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Philippines, 25 Jul 2026 |
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Round 12 with Mauricio Sulaimán: A Great First Half of the Year for the WBC By Mauricio Sulaimán PhilBoxing.com Sat, 25 Jul 2026  The World Cup has come to an end—one where FIFA experimented with several innovations, and analysts will surely have a field day for a couple of weeks with debates and critiques until, little by little, life returns to normal. I had the great experience of being in Buenos Aires on the day of the final; the atmosphere during those leading days was simply breathtaking. The World Cup brought many positive things to Mexico. Beyond the massive economic impact, our country left a wonderful impression on the entire world. Social media positioned us as a nation of peace, celebration, hospitality, respect, and solidarity, showcasing the true greatness of our country. Boxing activity returns with an abundance of top-tier events, explosive fights, and matchups of global interest. Mexico’s “Camarón” Zepeda will fight American Lamont Roach for the WBC world lightweight title. Both Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will have tune-up fights before packing Wembley Stadium for their highly anticipated clash, one of the most significant matchups in British boxing history. Ryan García will face his archrival Conor Benn for the WBC welterweight title. Canelo Álvarez will look to reclaim his WBC super middleweight championship against champion Christian Mbilli in late October. One of the greatest female fighters in history Karie Taylor, will have her farewell fight in front of a sold-out crowd at Croke Park stadium in Dublin, Ireland, competing for a WBC super lightweight title. Three WBC championships will be on the line on September 27th in Tokyo: Mexican “Monster” David Benavidez will seek the WBC cruiserweight title against Noel Mikaelyan, and our organization’s World Convention will take place in late November, among many other highlights…  The first half of the year was sensational, proving that boxing and our WBC are stronger than ever, and that global unity can overcome any threat or obstacle. Below, I share my favorite moments from this first half of 2026: The Ring magazine held its second annual awards gala in New York.  A unique moment occurred when heavyweight giant Big Baby Miller shocked the world as his hairpiece flew off his head after absorbing punches during the opening round.  WBC world champions O’Shaquie Foster and Jesús Ramos Jr. visited Mexico and dressed up as the Three Wise Men to deliver toys to an orphanage.  Our world heavyweight champion, Agit Kabayel, returned home to a spectacular sold-out crowd in Germany to defend his title on the same night Jaidier Herrera captured the interim lightweight crown.  Dalton Smith scored a dramatic knockout over Puerto Rico’s Subriel Matías to capture the WBC super lightweight title, followed by an emotional moment inside the ring featuring his grandfather, his father, Dalton, and his nephew—four generations of the Smith family.  Also in New York, Bruce “Shu-Shu” Carrington won the world super featherweight title, followed by an epic celebration after achieving his dream of becoming a WBC champion.  Ryan García returned home, and after overcoming addictions and severe mental health challenges, captured the green and gold welterweight belt—a strap he hasn’t taken off for a single moment since winning it.  Lester Martínez became the first-ever world champion from Guatemala, winning the interim WBC super middleweight title, and was received with full honors in his home country.  Riyad Merhy became Belgium’s first world champion by winning the WBC Bridgerweight title against South Africa’s Kevin Lerena.  I visited South Africa for the first time and experienced highly emotional moments seeing how my father, José Sulaimán, is remembered as a hero for fighting against apartheid hand-in-hand with Nelson Mandela. During that trip, Siyakholwa Kuse became only the third South African to win a WBC world championship by defeating Filipino Melvin Jerusalem.  A dream that seemed impossible came true: Turki Alalshikh staged a boxing card in front of the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, and it was deeply moving. Unknown kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven was beating the massive favorite, world champion Oleksandr Usyk, until the latter scored an eleventh-round knockout, with the illuminated pyramids serving as witnesses to that historic event.   The WBC sanctioned 153 title fights in this first half of the year, alongside extensive activity outside the ring through our social responsibility programs.  We began with a kickoff meeting at CANACO CDMX, where all convention agreements were reviewed to establish the 2026 work plan.  The boxing program supporting Parkinson’s patients was inaugurated at the Cerezo family’s White Collar gym.  Our ambassador Rocky Heron, a former DEA agent, delivered over 50 lectures impacting youth, teachers, and parents regarding the dangers of drugs, leading our fight against fentanyl.  Nico Ali Walsh was named a WBC Ambassador for Peace.  We hosted a wonderful event at the Autism Academy, joining the global awareness campaign.  Our adaptive boxing team traveled from London to Kyiv, Ukraine, to establish and train the local team in wheelchair boxing.  Christian Mbilli visited Mexico to officially receive his WBC world super middleweight champion belt.  The commemorative belts for this half of the year were spectacular: The King of the Nile; the Freedom Belt – Juneteenth; and the May 5th Tollan Tlatequi, won by David Benavidez.    Did you know…? The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, established the “Boxing for Peace” program, which provides a stipend to amateur and professional boxers. It registers training centers within local gyms, allowing them to provide daily boxing classes to communities across the entire country.  Today’s Anecdote… One of my father’s first trips as WBC President was to the Southern Cone. During his time in Argentina, he met a young journalist. Upon his return, he spoke with Doña Martha, my beloved mother: “Vieja, I’m thinking of bringing a very knowledgeable and enthusiastic young man over to Mexico… I was deeply impressed by his drive to succeed and his passion for boxing.” Months later, Eduardo Lamazón arrived in Mexico, becoming the Executive Secretary of the WBC at just 23 years old. Eduardo formed an incredible team alongside the master Don Víctor Cota, Tere Flores, and Federico Enríquez, remaining constantly by Don José’s side to build what the World Boxing Council is today.  Click here to view a list of other articles written by Mauricio Sulaimán.  |
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