By Mauricio Sulaimán / WBC President / Son of José Sulaimán
One of the great publicists in boxing history passed away this past Thursday. Bill Caplan, known as “Uncle Bill,” leaves an indelible mark on the history of our sport and marks the end of an era in boxing.
I’m not sure if the term “public relations” existed back in the 60s and 70s, but Bill Caplan was the absolute best at it. He worked with Joe Louis, George Foreman, Don King, Bob Arum, and Oscar de la Hoya, among others. I first met him when I was eight years old while I was in California with my father and my brother Fernando. As Don José was very busy in meetings, Bill Caplan took us to Disneyland. That is how my relationship with this great man began, lasting until the final call I was fortunate enough to have with him just a few days ago.
Uncle Bill took me under his wings and supported me like few others have done. I owe to him the opportunity to have met many persons who I can call friends today. I will forever miss those classic meals, our traditional media dinners on fight week and just looking at him enjoying every single spoonful of ice cream.
May he rest in eternal peace and his memory will forever live in our hearts. My sincere condolences to his family and many friends worldwide.
Major League Baseball came to Mexico City, and the Alfredo Harp Stadium looked monumental – a venue on par with any other in the major leagues. The San Diego Padres felt like the home team, as the fans heavily favored them, and on Saturday they pulled off a dramatic comeback against the Arizona Diamondbacks, rallying from a 4-1 deficit to win 6-4. Arizona won Sunday´s game in a slugfest with six homers.
A global phenomenon that has invaded the boxing scene is the staging of cards featuring artists, influencers, personalities, and athletes from other sports – in short, people who are not boxers. This is a delicate subject, as boxing is not a game. You can’t play boxing. It is a contact sport that, if not regulated properly, can lead to serious consequences for anyone who enters the ring.
Supernova was presented at the Arena Ciudad de México to a sold-out crowd with a spectacular production; the second edition of this series was broadcast globally on Netflix. The World Boxing Council has collaborated with Supernova in both editions with the sole purpose of supporting and guiding the organizers to ensure things are done the right way. The Mexico City Boxing Commission, presided over by Don Ciro Nucci, has done a great job sanctioning these bouts, ensuring that all participants have medical exams in order, physical evaluations, and proper inspections. During the fights, they have applied strict protection measures, such as special rules for these matchups, experienced referees to handle the action with maximum attention, top-tier ringside medical services, and many other procedures that a boxing commission executes during a fight card. I hope it was a total success.
A week full of interest for world boxing is beginning with tremendous cards in several countries. In Japan, the main event features unified super bantamweight champion Naoya “The Monster” Inoue against former bantamweight world champion Junto Nakatani. A clash of champions that has already sold out the Tokyo Dome, featuring a combined record of 64 wins with no defeats and 37-0 in world championship fights between these two Japanese warriors.
On the same card, Naoya’s younger brother, Takuma Inoue, will defend his bantamweight world title against his compatriot Kazuto Ioka.
This card will be available to fans in Mexico and Latin America through the ESPN Knockout network, which, by the way, just celebrated seven years since its first broadcast. ESPN Knockout is, without a doubt, the dream of every boxing fan; they have made a great effort to bring major fights live, regardless of the day of the week or the time. Congratulations to its creator, Fernando Barbosa, and his great team, including Salvador Rodríguez, the Bermúdez brothers, Marialle Espinoza, and others.
Australia will host one of the most important boxing events ever as our proud interim champion, Skye Nicholson, will defend her WBC title against her eternal rival Mariah Turner.
Las Vegas will once again celebrate the traditional Mexican Cinco de Mayo holiday with boxing, a date that has belonged to Chávez, Morales, Barrera, Márquez, de la Hoya, and Canelo. On this occasion, it will be a great card headlined by Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramírez vs. David Benavídez, where the WBA and WBO cruiserweight championships will be contested.
Benavídez is the WBC light heavyweight world champion and will be looking to win a title in a third weight class.
As we have done since 2017, the WBC has crafted a commemorative belt for the winner – a gift from Mexico and the WBC to the world, as these are unique pieces that highlight one of the many cultures we have in our country. This time, it honors the state of Hidalgo with the Tollan Tlatequi belt, a masterpiece designed by Imperio de Metal.
The rest of the card is spectacular. They are all great fights.
Co-main event: WBC Silver Title: Óscar Duarte vs. Ángel “Tashiro” Fierro. This fight guarantees a war. It is imperative to highlight that the WBC silver super lightweight title is at stake – a crucial stepping stone toward the top of the division. Facing Duarte, Fierro comes in with the intention of ruining his plans, ensuring this fight will be one of the highlights of the night due to the aggressive style of both fighters.
Armando Reséndiz vs. Jaime Munguía (super middleweight): a clash of power at 168 pounds. Munguía seeks to prove his maturity in the ring against a Reséndiz who always delivers high-voltage performances and great physical resilience.
Isaac Lucero vs. Ismael Flores (super welterweight): a battle between talents looking to establish themselves on the international scene. Lucero, with his rising technique, faces Flores, who seeks to cause an upset and climb the ranks in the super welterweight division.
Did you know?
The commemorative Cinco de Mayo belts have been:
Huichol I (May 2017): Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez vs. Julio César Chávez Jr., in Las Vegas.
Chiapaneco I (May 2018): Gennady “GGG” Golovkin vs. Vanes Martirosyan, in Los Angeles.
Maya I (May 2019): Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez vs. Danny Jacobs, in Las Vegas.
Mazahua (May 2020): Dedicated to the heroes of humanity, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mestizo (May 2021): Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez vs. Billy Joe Saunders, in Dallas.
Xquenda ni hrucá lú (Oaxaca) (May 2022): Dmitry Bivol vs. Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez, in Las Vegas.
Puebla–Jalisco (May 2023): Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez vs. John Ryder, in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Tamaulipas (May 2024): Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez vs. Jaime Munguía, in Las Vegas; and
Xicoténcatl (May 2025): Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez vs. William Scull, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Anecdote of the day
At the end of 2012, Don José reached an incredible agreement with luxury watch brand Hublot. A gala was organized to raise funds to create the José Sulaimán Champions Fund. It was an impressive dinner in Las Vegas, where the “12 Greats of Boxing” were presented with their WBC Hublot watches. Additionally, one watch from each of those ring legends was auctioned off. The goal was to raise 1 million dollars. At the close of the final auction item, the goal was 45,000 dollars short. Bill Caplan picked up the phone and called Oscar de la Hoya, who immediately agreed to make up the difference and achieve the dream. That is who Bill Caplan was, and that is how Hublot started the fund that continues to support boxers in need all over the world today.
I appreciate your comments at contact@wbcboxing.com.
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