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

The emotions and feelings experienced last week are difficult to put into words, but they will remain in my mind and heart for life.

My brother Héctor invited me to visit Holy Father Francis, accompanying Adrián Pallarols, who is the Pope’s goldsmith, and one of the most beloved and closest since his childhood.

It was an unforgettable meeting where he gave us a series of life advice and concepts in a few words and with a lot of meaning. He has a unique ability to synthesize like I had never seen in my life.

On one occasion he addressed a group of firefighters, and his message was forceful.

“I pray every day that everyone in the world has a job and works, and I pray every day that firefighters do not have work.”

That is how he made it clear that when a firefighter has work, it means that there is a tragedy.

Vanes Martirosyan is a retired boxer who is undergoing a difficult treatment in Tijuana, where he went to receive chemotherapy for cancer. The Pope took Vanes’ photo in his hands and prayed for his successful and prompt recovery. He also prayed for the health of the greatest promoter in history, Don King, who at 93 years old is in a delicate state of health. Several other private prayers were gently given for special people in our boxing community and the boxing world as a whole.

Regarding boxing, we have had many events with the Holy Father since 2016, when he granted the WBC the honor of carrying out the BoxVal (Boxing with Values) program, with which we have traveled the world with various programs with the support of thousands of people with the direction of WBC Cares.

There have been fights for peace, the first being Canelo Álvarez (Catholic) against Amir Khan (Muslim). Also Gennady Golovkin vs. Daniel Jacobs, Chocolatito González vs. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder, and many other promotions in Italy, Turkey, Spain, Mexico, and various other countries.

The commemorative belts of these fights have been hand made by Adrian Pallarols, who crafts with his hands priceless pieces that carry the Pontifical Blessing.

We have planted Olive Trees of Peace in each of the events, and everything has been done with great emotion and the satisfaction of serving.

His Holiness sent an emotional and powerful message to the boxing community, asking for respect for the rules and fair play, being a contact sport, claiming for boxers’ awareness of what is done to their own body and that of the opponents.

He also provided us with beautiful messages for Mexico, highlighting the greatness of our people for having the Virgin of Guadalupe and messages in support of Oaxaca and Guerrero that have been hit so hard by natural phenomena, the USA in several states and other regions of the world.

The most emotional moment was when we talked about the recent loss of our dear mother Martha. The Pope gave us a very heartfelt message for everyone in the Sulaimán Saldívar family.

I am back in Mexico with renewed spirit and determination, with the motivation to always try to be a good person, to serve others with compassion and mercy, and to continue living with the values ​​that José and Martha instilled in us.

A phenomenal closing is coming for this incredible 2024 in our sport. There are fights of the highest level, among others:

• Rematch of Robson Conceicao vs. O’Shaquie Foster.
• Super flyweight unification between Jesse Rodriguez and Pedro Guevara.
• Great card at the Dallas Cowboys stadium with Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul, Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano, and Mario Barrios vs. Abel Ramos.
• In Riyadh, William “Camarón” Zepeda vs. Tevin Farmer.
• And to close a magnificent year, the highly anticipated rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk for the world heavyweight championship, as well as the return of the “Monster” Naoya Inoue.
• We are in full swing, with the preparations for our 62nd annual convention, from December 8 to 14, in Hamburg, Germany.

The boxing world will meet to analyze what was achieved this year and plan for 2025. We have many topics of great interest, but as always, the priority will continue to be the safety of the fighter.

The BoxMed platform continues to advance by leaps and bounds, which serves so that all fighters have this app that documents their medical record, such as weight control, anti-doping tests and medical examinations, injuries, and more.

It is the first time that we have brought together the World Women’s Convention, thus taking a definitive step towards the integration of our sport. There will be a great boxing event with various WBC titles, and worldwide broadcast on DAZN.

Did you know that…?

The World Boxing Council has held annual conventions around the world; the first in Mexico, and in 1975, in Tunisia, where José Sulaimán was elected President. Also, Thailand, Spain, Las Vegas, New York, Miami, Philippines, Japan, Argentina, Italy, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and more, but this is the first one held in Germany.

Today’s anecdote

In boxing, we can experience the traditions and customs of so many nationalities. The hospitality that one visits is a way of experiencing the diversity of cultures.

On one occasion, my mother accompanied my father on a trip through the Orient.

My mother enjoyed telling us what happened at a dinner they were invited to in Korea. There were several members of the WBC, all men, and my father with my mother. They entered a traditional private room in a restaurant from that country. There were cushions on the floor where everyone sat.

Once everyone was seated, suddenly a door opened and traditionally dressed ladies entered, each one sitting next to a gentleman, and throughout the dinner, they assisted them with food and drinks, cleaned them with napkins, in short, incredible attention. One of the guests got up to go to the bathroom, and there behind him was the lady who followed him. Immediately my mother turned around, and in a firm tone said: “Jose, don’t even think about going to the bathroom, because I’ll get up and go with you, kid.”

I appreciate your comments at [email protected].