By: Francisco Martinez

WBC cares charity golf tournament to become a annual event according to Mauricio Sulaiman. The son of the late, great Jose Sulaiman. The Sulaiman’s have been the WBC main creative control leaders for decades and deserve a large part for its success year after year, decade after decade. Boxinginsider.com attended the press conference for its very first golf tournament which takes place in July at the Morango Resort and Casino which expects celebrities from all categories of entertainment to join the charity event. Here’s a little “Q & A” that we had with Mr. Sulaiman as things wrapped up at the conference.

Boxinginsider.com: “Tell me how important this event is for you?”

Mauricio Sulaiman: “It is extremely important because this is the first golf tournament officially of the WBC and this is a way to go back and reach out to the community and join the boxing world with the community. With great benefits for the foundations we’re trying to help”

Boxinginsider.com: “How do feel about the AIBA and their international expansion?”

Mauricio Sulaiman: “Well, they are having problems because amateur boxing should not be done as they’re doing. They’re trying to expand into professional and trying to change all the rules and that is hurting the amateur programs in many countries of the world”

Boxinginsider.com: “How do feel about this potential move that the PBC (Premier Boxing Champions) might have their own titles?” (Currently there’s four lineal world titles in boxing the WBA, WBO, IBF and the leading “green belt” the World Boxing Council version of the four. Whom Mauricio Sulaiman is president of)

Mauricio Sulaiman: “Well that’s completely speculation. We have been supportive of PBC because the situation is they have open television in the United States that is great for the sport of boxing and we’re not going to anticipate or rule on gossip or jump into any conclusions. We are supportive. If situations change and there’s something that would turn bad for the sport then we could take any actions so far we have been supportive of the concept of free television in the USA”

Boxinginsider.com: “You guys ended the year with attempts to combine all four titles into one is that something your still working on?”

Mauricio Sulaiman: “Yeah we’re working on it and each organization has their own rules and their own plans. We have proposed a tournament of champions and we’re going to continue to try and make some things happen. Unfortunately we can only respond to what the WBC can do”

Boxinginsider.com: “Danny Garcia moves up in weight. He vacates the title and the title is now there for Postol vs Matthysse. Is that fight going to happen?” (Danny Garcia was the current junior welterweight (140lbs) WBC champion until he vacated in order to move up to welterweight (147lbs) now the WBC has ordered that Viktor Postol vs Lucas Matthysse be made in order to crown a new WBC junior welterweight king)

Mauricio Sulaiman: “That fight is going to happen. They’re in negotiations right now. It’s going to be a tremendous fight Postol has great merits and Matthysse has been a champion before, has a lot of hunger to get back his championship. It should be a great fight”

Boxinginsider.com: “How important is it that fighters, legends like (Danny) Lopez , (Henry) Tillman, (Ponce) De Leon come show support to the WBC who’s been great to them as world champions for the WBC and boxing?”

Mauricio Sulaiman: “That’s is our core. The WBC is and will always be for the boxers for the champions. We are very close to all boxers since they’re young since the amateur time. When they’re champions and especially when they are in their stage after the ring. We’re always together and it’s what makes the WBC a special organization because It’s a great family we’re so proud of. We embrace all of them regardless of age, situation, we like to help. We would like to be there for them always”

Boxinginsider.com: “Tell me a little bit of life after your father for the WBC. What plans do you guys have on taking the WBC that step further?”

Mauricio Sulaiman: “Well it has been a difficult year. Many mixed feelings. I miss my father very much. In the other hand boxing allows me to feel very close to him so one way is I have been taking his plans, his ideas, he left a lot of work to be done. We’re just performing, trying to make that happen and I feel very happy. Boxing is a great sport and that was the life of my father. I feel proud to be able to represent him and his ideas”

Boxinginsider.com: “So your father lives through you vicariously and you don’t plan on making too many extreme changes that would affect the WBC integrity. Tell me a little bit of what you guys plan on keeping for the WBC?”

Mauricio Sulaiman: “Yes. We are continuing the medical research. We’re going to continue supporting female boxing. We’re going to work hard in the amateur program. We’re working to see how boxing can be safer. There’s many stories going on. We’re going into out of competition drug testing with VADA (Voluntary Anti-Doping Association). We’re getting a program to prevent mismatches with BoxRec(.com) so there’s many things going on and it’s just time is very short and it really gets frustrating a little bit when you realize it’s 10:00 o’clock at night and you didn’t get accomplished all that you wanted to do. Then you wake up the next day. The WBC is made of thousands of people around the world. All volunteers all passionate to service boxing”

Boxinginsider.com: “You guys have some real great woman champions but at the time there isn’t really much woman boxing presented in television. Do you guys plan on pushing the woman’s boxing scene into television?”

Mauricio Sulaiman: “Yes, absolutely. We had the first ever female boxing convention last year we’re going to have the second one this year and that’s our goal to be able to show the girls fighting in network television and give them and provide the opportunities they deserve”

Boxinginsider.com: “Thank you. We appreciate it Mr. Sulaiman”

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