“José Sulaimán” Boxers Fund

A dream come true, by which to serve others, our dear Don José Sulaimán managed to realize and achieve one of his greatest wishes: to help fighters who had fallen upon hard times.

This involved many years of work and sleepless nights,  where Don José’s anguish led him experience great worry, uneasiness, concern, and distress, as he saw that many of the great legends spending their twilight years mired and then submerged in abject poverty, illness and obscurity… without the support of a “helping hand” to overcome problems..

This constant concern of our WBC Lifetime President led him to vigorously knock on many doors, because he knew that in order to fulfil this goal he would need the kindness and help of many people who shared his ideals.

Through his dedicated efforts and persevering determination, Don José found a sports-loving ally, a man who identified with this concern, the president of the prestigious Swiss watch brand Hublot, Jean-Claude Biver, who immediately went to work, united with Don José.

 It was then that the dream moment arrived in October 2012, an unforgettable night that took place at the Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, where the unprecedented auction of Hublot Luxury Watches was held, raising a total of $1,000,000 (one million dollars) and that marked a new direction in boxing, because from that moment on a great initiative was launched. That night the Fund for Champions was formed.

 For Jose Sulaiman, it was very important to give the fund complete independence.  It was therefore necessary that it be managed by the Nevada Community Foundation, which was appointed as administrator, a non-profit organization based in Las Vegas, with the firm intention of supporting fighters worldwide. 

The generosity of the Telmex-Telcel Foundation, among other organizations and individuals, as well as the inexhaustible services of the Fund’s Selection Committee, have managed to ensure its economic health and thereby help hundreds of boxers who today live better lives.

The fund has been continuously growing and in 2020 the WBC and the Nevada Community Foundation took another important step to support our boxing family by creating an extension of the fund to provide support during the Covid-19 pandemic for boxers, active and retired, with food and support. 

The  “Covid-19 Help Fund” has supported boxers in Nicaragua, Argentina, Thailand, China, Colombia, Spain, the United States, the Philippines, Panama, Mexico, among other countries.

In this way, the cherishd dream of Don José is a reality. An ideal that he always pursued and never gave up on, so much so that he fought for it until his last days. Today it continues to flourish with tthe leadership of WBC President Mauricio Sulaimán who has the firm conviction to continue protecting and providing security to those who need it the most.