Photos by Pablo Lozano/Zanfer
Fernando Beltran’s boxing company Zanfer Promotions was recognized Tuesday as the Best Promotional Company for 2017 during an award ceremony hosted in Mexico City which was presented by the Mexico City Boxing Commission and the World Boxing Council (WBC). Several boxers promoted by Zanfer Promotions were also awarded individual awards.
These awards once again show that Zanfer Promotions continues to make history and is without a doubt the top boxing promotion in Mexico and in all of Latin America.
Zanfer Promotions promises fans will continue to enjoy the best boxing shows in 2018 on Azteca 7 with “The House of Boxing” series and with the support of their top sponsor Tecate.
Mauricio Sulaiman, President of the WBC, and Ciro Nucci, President of the Mexico City Boxing Commission, hosted the event that was held at the Tlatelolco Convention Center in the Mexican capital. The awards ceremony was attended by promoters from across the country plus the top boxers of Mexico, including male and female fighters.
Zanfer Promotions was recognized as the Best Promotional Company of 2017 for Mexico.
“We are honored and very motivated by these awards given to our company and to our biggest assets, which is the boxers that we represent. I thank both the Mexican Boxing Commission and the WBC for the awards and we will continue to work very hard to stay as the best company in Mexico and Latin American as we work towards becoming the best in the world,” said Fernando Beltran, CEO of Zanfer Promotions.
“We are also very grateful with Azteca for believing in the sport of boxing, and to all our sponsors led by Tecate, which allow us to give the fans the best fights possible every Saturday night as we bring them the best fighters and world champions thru Box Azteca,” said Beltran.
Alejandro Brito, who represented Zanfer Promotions at the ceremony, was also recognizes as the Best Matchmaker of the Year for 2017.
“I want to thank all of our boxers who made all this possible. It’s a great way to start the year. On behalf of our CEO Fernando Beltran, I thank you for the award that we have won for the past two consecutive years! This year – 2018 – is a very special year for Zanfer Promotions as we are celebrating our 25th year Anniversary,” said Brito.
Additionally, several boxers promoted by Zanfer Promotions were also recognized, including super bantamweight Emmanuel “El Vaquero” Navarrete as the Best Headliner Boxer of the Year for 2017 after going 4-0 in 2017 with some very exciting fights.
“I am very happy to get this award,” said Navarrete. “This is the first time in my career that I have received such an important award and it will motivate me to work even harder. I am grateful to Zanfer Promotions who made all this possible. I owe everything to them and hope to repay them with a world championship very soon!”
The WBA strawweight world champion Anabel “La Avispa” Ortiz was also recognized as the Best Female Boxer of the Year for 2017.
“This award will serve as more motivation for me as I continue on my quest to become the best in the world and to continue to win fights and make history,” Ortiz proudly stated. “I now have the attention of the boxing public like never before and that is all thanks to Fernando Beltran and Zanfer Promotions!” Ortiz has been a world champion for five years and has successfully defended her title nine times.
The Best Undercard Boxer of the Year was featherweight Mauricio “El Bronco” Lara who posted four very impressive wins in 2017 as he stepped up against top competition.
Flyweight Adrian “El Gato” Curiel was voted the Best Rookie of the Year totaling five wins in 2017, each win more impressive than the last in his first year as a professional boxer.
The awards to their promotion and boxers are a great start for Zanfer Promotions who are celebrating their 25th year anniversary. The recognition confirms Zanfer Promotions as the best in Mexico and Latin America with Boxeo Azteca 7 “La Casa del Boxeo” as it top partner.
BY THE NUMBERS FOR 2017:
52 World champions promoted by Zanfer Promotions during 2017.
50 shows promoted by Zanfer Promotions during 2017 in Mexico and other countries.
25 years since Fernando Beltran founded Zanfer Promotions.
11 years since Zanfer Promotions and TV Azteca 7 have telecasted boxing in terrestrial television.
9 shows promoted by Zanfer Promotions in Mexico City in 2017.