Round 12: Big Events to Close Out 2025

By Mauricio Sulaimán / Son of José Sulaimán… / President of the WBC

I was present in Monterrey to witness an emotional tribute to one of the most important leaders in Mexican sports, Don Pedro Treto Cisneros, who presided over the Mexican Baseball League for 18 years. He was immortalized with a large statue outside the Estadio de Beisbol Monterrey, where the Sultanes play. The Treto Garza family was accompanied by various personalities.

Don Pedro was born in Ciudad Victoria and played baseball with my father ; they were close friends and, along with Don Rafael Del Castillo, they founded COMEDEP. Rafael Jr., my brother Pepe, and I spent time with his sons, Pedro Rubén, Pedro Pablo, and Luis Arturo, in what was a meeting full of anecdotes and remembrances of our elders.

This week we lost two very beloved friends in boxing, both from the United States. Steve Morrow, one of the best judges, passed away in the company of his family, leaving a profound void, and promoter and manager Roland Jankelson, who was a great support for many boxers, including Pinklon Thomas, a former heavyweight world champion.

On Saturday, the rematch between Connor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr. took place ; the first fight in June was epic and Eubank came away with the victory , but this time Connor prevailed with a great display of class in Tottenham, England, thus putting an end to the great rivalry between these two families. Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn starred in two of the most savage fights in the 1990s; Eubank won the first and the rematch ended in a draw.
This triumph marks an end to what was a story of great suffering for Connor , who was penalized a couple of years ago for an alleged doping offense that left him ridiculed ; without money or honor, he had the greatness to maintain his integrity and is now back at the top. The WBC was in his corner during this process, and today we can celebrate a story of success and justice.

San Luis Potosí was the venue for an international boxing night where Zanfer and Top Rank joined forces to stage the defense of the WBO Featherweight Champion. Rafael ‘El Divino’ Espinoza battered the Ukrainian Arnold Khegai, in a bout that was stopped.

I am ready to leave for Tokyo, where I will be present for one of the most important fights in Japanese history. The brother of the sensation Naoya Inoue, Takoma, will contest the bantamweight world championship against his compatriot Tenshin Nakazawa , who is a very popular young man due to his great career in kickboxing and his extensive social media activity. This title was vacated since fellow Japanese Junto Nakatani moved up to super bantamweight, seeking the fight against Inoue, scheduled for May ; however, before that, both must win their bouts in Riyadh on December 27.

I will arrive in Bangkok on November 25 to finalize the preparations for what will be an incredible WBC Annual Convention. It will be the eighth convention in the Kingdom of Siam, in Thailand. It will also be special as it will address topics of great importance, both for the boxing industry and for the safety of those who step into the ring.
We have some tributes, one to Kovid Badhkibumi, who has been a member of the Board of Governors for almost 30 years. The Bravest Man in the World award will also be presented , a prize that originated when the boy Bridger Walker saved his sister from a dog attack. The Champion of Life award will also be granted as part of the social responsibility programs that Jill Diamond leads globally.
The presence of great figures is confirmed : Oleksandr Usyk, Terence Crawford, Chiquita González, Katie Taylor, La Barbie and Lulú Juárez, and Jeff Fenech, among others. Furthermore, WBC Ambassadors Erik Morales, Cristian Mijares, and José Luis Castillo will present a social program during those days.

There will be a Muay Thai event and a boxing gala featuring the defense of the WBC strawweight world championship , between the Venezuelan Carlos Cañizales and his Thai challenger Thammanoon Niyomtrong.

We are going to propose rules, such as a scoring system for judges. The concept was prepared by my father, José Sulaimán , and was revisited during the pandemic by the Ring Officials Committee in charge of Duane Ford. The aim is that the scores for each round are not just numerical, but that a qualitative assessment is added, indicating whether the round was won in a close, moderate, decisive, or extreme manner. Thus, those who win more convincingly will receive more points.

Did you know…?

For many years, the referee was the one who decided the winner if the fight did not end by knockout. Later, it was two judges and the referee, who also kept a scorecard. Currently, the system involves three judges and the point system.

Today’s Anecdote

One of Don José’s great pleasures was photography , and one of his favorite places to take pictures was the zoo. We would go as a family to the one in Chapultepec , where he would make all six children pose to take photos that he would submit for grading in the various courses he took … He would pose us and look for the lighting, contrast, and techniques he needed to develop. For the child whose turn it was, it was quite an ordeal, while the others mocked the one in front of the camera, and it was common for us to get angry.
“Come on, my child, look at the camera… Pepe, make Héctor laugh,” he would say.

One Sunday at the zoo, Lucy had to wear a long dress, and he put her on a tree. No matter how hard we tried to make her smile, she wouldn’t, and that’s how an image that captured melancholy was taken, which turned out to be one of Don José’s favorite photographs.

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