Tribute to Don Jose five years on

By James Blears

Sitting here in this old and beautiful  Cathedral  it`s hard to believe that it`s been five years since Jose Sulaiman passed away, because there was so much vitality and enthusiasm in all he did and all that he accomplished.

For Don Jose, loyalty was the most  essential  factor.  Bearing witness to that,  there  are people here today who knew him when they were children, mixing with his Sons and Daughters in baseball little league and other pursuits, and now as adults working for the World Boxing Council.  Others,  notably Don Victor Cota, The WBC`s Historian who  cherished a half century of friendship with him.  Don Jose`s principle of trust held good to the Ernest Hemmingway observation: “The best way to find out if you can trust someone is to trust them.”

Towards the end of his life, it was possible to detect a certain restlessness about Don Jose.  He knew that so much remained to be done, but for him time was ebbing away.  As Oscar Wilde wrote: “The tragedy of old age is not that one is old, but one is young.”

Don Jose wanted to insure that former champions who had fallen on to hard times and who`s health was precarious, would avoid being destitute.  With the Help of billionaire Carlos Slim and the one million dollars Hublot Auction of exquisite watches, plus so many other contributions, he established an independent  Fund, which provides pensions and helps those in genuine need.

Throughout his Presidency of the World Boxing Council, Don Jose took decisive stances and championed brave causes.  He banned all contact with apartheid ridden South Africa, only re-establishing the link when the Great Nelson Mandela democratically became President. 

Seeing the suffering of boxers who were driving themselves beyond the limit, he reduced WBC Championship fights from fifteen to twelve rounds.  It was a courageous and visionary decision, which was soon followed by all the other boxing organizations.  More importantly it`s saved many lives and prevented countless injuries.   Exhaustion is a cruel foe.

2018 was  a tough year for the Sulaiman family with Lucy and Mauricio being taken ill and spending quite some time in hospital.  As is always  the way with the World Boxing Family, it rallies around with love and support.  It`s forever  there in good times and in bad times.  This is what we mean when we say the WBC is a large, extended, but close family.

Mauricio who was unanimously elected President, following  Don Jose`s death, has worked tirelessly to  advance the World Boxing Council as the Sport`s supreme powerhouse.   Among many other achievements, he has established the Clean Boxing Program in which the champion and first fifteen ranked fighters in each division, must enroll and be ready to be tested at all times.  Everyone is responsible for what they  put into their body.  No one will be allowed to gain an unfair advantage via doping.  Lives are at stake and the very future of Boxing.

Mauricio is also adding further  weight regulations.  The most important element of this is a weigh in on the same day of the fight, in which  neither  fighter may exceed more than ten percent of the stipulated division limit.   Yes…there are still fighters who are dehydrating themselves to make the weight. While others are ballooning up so much that by the time the bell rings, a super welterweight can be fighting a cruiserweight, poundage wise. 

President  John F Kennedy said: “Leadership and learning are indispensible to each other.”  During the thirty eight years  he led the World Boxing Council, Jose Sulaiman was always willing to listen and to learn.  Not only did the WBC donate more than  a million dollars to neuro research at UCLA,  It invites their brightest and keenest minds to share and explain to meetings, summits and conventions  in down to earth terms, about this tremendously important work.

There`s a famous photo of Don Jose and President Ronald Regan. Both lived long lives and achieved much.  Regan`s famous advice aptly fitted them  both: “Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly and leave the rest to God. “

To those of us who knew him well, we  miss that joyous laugh of Don Jose, which could cheer you up when you were down in the dumps, and his unique gift of friendship to all willing to embrace it, from duke to dustman.

Each and every day was important to Don Jose, because he knew he was changing, transforming  and bettering  boxing from the savage state in which he first found it,  into something safer and more humane

To again quote Ernest Hemmingway: “Today is only one day in all the days that will ever be.  But what will happen in all the others days that ever come, can depend on what you do today.”

When I remember Don Jose, loyalty and kindness always come to mind. 

Wife to Mauricio, Christiane Manzur, who`s  the daughter in law of Don Jose has said it best  in her capacity as a principal Director of WBC Cares: “It only takes a generous heart to help and give to others.”