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Pound4Pound Gets The WBC President To Open Up Hall Of Fame Inductee Jose Sulaiman Lets it All Hang Out
Congratulations on your induction to The Hall Of Fame, this is a great honor for you as well as The WBC. As the most prestigious organization in boxing, an honor like this is much deserved and is a longtime coming. Tell us about your journey over the years and some of the biggest impacts you feel The WBC and yourself have made in the game. It has been a long journey in boxing. I started as a child in boxing in 1942-43, and boxed amateur for bout 5-6 years, in which I got a broken jaw and a fractured nose. I was appointed secretary of the Ciudad Valles, a very small town boxing commission , when I was only about 17-18 years old , by going to the meetings with my uncle, who was the commissions doctor and where I started doing office boy jobs ,,,,,,,,,,,,,, as I studied out of my home town, I continued attending the meetings of the boxing commissions of the cities here I went to school , until after my graduation in business , when I was elected president of my state of Tamaulipas commission, moving up to vice-president and president of the Mexican national boxing Federation , moving up to vice-president and president of the NABF , to move to legal advisor, vice-chairman of the ratings committee of the WBC , to be elected in 1971 as its secretary general and president in 1975 in the world convention in Tunis, North Africa. All that in 32 years, plus the 31 years as president of the WBC, I have been in boxing for about 62 years, which is so fast to mention but for so long to live , that it has been a life time. I am 75 years old. 1 A ** I would say that starting the WBC with only 11 nations in 1973 ( I was not a founder ) , and having today l61 nations affiliated , my generation has succeeded in bringing together the world of boxing to work in unity and mutual cooperation in must of the cases . B** I would say that the major Achievement of the WBC, has been to bring safety in boxing to its best ever in the history of boxing as the sport was a legalized savage sport in 1973, where safety was limited to a brief medical exam during the weigh ins, which were only hours before the fights, and only the heart rate, blood pressure, “open your mouth and God bless you “. C** The safety measures implemented first in WBC title fights , but later implemented by all national and state commissions , have been so successful, that from the 15 – 20 annual fatal accidents of yesteryear , they have come down to 3 – 5 of today , considering all the world in times when news are known only minutes after matters happen, D** Very few of the rules and actions implementations have been, the reduction from 15 to 20 rounds; ** the 30 and 7 official pre weigh ins ;** the 24 hour previous to fights official weigh in to avoid the prior phantom like boxers who were pushed by fatigue over the limits of human endurance ; **the 4 rope rings to avoid the mortal hit of the back of the head in the 3d and lower rope of the past; **the thumb attached gloves to eliminate the use of the thumb that use to cause so many retina detachments ** the mandatory thorough annual medical examinations for renewal of licenses , that in the past did not exist ** the mandatory neurological full examinations after K.O.´s or multiple concussions, ** the prohibition of dangerous haemostatic openly used in the past ** the institution since 1976 of the anti-doping laboratory tests ** the alcohol, doping and Aids awareness program instituted with posters y most gyms of the world ** the donation of about 1 million dollars for the permanent medical research for the prevention and treatment of brain damage ** the modest pension plan, through which boxers from different countries are helped with food and medicines as well as hospital support to them and their families ** and many more which would take long to detail, and which has changed the sport of boxing to a much more humanized sport compared to the savage violence of the past, which you can even see if you watch old fights videos compared to those of today.
Obviously as the times change and the fighters change there is need for new rules and guidelines. What are some of the changes you think need to be made in the game of boxing today? 2 ** Boxing has been a continuous erupting volcano , due mainly for the different financial vested interests **and the continuous aggressive public participation of some promoters of boxing, who don’t have any respect for the sport nor for the rights of the must humble , with which we have had to deal with through all the years of our existence ; **the lack of reciprocity mainly among the USA boxing commissions , as well as with the international organizations;** many times the abuse of some promoters over boxers and other, ( there are many good promoters, also ) ; ** the use of boxing through its media of public personalities mostly to create confusion , and many other matters that we have had to cope through the years, including our own faults and mistakes, which we have done in good faith. 3 ** some of the positive impacts left by the WBC through the years have been ** safety at its highest levels ever ** our fight and victory over apartheid ** the creation of intermediate divisions to help boxers in their decision to move up in weight , by having much less weight differences than in the past , ** the implementation of annual mandatory defenses by champions to avoid injustices of the past like Sonny Liston, Archie Moore and José Nápoles , rated # 1 for years without receiving an opportunity for the title , ** the permanent medical research for safety in boxing; ** the world medical congresses that have brought so much improvement in safety ; ** the world ring officials congresses for training, fairness and even rule amendments** the implementation of championship belts, that have become the dream and pride of boxers of today ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, and many, many more achievements through the years . 4 ** yes, rules amendments as a constant need in boxing , mainly for the changing of times and the constant change of boxing commissioners, that come in mostly by political appointments with little knowledge of the sport , to be changed again , when they start to become experts , but rules , I believe , have been brought in great numbers during the last 30 years of the WBC and more important than new rules , is the need of boxing commission unification , implementation of the already established rules and actions, reciprocity and mutual cooperation is what is more needed today than ever Before, as what is the use of implementation of rules if some commissions don’t do it.
There has been an increased problem with the weights of fighters as of late, and as you know, some very high profile fights have been destroyed because fighters can’t make weight. Can you tell us what you think can be done about this problem? 5 ** the problems of the weight of boxers recently is directly related to the excessive compulsion of promoters and some representatives in forcing fights that just can not be made by the natural biological transformation of the physiques of boxers , as well as the pressures of television in showing matches of NAMES , which as human beings should not be confronted. It comes also for the indifference of some commissions not to follow safety rules that have been implemented like the mandatory pre weigh ins to sign for fights only boxers that are within medically accepted weight limits , as well as the checking of a professional safe process for reduction of weights to come to the division limits at the appropriate times ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, and not what trainers do, forced by promoters contracts, enforcing inhuman weight reduction processes, that are a major threat to the health and lives of boxers. One example is Castillo , who did not make the allowed limits of the pre weigh ins , with indifference by promoters and the boxing commission , and then trying to have him commit suicide by trying to make him lose weight over the limits of human endurance ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, to then, suspend him and fine him for not having risked his life. One other example of some one making the weight, but leaving everything that he had in the process was Eric Morales, Who trained more than 3 months, but being a weight loss training and not exactly a fight training,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, he made the weight, yes , but left everything in the process to become an easy target for his rival Manny Pacquiao . THE intermediate divisions, the 30 and 7 pre weigh ins and the 24 hour pre fight official weigh in have been the greatest matters ever done in boxing for an optimum state of safety as well, as for many more opportunities for boxers.
Lastly, we here at Boxing2006.com want to thank you for being such a good friend to our site. You have always responded quickly to our questions, and even though the answers have sometimes been difficult, you have always been an honest man and that alone puts you in our Hall of Fame as well! Thanks Jose! These are my thoughts and ideas, my friend Mr. Trillo , and I feel very strong and I am very proud to have them implemented by the Board of Governors of the WBC, who are very distinguished citizens of all the countries of the world which are affiliated to the WBC , work with commitment and passion, without any compensation at all. Please accept my very best personal regards, as my best wishes for a very merry Christmas and a very successful new year,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, José Sulaimán |
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