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Evander Holyfield’s The Real Deal Boxing & World Boxing
Council Announce Jose Sulaiman World Invitational Tournament
For 2018
Evander Holyfield’s The Real Deal Boxing has announced a
World Boxing Council Welterweight Tournament over three
spectacular events in 2018 at a site to be determined.
The inaugural three-round, eight-man, single-elimination
international tournament, the ‘Jose Sulaiman World
Invitational” is open to all world-class boxers who may
qualify for a ranking in the top 40 by the WBC in the
welterweight division.
The tournament will be a bracket-style tournament with the
seeding for first-round matchups determined by the WBC
ratings committee and an interactive polling of the fans.
Each fighter in round 1 will receive a purse of $15,000.00
(US), with the winner of each bout receiving a victory bonus
of $7,500.00 (US).
Each fighter in round 2 will receive a purse of $30,000.00
(US), with the winner of each bout receiving a victory bonus
of $15,000.00 (US).
Each fighter in round 3 (finals) will receive a purse of
$75,000.00 (US), with the winner receiving a $25,000.00 (US)
victory bonus.
**all bouts in the first two rounds of the tournament will
be 10-rounds; in case of a draw, the contestants should be
ready to go to an immediate 11th round.
“The welterweight division is among the hottest divisions in
boxing and the WBC is the very best organization in boxing
to work with on this unique and fan-friendly event,” said
boxing legend Holyfield.
Said COO of The Real Deal Boxing, Eric Bentley, “We’ve said
from the start that we want to stand out and provide a
unique experience for our fighters and our fans. This
tournament will offer a select group of fighters an
opportunity to fight on a global platform for the WBC with
the potential to earn a high ranking. It’s a big undertaking
for our company but we’re up to the challenge and believe
this can be something we do on a regular basis. Our
intention is to create an innovative experience that will
transcend the sport of boxing from a medical, regulatory,
and production standpoint.”
“There are still many problems in the sport of boxing that
have not been rectified, and our team has worked hard with
the WBC to create a concept that can hopefully lead to
improvements in these areas, such as developing a
standardized scoring criteria and increasing the number of
judges to minimize the margin of error, just to name a few.
We’ve spoken with several commissions and regulatory
authorities around the world who would be interested in
employing these methods and we expect to have dates,
locations, and broadcast information ready to be released in
the coming weeks."
“We’re looking forward to working with Mauricio Sulaiman and
his great team at the World Boxing Council on this
extraordinary event, and are greatly appreciative of the
opportunity to carry out the legacy of Jose Sulaiman with
this recurring tournament.”
Stated Mauricio Sulaiman of the World Boxing Council,
“Evander Holyfield and The Real Deal Boxing is making my
father’s dream a reality. The Jose Sulaiman World
Invitational tournament will lead our sport into a new era
as these concepts truly capture the essence of boxing and
its global interest. Fighters from around the world will
meet to have a sole winner, who will eventually be finding a
world title opportunity in the world’s most important boxing
entity, the WBC.
“This tournament will launch several innovative rules and
procedures and our gratitude goes to Evander, our great
legendary champion and his staff for making this a reality.”
Included among the unique aspects set forth for the
tournament;
--Boxing fans will be given the opportunity to help
determine the seeding of each fighter. The WBC will provide
their rankings of the top eight, which will account for 50%
of the consideration; boxing fans will be able to vote for
seeding and first round matchups through The Real Deal
Boxing social media and that will account for the other 50%.
--Depending on the number of qualified applicants, the same
process will apply for the selection of the two back-up
boxers.
--Development and implementation of a standardized scoring
process that clearly defines how the judges should score
each bout.
--Additional judges to minimize margin of error. A fourth
judge will be placed at ringside and a fifth judge will be
placed in front of a TV monitor with no audio commentary.
All five judges’ scorecards will be used if the fight goes
the distance.
--Employment of an Open Scoring concept to allow fighters
the knowledge if they are winning or losing a fight.
--Assignment of Neutral and Experienced Judges throughout
the tournament.
Further details on tickets and the telecast network will be
announced shortly.
José Sulaimán devoted his life to the sport of boxing, and
because of his efforts to innovate and push the envelope,
the sport is a safer place. His commitment to the boxers,
their health and safety, and their right to a fair
opportunity set him apart from all others and immortalized
him as the most influential leader in the sports history.
Now under the leadership of his son Mauricio, the WBC
continues to revolutionize and improve boxing through
various initiatives, such as the Clean Boxing Program, WBC
Cares, and new opportunities for more fighters to experience
the value of aligning with the WBC.
Evander Holyfield and his company Real Deal Sports &
Entertainment, are committed to revolutionizing boxing. From
employing a full-time medical staff and partnering with
various hospitals and imaging centers, to establishing
community outreach initiatives, to providing opportunities
for the boxers beyond the sport of boxing, Real Deal Sports
& Entertainment is proud to share Don Jose’s vision to
transcend the sport.
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