By Mauricio Sulaimán – WBC President – Son of José Sulaimán
Mexico woke up with a new world champion. Born in Hermosillo, Sonora, Sergio Mendoza dramatically knocked out former champion Ricardo Sandoval. This is, in essence, the true greatness of boxing: the champion was considered the absolute favorite, while the challenger was brought in with only two weeks’ notice because the original opponent, Collazo, was injured—and thus, against all odds, came the big surprise.
Once again, I wish to congratulate the Ratings Committee and the WBC Board of Governors for their very wise decision to accept Sergio Mendoza as a substitute opponent to save the Golden Boy Promotions event in Chicago. Those are precisely the executive decisions that make a world of difference in our organization.
On another note, this weekend the newspaper Ovaciones celebrated a century since its first publication—and what a way to celebrate! It was a top-tier gala where the best of the best in Mexican sports were awarded, honoring 22 protagonists of those unforgettable pages:
Julio César Chávez: Considered the greatest boxer in the country’s history. He was a world champion in three different divisions and maintained an impressive professional undefeated streak of 90 fights during more than 14 years, 37 world title fights and today is a hero of life as he has been 18 years sober and his goal is to save as many people as possible from addictions.
Rubén “El Púas” Olivares: A true idol of the Mexican people. The former boxer was a bantamweight and featherweight world champion, remembered for his devastating left hook and matchless charisma that drew massive crowds.
Hugo Sánchez: Historic striker. Considered the best Mexican footballer of the 20th century, winning five Pichichi trophies in Spain and a Golden Boot with Real Madrid.
Sergio “Checo” Pérez: Prominent Formula 1 driver, currently with the Cadillac team. In his discipline, he is the most successful Mexican in history, achieving multiple victories and podiums on the world’s most demanding circuits.
Eduardo Nájera: The former basketball player from Chihuahua became the second Mexican player in history to reach the NBA, where he remained successfully for 12 seasons thanks to his quality and discipline.
Carlos Hermosillo: The former footballer and striker from Veracruz is the second highest scorer in the history of the Mexican First Division and an icon of Cruz Azul, although he played for other Liga MX clubs as well.
Enrique Borja: The legendary striker and idol of Mexican football shone with América and won three scoring titles. He is remembered for his appearances with the National Team in the 1966 England and 1970 Mexico World Cups.
Daniel Aceves: The former Greco-Roman wrestler made history by earning the silver medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, standing as a Latin American pioneer on the podium of this discipline.
Vinicio “Vinny” Castilla: Top-tier Major League baseball player. He is the Mexican with the most home runs in MLB history, shining mainly with the Colorado Rockies.
Leonardo Lavalle: Former professional tennis player with outstanding performances for Mexico in the Davis Cup, achieving an honorable position on the ATP circuit and winning five doubles titles.
Eloy Cavazos: A great figure and icon of Mexican bullfighting. He exited through the Puerta Grande of Las Ventas in Madrid on two occasions during the 1970s, consolidating a legendary career in rings worldwide.
María del Rosario Espinoza: Historical exponent of world taekwondo and the most decorated Mexican female athlete in Olympic Games, accumulating three medals in three consecutive editions (Gold in Beijing 2008, Silver in London 2012, and Bronze in Rio 2016).
Paola Espinosa: The former Olympic diver enjoyed a great career. She is a two-time Olympic medalist (Beijing 2008 and London 2012) in the 10-meter synchronized platform, as well as a world champion.
Joselito Adame: Matador and key figure of contemporary bullfighting, headlining major international cards both at the Plaza México and in the most prestigious European arenas.
Paola Longoria: Epoch-defining professional racquetball player, regarded as the best female racquetball player in world history, accumulating multiple world championships and an undefeated reign for over a decade on the professional tour.
Isaac del Toro: The young road cyclist who represents the future of national cycling. He conquered the historic Tour de l’Avenir in 2023, becoming the first Mexican to win that prestigious international competition, and finished third overall in the 2026 Tour de France.
Raúl Allegre: Former NFL football player. He performed with great success as a kicker, winning two Super Bowl rings with the New York Giants.
Felipe “El Tibio” Muñoz: Former Mexican Olympic swimmer who heroically captured the gold medal in the 200-meter breaststroke at the 1968 Mexico Olympic Games.
Carlos Mercenario: Former race walker and athletics specialist who earned the silver medal in the 50-kilometer walk at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.
Hugo Rodríguez Barroso: Extreme athlete and Mexican mountaineer, historically recognized as the first athlete in the world to complete the “Peak & Pond Challenge”—an achievement consisting of reaching the summit of Mount Everest and swimming across the English Channel.
Manuel Negrete: Former footballer developed at Pumas UNAM who etched his name in letters of gold in the history of international football by scoring what was voted by FIFA as the greatest goal in World Cup history: a scissor-kick at the 1986 Mexico World Cup in the Azteca Stadium.
Raúl González: Legendary race walker who had a historic and dominant performance at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, winning the gold medal in the 50-kilometer walk and silver in the 20-kilometer walk.
A deeply moving moment came when a video was projected to remember many of those who gave so much during their time in this life and left their mark writing pages in letters of gold in the history books of Mexican sports. It was deeply touching for me to see my beloved father, José Sulaimán, in that moving tribute.
Did you know…?
Julio César Chávez will always be the greatest in every sense. At the end of the ceremony, with all the honorees on stage with their trophies, the photographers were struggling because the lineup of stars was so long that they simply couldn’t fit into the shot. Julio, being the natural leader he is, stepped forward and knelt down as if for classic football team photos. Immediately, the great Hugo Sánchez, Daniel Aceves, Vinicio Castilla, Eduardo Nájera, and Manuel Negrete did the same, and thus the memory photo of this unforgettable night was captured, in the presence of José A. Aguirre, owner of Ovaciones, and its general director, Guillermo Ortega.
Today’s Anecdote
My father, Don José Sulaimán, was deeply in love with Mexico. Every time an athlete or national team excelled, he celebrated it to the fullest. He passionately followed game after game of Fernando Valenzuela back in the era when satellite dishes were just beginning; Don José would arrive in the afternoons searching for which satellite had the Dodgers game broadcast. In that same way, he followed the careers of great medalists and professional athletes with a sense of pride and belonging like few others.
One of his favorite anecdotes was that glorious day when Felipe “El Tibio” Muñoz captured the gold medal in the Francisco Márquez Olympic Pool during the 1968 Mexico Olympics—gold in swimming, simply unthinkable given the level of competition.
“Mijito, that day will forever remain etched in my soul and heart. Furthermore, I never again heard a roar from the crowd like that one; in those final 50 meters, as you could see El Tibio with the chance to win a medal, it was deafening. Never again did I hear a crowd so thrilled as on that day.”
I welcome your comments at contact@wbcboxing.com
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