By Mauricio SulaimánSon of José Sulaimán – President of the WBC
The Christmas season is officially over and it’s time to put in the work with willpower to lose those extra kilos we gained. As I explained before, Mexico calls this the Guadalupe-Reyes Marathon, as there are daily parties from December 12 to January 6 with tamales, hot chocolate, some tequila, of course, and a variety of Mexican dishes to celebrate with. friends and family… that’s how we all start the year with a big belly, but wanting to have a healthier one.
I sincerely hope you had a peaceful, joyful, and happy Christmas season with your loved ones and friends.
The sudden death of Carlos Bremer shook the Mexican sports community. He was an avid promoter of sports in our country. Passionate about baseball, he always found ways to promote the sport in every way, producing films, sponsoring athletes and events. He was a primary sponsor of Canelo Alvarez with his VALUE brand, and also helped fighters like Oscar Valdez and a few others. May God receive him in his Holy Glory, and the deepest condolences to his family who are in deep mourning.
After a year full of great achievements for our sport, 2024 arrives with great fights on the calendar and with interesting announcements that will significantly change the way boxing works.
The arrival of Sheikh Turki Al-Sheikh, with his passion for the sport of fists, achieved two majestic events, and two more are already being prepared: Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk, in which the four belts will be contested on February 17. , and the return of Anthony Joshua against the very popular Francis Ngannou, who had his entry into boxing through the front door by knocking down the WBC world champion, Tyson Fury, and losing by a close decision.
The WBC and I were criticized for including Ngannou in the WBC ratings after his performance against Fury, since it was his first professional fight after a very successful career in mixed martial arts, and now he will be in the ring against the two times champion Anthony Joshua. , who will surely be sitting on a barrel of dynamite due to the African’s impressive and powerful punching power. It will be a very interesting fight indeed.
Another great event is the arrival of the Amazon Prime platform to boxing. PBC signed a multi-year contract to present top-level boxing events with so much talent, and that includes at least two Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez fights.
We welcome Amazon and let it be the beginning of its era in boxing, just as HBO and Showtime began one day.
The DAZN platform is also taking shape dramatically with programming in all corners of the world. I am sure that 2024 will be fantastic for our sport.
For the World Boxing Council it is going to be a year of memorable challenges. We have a very complete work plan after the agreements reached at the Uzbekistan Convention. The priority will continue to be finding a way to make boxing safer for all those who enter the ring, finding prevention measures to minimize risks before fights and unifying the actions of all those who belong to the industry to grow and develop. .
Some keys will be:
Successful implementation of the WBC BoxMed Easy Connection app. Closeness campaign with current champions to understand their needs, and implement investment and savings programs with GBM. Bring top-level boxing promotions to our country, and return weekly activity to Mexico City. Continue with social responsibility activities and the WBC Cares program. Achieve proper administration of the divisions, and have the best fights that take place.
We start 2024 with the following incredible lineup of champions:
Heavyweight: Tyson Fury (Great Britain) Bridgeweight: Lukas Rozanski (Poland) Acting Bridgeweight: Kevin Lerena (South Africa) Cruiserweight: Noel Mikaelyan (Germany) Light Heavyweight: Artur Beterbiev (Canada) Super Middleweight: Saul Alvarez (Mexico) ) Interim Super Middleweight: David Benavidez (United States) Middleweight: Jermall Charlo (United States) Interim Middleweight: Carlos Adames (Dominican Republic) Super Welterweight: Jermell Charlo (United States) Welterweight: Terence Crawford (United States) Interim Welterweight: Mario Barrios (United States) Super Lightweight: Devin Haney (United States) Lightweight: Shakur Stevenson (United States) Super Featherweight: O’Shaquie Foster (United States) Featherweight: Rey Vargas (Mexico) Interim Featherweight: Brandon Figueroa (United States) Super Bantamweight: Naoya Inoue (Japan) Bantamweight: Alexandro Santiago (Mexico) Super Flyweight: Juan Francisco Estrada (Mexico) Interim Super Flyweight: Carlos Cuadras (Mexico) Flyweight: Julio César Martínez (Mexico) Weight Light Flyweight: Kenshiro Teraji (Japan) Strawweight: Yudai Shigeoka (Japan) Super Middleweight: Franchon Crews Dezurn (United States) Middleweight: Claressa Shields (United States) Super Welterweight: Ema Kozin (Slovenia) Welterweight: Jessica McCaskill (United States) Super Lightweight: Katie Taylor (Ireland) Lightweight: Katie Taylor (Ireland) Interim Lightweight: Maira Moneo (Argentina) Featherweight: Sky Nicolson (Australia) Super Bantamweight: Yamileth Mercado (Mexico) Bantamweight: Dina Thorsland (Denmark) Super Flyweight: Asley González (Mexico) Interim Super Flyweight: Adelaida Ruiz (United States) Flyweight: Marlen Esparza (United States) Interim Flyweight: Kenia Enríquez (Mexico) Light Flyweight: Jessica Nery Plata (Mexico) ) Strawweight: Seniesa Estrada (United States) Atomweight: Fabiana Bytyqi (Czech Republic)
TODAY’S ANECDOTE
Julio César Chávez was the great Mexican champion, the pride of the WBC and like a son to my dad. Julio fell into addictions that led many people to suffer those years, where anguish, sadness and suffering surrounded his loved ones. Many people abandoned him and considered him lost. Don José did not rest until he recovered, which took several years, after failed admissions to various rehabilitation clinics.
Julius Caesar visited my dad at the UCLA hospital just two weeks before his death.
“My dear champion Julio, how proud I am of you, seeing you clean is the best thing that can happen to me! May God protect them to continue like this. You are great among the great and now you will continue to be the champion of life,” said Don José.
Now is the time to fight for the reconciliation of Chávez and his son, Julio Jr. They are going through a sad and difficult process that, unfortunately, has been very active on social networks. Let’s give them respect and support, and I’m sure they will be together again soon.
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