Mauricio Sulaiman did not request any attention. The president of the WBC preferred that he go unnoticed. He knew what he and the WBC were doing. That was good enough for him.
Earnie Shavers, a gentle man with ungodly power considered by many to be the hardest-hitting heavyweight boxer in history, died on Thursday, September 1, one day after the two-time heavyweight championship challenger turned 78. Shavers (74-14-1, 68 KOs) had been in poor health for some time.
Sulaiman had closely followed the situation. It was the WBC that had been paying for Shavers’ medical expenses and when Shavers died, it was the WBC that covered the funeral expenses.
Often the sports media, especially the boxing media, like to jump on sanctioning bodies.
What is sadly often ignored is when something good comes out of sanctioning bodies, like what Sulaiman and the WBC did for the Shavers family.
“We had been in contact with the family a few weeks prior and sadly Earnie had passed away,” Sulaiman said. “I have a lot of stories about a lot of fighters, and my favorite story about Earnie is when my father (Hall of Famer Jose Sulaiman) liked to remember with great pride the time Shavers knocked down Larry Holmes (in the seventh round of Holmes). Defense of the WBC heavyweight title on September 28, 1979).
“That happened right in front of my father. Holmes was knocked unconscious and Larry was saying to himself desperately: ‘I have to get up, I have to get up’. Holmes got up at nine and was able to defeat Shavers. It was one of the hardest hits in boxing history. My father always liked to tell that story.
“Earnie was such a kind and caring man. He was always smiling. He was very nice to everyone. He has a beautiful family to keep his legacy alive.”
The WBC has the José Sulaimán Champions Fund, which is administered with the help of Hublot Watches, which benefits destitute and aging boxers who may not have the financial means to support themselves. It also covers health and funeral expenses, as it did this time with the Shavers family.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the WBC sent food to many boxers and trainers who were not active.
Helping fighters, trainers and fighters who become training partners is a priority for Sulaiman, who wants to carry on the legacy his father started.
“Boxing is such a social hub, it’s in direct contact with society, and most boxers come from very poor families, and it’s a very family affair, and families are involved,” Sulaiman said. “The world knows Canelo Alvarez, Tyson Fury and Sugar Ray Leonard, what they don’t see is the many, many fighters who don’t make it, and they are sparring partners who are preparing to become world champions, or cornermen who do everything. of dirty work.
“Those are the guys behind the curtain that we can’t forget. It’s the boxing industry. We have to take care of our own. It is sad that most of the time, once you are no longer good, you are not served, you are forgotten.
“Behind the scenes, we’re trying to help those fighters, and older fighters, like Earnie Shavers, who brought so much joy to so many fans who watched. Those are the ones that the WBC and I try to make a priority to remember and help.
“It’s an attitude I inherited from my father. We went to the Shavers family. They did not come to us. As soon as we learned that Earnie was in a fragile condition, we wanted to help. We are all one big family that needs to help each other more.”
At first, Sulaiman was reluctant to answer any questions about how to pay the Shavers’ funeral bill. The president of the WBC preferred to go unnoticed.
Not this time.
Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter who has been working for Ring Magazine/RingTV.com since October 1997 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. You can follow him on twitter @JSantoliquito [twitter.com].
