“Boxeando por la Paz” at Martes de Cafe

At today’s Martes de Café, the program “Boxing for Peace” was officially introduced — a national strategy that links the sport of boxing with social prevention initiatives and community cohesion.

The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, announced that the program will be implemented in collaboration with the World Boxing Council (WBC) and the Jóvenes Construyendo el Futuro program. Its primary objective is to offer free boxing classes to children and young people throughout the country, promoting athletic discipline, fostering respect-based values, and steering youth away from risk behaviors such as violence, drug use, and crime.

During the presentation, it was explained that approximately 5,000 professional male and female boxers will receive monthly financial support equivalent to the minimum wage, along with access to medical insurance, to serve as instructors. They will teach at least one hour of free classes per day to participants between the ages of 6 and 29, with the goal of reaching 100,000 beneficiaries.

The President of the WBC, Mauricio Sulaimán, described the initiative as unprecedented and emphasized its historic impact: “It is one of the biggest announcements in Mexican sports.” In the same spirit, WBC Vice President Héctor Sulaimán highlighted that it is “a pioneering program in the world,” presented jointly by the WBC and the President of Mexico.

The voices from inside the ring also strongly supported the initiative. Marilyn Badillo underscored the importance of financial stability for fighters: “Having the opportunity to earn a salary is very motivating because before that, you have to work extremely hard just to afford a boxing career.”

For his part, Alan Picasso stressed the social reach of the project: “Yesterday we experienced something unprecedented, something that will change more than 100,000 lives.” Along the same lines, Alejandro González stated: “I was surprised — this will change the way the world sees Mexican boxing.”

Finally, Cristian Mijares emphasized boxing’s formative role as a social tool: “Boxing is a refuge for the children and youth of our country. If Mexico is already a boxing powerhouse, just imagine with this program.”

The approach of “Boxing for Peace” is twofold: on one hand, to provide stability and support to professional boxers who face fluctuating income; on the other, to use boxing as a platform for discipline, integration, and community well-being throughout Mexico.