was underway, the trainer and husband of Sabrina Pérez, from Argentina, suffered a devastating heart attack; He received timely medical attention by the local boxing commission, but very unfortunately Diego Arrua died minutes later after arriving to the hospital.

May he rest in peace and his memory be eternal! I wish to express my gratitude to Juan Carlos Pelayo, Nancy Rodríguez, César Castañón and the entire boxing community that supported Sabrina and Gustavo. They have travelled to Buenos Aires, and are now in the company of family and friends awaiting the arrival of beloved Diego. Continue reading “Boxing, a different sport”

By Mauricio Sulaimán
President of the WBC – Son of José Sulaimán

Football is finally back, I’m in a very good mood because the Dallas Cowboys defeated the New York Giants, it will be a great week for me but won’t get my expectations so high, its been 27 years without the glory.

Last week the NABF (North American Boxing Federation) Annual Convention was held at the Caribe Royale Hotel in Orlando, Florida. It was a wonderful meeting in which topics of great interest were discussed.

The NABF was founded in 1968, immediately affiliating itself with the World Boxing Council. It is the federation that represents the three countries of North America: Canada, the United States and Mexico.

It is of great importance and influence, since the US and Mexico are very much powerful nations in this sport worldwide, being leaders in the number of world champions and world championship fights throughout their territory. Continue reading “Memorable NABF Convention”

By Mauricio Sulaimán
President of the WBC – Son of José Sulaimán

It is time to put it in black and white and clarify something that for many years has been a matter of confusion, misinterpretation and mishandling of information, which has prompted so many to be commenting on all kinds of baseless things, creating ridiculous discussions, hurting our sport of boxing.

I am talking about the famous UFC. It is increasingly common to see that the UFC is compared with boxing. But as we say in Mexico: You cannot compare apples with pears.

First of all, I want to clarify that the UFC deserves full credit for the incredible growth it has achieved since its inception 30 years ago. They have managed to become a multi-million-dollar business.

Let’s explore the differences:

Boxing is a universal sport, the oldest of all. It has an amateur modality, being an Olympic sport in the original Games in Greece, and in the modern ones since 1904. A sport that is regulated by boxing commissions in each city, state and country, and the business side of the sport is handled solely by the promoters. Continue reading “Boxing and the UFC”

By Mauricio Sulaimán
Son of José Sulaimán – WBC President

With great joy and enthusiasm I see that, finally, a long awaited and much needed necessary process of improvement and change is underway. The first step has been taken by the leaders in the ABC.

Boxing, unfortunately, is a sport characterized by resistance to change; traditionalists like everything to remain intact and stubbornly, to keep everything unchanged and untouched. It is extremely difficult to make changes to the rules, adapt criteria to the present day, and take advantage of modern technology, something that simply wasn’t available decades ago.

The Association of Boxing Commissions of the United States has announced a first step, something simple, but of great importance. A guideline for boxing judges was published last week in which it is mandatory to score the round 10-8 whenever there is a knockdown.

This criteria has always existed, but the judge has had the discretion to score 10-9, and we even recently we saw a scandalous 10-10, in a round in which a fighter visited the canvas. This new provision makes and marks 10-8 as mandatory. Continue reading “Boxing in Constant Flux”

By Mauricio Sulaimán
Son of José Sulaimán / WBC President

Boxing is a unique sport, with a large number of particularities that make it so different from all the others.

The vast majority of fighters, perhaps all, come from humble cradles with rocking obstacles to overcome ever since they can remember. They manage to escape from the demons of crime, addictions and other temptations that lurk in the darker enclaves of the street and when they find the boxing gym, they change their lives to at least have a chance of making something of themselves.

There are two types of boxing. One is amateur, whose objective is to learn, compete and if successful, seek a medal in the Olympic Games; or jump to the other model that is professional boxing, where you get paid to fight.

The professional starts with four-round fights and levels up to six, eight, 10, and the championship fights are 12 rounds. Normally, in the beginning, it is the same coach who manages to get fights for his fighter to participate in, and thus gain experience. Later the figure of the manager or agent appears, who signs the fighters, represents them, and gets them fights. Finally, there is the promoter, who is in charge of setting up the events, putting on a variety of fights, looking for people to attend and thus be able to recover their expenses. Continue reading “What Is The Boxer?”

By Mauricio Sulaimán
Son of José Sulaimán / WBC President

This past Saturday we remembered, with great nostalgia, a legendary champion who left us on the path of no return after suffering a tragic car accident, Salvador Sánchez.

Sal Sánchez died on August 12, 1982, as he was driving his Porsche on the way to start his camp for what would have been a legendary fight against Alexis Argüello. This great Mexican champion achieved a record of 44 wins, 32 by KO, a controversial loss by split decision, and a draw also in the midst of controversy. Continue reading “The Unforgettable Salvador Sánchez”

By Mauricio Sulaimán
President of the WBC – Son of José Sulaimán

I must have been about three or four years old when my dad first took me to a boxing show, and I remember walking down a corridor seeing the illuminated ring, as well as the rest of the arena in dim light, with smoke everywhere and euphoric people screaming while two men were hitting each other inside the ring.

My first impression was of great shock and considerable nervousness, but as the rounds went by, I calmed down and that’s when the passion for boxing kicked in and took hold for the rest of my life. From that day on, it was my dream to be a boxer. It was usual that on Saturday nights I went with my dad to the Arena Coliseo. I remember approaching in the car and seeing from a couple of blocks away the huge sign in the street of Peru, Number 77, in the heart of Tepito, Mexico City. Continue reading “The Legendary Coliseo Arena”

By Mauricio Sulaimán
President of the WBC – Son of José Sulaimán

My first trip to Las Vegas was when I was 16 years old. I was studying in high school in Boston, and my dad invited me to accompany him in that historic fight in which Mike Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion of the world in history at just 20 years of age.

Arriving at “Sin City,” as it is popularly called, I was immediately surprised by the street lights and the spectacles, that everything itself captivates.

Back then, there was Caesars Palace, a few other hotels on the strip like the Ballys, Flamingo, Sahara, and far away from everything, the Hilton, which is where the bout was held.

I had the great fortune to live that end of the 80s in an intimate way, in which I attended many historic boxing cards that Don King put together, the Mike Tyson and Julio César Chávez era! Continue reading “Las Vegas”

By Mauricio Sulaimán
President of the WBC- Son of José Sulaimán

The work that the have in life is difficult to measure as it is undoubtedly the most influential element for everything. News keep society informed and educated, commercials and marketing give life and success to products, interviews and segments make histories that create heroes or villains and so on.

Without media coverage, any activity is minimized, and the results of said activity are reflected proportionally.

For example, a product without advertising is unlikely to become a massive success, even though it may be the best on the market.

In a similar way, an event without media coverage will not have the impact or significance it deserves. Continue reading “The media and its evolution”

By Mauricio Sulaimán
Son of José Sulaimán / WBC President

This past Saturday I attended a boxing card, which was held in the bullring of the traditional and historic Arroyo Restaurant, precisely where the WBC held the opening ceremony during our annual convention back in 2021. in Mexico City.

It had been a long time since I had experienced an atmosphere as great as on this occasion, and it was all because of the fans, who came in droves to see the young prospect of great promise, David Picasso, who is known as Rey, “The KING.“ Continue reading “The birth of the next Mexican idol?”

By Mauricio Sulaimán
WBC President – Son of José Sulaimán

One of today’s great prospects was unable to fight this past weekend due to a medical situation that the Texas Boxing Commission rightly detected. Vergil Ortiz Jr. received the order from the medical services to withdraw from the bout, in which he was going to fight Eimantas Stanionis, for the WBA title.

Boxing is a complicated sport, it is not a game and there are no teams; It is an individual sport that does not allow substitutions, and in history there have been many tragedies with boxers who entered the ring with medical issues, injuries from the gym or from private life or illnesses which were not reported.

It is a reality that many of the ring accidents have happened due to injuries prior to the fights.

There are other cases in which boxers entered the ring, with the knowledge that they would give their rival an advantage, due to various circumstances. What would have happened if those fighters had decided not to enter the ring, postpone the fight or even cancel it? Continue reading “Protecting the boxer”

By Mauricio Sulaimán
President of the WBC – Son of José Sulaimán

The most important boxer of the last decade, Mexican Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez, has revealed the details of his immediate future in boxing. He signed with Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) to fight his next three bouts in what is sure to be a multi-million-dollar deal.

His first fight has already been announced, which will take place on September 30 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, and will be one of the greats against Jermell Charlo, undisputed super welterweight champion, who will face Canelo, who in turn, is the undisputed champ of super middleweights.

This is something that has never happened in the history of modern boxing, champion vs. champion, each with their four belts: WBC-WBO-IBF-WBA.

This is the new era of Canelo. His fight against Charlo will be one of those confrontations which will remain to be remembered due to its characteristics. Whenever a Mexican fights an American, a tremendous battle is guaranteed. Continue reading “The New Era of Canelo Begins on Sept 30”

By Mauricio Sulaimán
Son of José Sulaimán / WBC President

My father, José Sulaimán, found himself in Thailand, which received him with unimaginable hospitality and loyalty, when the WBC arrived in that nation, in the early 1980s. This inspired the already latent talent of Thai warriors to conquer a large number of championships and world championships, since before that, very few fighters had strayed from Muaythai to enter the international boxing arena. My father had the honor of being with King Bhumibol Adulyadej on five occasions, who in their last meeting asked the WBC to bring the sport to the world, since it had fragmented into many other disciplines.

As I write this column, I am in Venice to witness a historic tournament: the WBC Muaythai World Amateur Cup. With 440 athletes, from 49 countries and 1,400 attendees. They competed for three days in four rings, from sunup to sundown, to reach the sunset final, which will take place in just a few hours. Continue reading “WBC Muaythai World Amateur Cup in Venice”

By Mauricio Sulaimán
President of the WBC – Son of José Sulaimán

Commemorating Father’s Day, it occurred to me to write about the father-son relationship in our sport.

The father takes the boy to the gym, and on many occasions he himself is the one who trains him, and even manages him. Everything is fine until … it’s time to get into the ring to fight.

The line should be drawn then and another person is the one who should be responsible for being in the corner during the fight. Why? Because boxing is not a game, it is a contact sport with high physical demands and health can be put at risk. There is no person more demanding than our father, and there is no person more obedient, eager to please and proud than the son.

The father will always demand more from his son, who in turn would never be able to demure, determined to make dad proud no matter what the sacrifice.

Many of the ring accidents have occurred with fighters, who have their father as a chief corner; fights that should have been stopped, and due to the above, it tragically did not happen. Continue reading “The Fathers in Boxing”

By Mauricio Sulaimán
President of the WBC – Son of José Sulaimán

Boxing is a unique sport. It is an industry very different from that of other sports because there are no teams or leagues with fixed calendars of games or seasons, and it is about independent boxers who are seeking to be someone in life, based on great effort, dedication, and sacrifice. Without boxers there is no sport, there is no boxing.

It is the trainers who teach young boxers dedication, technique, and strategy. Then they discover their abilities and start their career with four-round fights. They all start fighting in modest bouts, club shows organized by the promoters.

Without promoters, there is no boxing. They are its impetus vitality. They all start in the same way as boxers do, organizing small events, selling tickets, going around the city hanging advertisements in gyms, on the streets, looking for sponsorships and risking their money, hoping that their event will at least cover expenses to break even or earn a little money for their next show. Continue reading “Don King, Boxing Eternal Promoter”

By Mauricio Sulaimán
President of the WBC – Son of José Sulaimán

Boxing is the purest sport and without a doubt, the oldest, since the caveman era when humans fought for rudimentary supremacy.

There is plenty of evidence to the history of boxing in various stages and eras of humanity: Mesopotamia, Rome, Egypt, and Constantinople, to name a few, until the Middle Ages erased the history of this sport and almost everything in humanity for the dark ages lasting centuries.

However, modern boxing evolved, finding its home in England. People would gather to watch two men fight bare-knuckle and without rules, and so it went on for decades. The first attempt to formulate rules was by the Marquess of Queensberry, but it actually took many more years for it to become a properly regulated sport. Continue reading “Boxval, Boxing With Values”

By Mauricio Sulaimán
President of the WBC – Son of José Sulaimán

The vast majority of the boxers in the world are born in humble homes and rocked in modest cradles, teething and then cutting their teeth in jagged, fractured pervading social circumstances mired in tough neighborhoods, where many must muster fight to survive throughout brief kerbstone hard childhoods.

On the streets, there are many adverse situations and toxic, rotten temptations that can lead to a life crookedly meandering down the wrong path to easy street or Hogarth’s Gin Lane, soaked, drenched and pervaded with alcohol, drugs, trafficking, delinquency, crime and degradation, jabbed with quick fix gratification, but with a high accompanying risk of going to jail or death or both.

Boxing is a lifeline escape and an opportunity for those who choose a future of hard work, sacrifice, and dedication in search of a better outcome for themselves and their family. It is a difficult sport, necessitating many years of learning, focus, dedication, and discipline, in addition to the need to have physical gifts, a big heart, and a determination to follow a path with no guarantee of ultimate success. Of the many who box, few are fabulously successful. Continue reading “The Bubble”

By Mauricio Sulaimán
Son of José Sulaimán – WBC President

This past weekend, the boxing world enjoyed two fights of the highest level of importance, quality and emotion.

On one hand, Katie Taylor, Olympic champion and undisputed lightweight champion, fought for the first time at home, in front her people in Dublin, Ireland, against undisputed super lightweight world champion Chantelle Cameron of England. Two undefeated, undisputed champions and holders of the four belts of both divisions.

On the other hand, at the MGM in Las Vegas, the undisputed lightweight champion, Devin Haney, from the United States, fought against the two-time Olympic champion and former world champion in three divisions, Ukrainian Vasyl Lomachenko.

Both fights were in front of completely packed arenas, and they resulted in very close fights, Razor-thin decisions, but with the best possible quality, both technically and emotionally, as well as dramatic. It was up to the judges to determine the winner, and as often happens in our beloved sport, whenever there is a close fight, the decision was controversial and opinions were divided among fans and the world’s media, especially in the Haney vs. Lomachenko.

Boxing is bound to be controversial and come under fire from the press and fans whenever there is a big fight, and it turns out to be close. Continue reading “The complex world of boxing scoring”

By Mauricio Sulaimán
President of the WBC- Son of José Sulaimán

After a week of continuing to celebrate the great event that took place in Jalisco, with the idol Saul “Canelo” Álvarez appearing before his audience at the Akron Stadium, and with so many pleasant moments of reflection, I’m happy to conclude that Mexico is a great country, and when Mexicans put something in mind, everything can be achieved with hard work, passion, and hospitality.

That Canelo ring walk was spectacular, which was acclaimed by millions of viewers around the world. Televisión Azteca produced the signal that reached all corners of the world through more than a hundred platforms. Rodolfo Vargas has become a very important asset for world boxing, with great management and leadership skills. Continue reading “The Love of Mothers”