By Mauricio Sulaimán – WBC President – Son of José Sulaimán
I begin this column by asking for your prayers for the health of my dear uncle Antonio Esper, who is in a delicate health situation; he was my father’s soul brother since childhood in Ciudad Valles, and he married his sister, my aunt Nelly. He was his constant and devoted travel companion in the beginnings of Don José in the WBC.
Our sport is one of the most popular in the world and has been for over 100 years. In its modern form, it began in England. People would gather to watch two individuals fight and would gamble on such fights ; there were no rules, it was a brutal, savage and cruel spectacle, even inhuman.
Believe it or not, in this 2023, there are splinter groups that are presenting something similar of what boxing was in the late 1800´s with bare-knuckle fights, slap competition and others, regressing to brutality, and gore that only unscrupulous, bloodthirsty people like to watch.
Well going back to boxing, it eventually became a sport of nobility and thus gained the attention of royals who somehow started the process of establishing rules, the first known as the Marquess of Queensberry.
Arenas were packed, stadiums were built specifically for boxing matches, and it was that way for decades until television came along; a transformation of thousands of fans to millions, and eventually became the main source of income for promoters, TV rights, and eventually pay-per-view area far more important than box office ticket sales.
That is why stadium events are now a true luxury for fans, both for those who attend and for those who can see the event on the small screen.
This coming May 6th will be the first stadium boxing card in our country in the last 30 years. Saúl Canelo Álvarez will defend his four super-middleweight belts against Englishman John Ryder, at the Akron Stadium, home of Chivas de Guadalajara. An event keenly anticipated by all of Mexico, El King returns home after 12 years of not fighting in his country, the land where he was born, and where he developed his career from the beginning, fighting in all kinds of arenas, from small ones even doing so in ranches ( it is a fact that Canelo has some 8 bouts not registered in Boxrec ) A red headed freckled boy who started under the guidance of his brother Rigoberto, until the day that Don Chepo Reynoso and his son Eddy took him onward to achieve one of the most important careers in boxing history.
![](https://suljosblog.com/suljos/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/canelo-ryder.jpg)
All of Mexico will join in a great celebration, the Cinco de Mayo Fiesta in Zapopan and Guadalajara, Jalisco. The Governor, Enrique Alfaro, was present at the official announcement of the Billboard Bonanza and will be fully involved in promoting this historic boxing event. The Mayors Pablo Lemus, from Guadalajara, and Juan José Frangie, from Zapopan, have also joined in making this a great celebration of the 200 years of freedom, independance and sovereignty of the state of Jalisco.