World Boxing Council News

HOOK TO THE BODY

By José Sulaimán

I feel the need today of talking briefly about me. Every human being, as modest or powerful as he might be, has his natural reactions of happiness or sadness, of tranquility or depression. The problems of a dignitary are felt the same as those of lower levels of life. I have felt them all in boxing, feeling just the same nervousness of a six-round boxer or a champion when going into the ring. Raton Macías used to tell me of the feeling in his stomach when walking into the ring until the time that the bell rang, in fear of not responding to the fans.

With most of my friends knowing my hyperactivity and practically never being subdued by bad feelings ever before, I fell during my recent solitude into a state of mind of disillusionment and disappointment to see how those who had been good friends in the past have turned with ingratitude and disloyalty, as there is nothing worse in life that seeing those that you have always liked and supported, champions and friends, to forget the past and shoot only for their vested interests. Also my concern and worry to see some of those who want to become the dictators of boxing by taking the sport abusively with their hatchets with the only interest of money, without scruples, ethics, or respect for others, which provokes us to continue struggling to keep the sport with opportunities for all within the principles of rule and order, and respect for the WBC that has been always in the first line to support and cooperate with all.

One of the several feelings of sadness that kept me low for a few days was the reaction of a boxer, Sergio Martínez, who blasted the WBC and me with his uncontrollable mouth, when I had always thought of him as a gentleman, after WBC was the one and only that gave to him ALL the opportunities to become what he is.

On the other side, news coming from Julio César’s promoters, without Julio’s published support, of having him fight against other boxers as an act of threat to the WBC and purely for money, against accepting the ruling of a mandatory challenger; promoters who have no idea of the spirit of Mexicans and Latin-Americans for whom honor, pride, and glory cannot be changed for money. Julio César Chávez Jr. is not a coward, as boxers are not cowards, and I am sure that he will respond to the spirit of Mexicans to prove with his valiant heart to fight to show that he is the real middleweight champion of the world, even when mercenaries try to tarnish his credibility.

It comes to my mind that sad night in 1982 when the WBC felt committed to make its rules be respected to withdraw recognition to my greatest boxing hero and dearest friend, Muhammad Ali, exactly for the same reason that appears to be the case of the people saying that Julito will fight some other boxers. Julio César Jr. is a proud son of the greatest fighter that Mexico has ever had, and for me one of the greatest 15 of all-time, and I know that he has the same dignity and sense of honor and that the news expressed by others will not touch him to fail. I sincerely hope that the WBC will not be forced to prove the vested interests that the ruling body is the WBC in our titles and will not accept impositions.

There is not even the slightest doubt that I am heading to the end of the road, and there would be no better reason for me than mounting on my horse and devote the whole rest of my life to take Don Quixote’s spearhead and ride to destroy evil - and stop him from continuing hurting the sport of my life.