By Mauricio Sulaimán / Son of José Sulaimán / WBC President

This was a  rock-and-roll weekend in Mexico City.

The Vive Latino festival took place at the GNP Stadium in which legendary rock band Scorpions blew the crowd out with yet a sensational performance, while  the sensational  band Tool performed on the esplanade of the Azteca Stadium with one of the greatest shows ever seen in Mexico.

I had a couple of great interviews in the past two weeks, one with Toño Esquinca y la Muchedumbre on his show Queremos Rock, and one with Jessie Cervantes on his show Contenido Extra. On both shows, I was able to talk about my passion for music.

I had the great fortune to meet Tool’s frontman, Maynard James Keenan, at an unforgettable dinner at Zeru restaurant, accompanied by my nephews Chepi, Pepe Toño, and Héctor, thanks to my friend Todd Fox. He’s a wonderful, down-to-earth, personable person who can talk about all kinds of topics, but above all, his passion for jiu jitsu.

On Friday, I met up with the band Scorpions, with whom I’ve been friends for many years. It was a memorable meal where we discussed their long-standing connection with boxing. Scorpions played in boxing shows organized by Klaus Peter Kohl’s Universum when former light heavyweight champion Dariusz Michalczewski fought. Their close friendship with the Klitschko brothers, and that great night when the WBC awarded them the Peace Belt for their humanitarian efforts during the Gala Dinner at our recent Convention in Hamburg.

Scorpions is celebrating its 60th anniversary and will be on a world tour throughout 2025, returning to Mexico in May, where we will organize a tribute.

Japan gave us a tremendous bout, that’s already a candidate for Fight of the Year; our champion Kenshiro Teraji, who was down on the Judges’ scorecards in the final round, mustered the heart of a true Samurai, to knock out the former WBA champion in the final round, thus unifying the flyweight championships.

Our great champion Saúl Canelo Álvarez will have his first fight outside the American continent, facing William Scully on May 3rd in Saudi Arabia. This event will feature other important bouts, such as Jaime Munguía’s rematch against Frenchman Bruno Surace, who surprised him with a dramatic knockout in Tijuana, and also WBC cruiserweight champion Badou Jack, who will face his official challenger Ryan Rozicki.

Finally, Japanese Naoya “Monster” Inoue will defend his undisputed championship against Ramón Cárdenas on May 4th in Las Vegas. Perhaps the most important weekend in boxing history, with New York, Riyadh, and Las Vegas, all within the framework of the traditional Mexican festival of May 5th Cinco de Mayo,  and the Battle of Puebla.

Incidentally, we are about to unveil the Adolfo López Mateos commemorative belt, which since 2017 celebrates one of Mexico’s many cultures.

The long-awaited rematch between interim WBC lightweight champion William Camarón Zepeda and former champion Tevin Farmer is approaching. It will take place on March 29 in Cancún, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions with Pepe Gómez’s Cancun Boxing.

Final preparations continue for the start of the Riyadh Season WBC Grand Prix, which will begin on April 17 with 64 fights in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. With 128 fighters from around the world at featherweight, super lightweight, middleweight, and heavyweight, they will have the first fight, a direct elimination bout to advance toward the José Sulaimán Trophy. There will be five events in total,  April, June, August, and October, with the grand finale on December 20.

Another important event approaching is the Women’s Boxing Summit, to be held on April 2 and 3 in Las Vegas, Nevada. We’ll have two busy days with a series of very important presentations related to women’s boxing: medical talks, mental health, addictions, financial planning, career options after life in the ring, and even a bowling tournament.

Did you know…

The boxing glove has been modified throughout the history of the sport. It was initially introduced to protect fighters’ hands, as injuries in bare-knuckle fights were very common. Later, the importance of the glove for protecting the recipient of the blows was understood.

For decades, there were no regulations or standards for the weight, size, and materials used in their manufacture. The World Boxing Council has taken important steps in this regard. Six-ounce gloves were standardized for light weights and eight-ounce gloves for other weights. Later, the 10-ounce glove was introduced, and the six-ounce glove, which basically offered no protection, was eliminated.

The glove with an attached thumb was introduced to prevent the common risk of retinal detachment. The Mexican company Cleto Reyes has been instrumental in the development of new materials and designs, and now we’re introducing the 12-ounce heavyweight glove. This glove features a special anatomical design to accommodate the large hands of this division and eliminate injuries.

Today’s anecdote…

Every Friday of our childhood, a friends’ get-together took place at the Sulaimán Saldívar house. My brothers Pepe, Héctor, and Fernando, along with my buddies, would get together to box. There were always plenty of gloves in my dad’s studio. Once, he came back from a trip and asked my Mom, “Hey, Martha, where are the gloves I brought from the Monzón-Mantequilla Nápoles fight and all the others I’ve brought from various fights?” Total silence. It turns out they were the ones we used every Friday, and God knows, where have those pieces of memorabilia gone?

I welcome your comments at contact@wbcboxing.com