By Mauricio Sulaimán – WBC President – Son of José Sulaimán
Our annual convention in Thailand has concluded, and it will be remembered as one of the most highly attended. Our organization’s conventions are not like the commercial ones everyone knows in Las Vegas, as they are not where companies showcase their products in large exhibition centers. This one brings together members of the sport from every corner of the world: judges, referees, commissioners, promoters, doctors, media, and fighters. We all wait a whole year to see each other again in a fraternal atmosphere where the common language is boxing.
Nearly two thousand people gathered in Bangkok, where everything accomplished during the year was reviewed and the action plan for 2026 was put together.
The WBC’s reason for existence is the boxer. In these meetings, important decisions are made to always ensure the sport is safer. The medical committee workshop was attended by 108 doctors, and during their open floor report presented a series of highly important topics and various measures will be implemented around the world. We will present a full report later.
Legendary champions such as Roberto Durán, Jeff Fenech (who is the greatest from Australia), Prince Naseem Hamed, Amir Khan, and John H. Stracey, just to name a few, were in attendance. Stracey was the first champion of the José Sulaimán era as president, as he was crowned one day after Don José’s election, knocking out the great Mantequilla Nápoles on December 6, 1975. Also present were the great Mexican champions Érik Morales, José Luis Castillo, Cristian Mijares, and Humberto “Chiquita” González, who had an emotional encounter with Saman Sorjaturong, the Thai champion who dethroned him in his last fight 30 years ago.
Current champions were there and fully participated in all activities: the heavyweight king Oleksander Usyk, Krystoff Wlodarczcyk, Michal Cieslak, Ricardo Sandoval, and Melvin Jerusalem, even our dearest Devin Haney came out to be with his WBC family.
The power of women was also present with Katie Taylor, Jelena Mrdjenovich , the dynamic sisters Lulú and Mariana Juárez, an Umi Ishikawa, among many more. Many silver champions, affiliated title champions, and contenders, as well as many WBC Muaythai champions from all eras.
We also enjoyed the presence of 15 world champions from Thailand, including the superstar Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, Veeraphol Sahaprom, Muangchai Kittikasem, and Sirimongkol Singmanassuk.
One of the priority topics is the retirement savings plan for all boxers. In addition to financial education, financial products are being developed as options for fighters with a view to protecting their future. Options for life insurance and investments with a variety of international firms are already available.
The obligation to report any knockout that occurs in the gym has been established. The boxing commission must be notified when this happens to prevent accidents in fights when pre-existing injuries are present.
The WBC also ratified its stance in favor of peace and its total rejection of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and Belarus. Therefore, the ban on holding boxing activities in these countries continues.
Following the great work of the ratings committee, mandatory fights were ordered across 18 divisions, setting a very attractive landscape for 2026. Oleksandr Usyk is close to confirming his fight against former world champion Deontay Wilder, a battle of knock-out artists at the highest level.
Champion David Benavidez requested permission to move up a division to face the Mexican “Zurdo” Ramírez at cruiserweight, a fight scheduled for the Cinco de Mayo weekend. Christian Mbilli will face Hamzah Sheeraz for the vacant super middleweight title, and the winner will take on Lester Martínez.
Sebastián Fundora will defend against Keith Thurman, while Vergil Ortíz fights Jaron Ennis, with the winners facing off at super welterweight.
Ryan García returns home to compete for the WBC welterweight title against champion Mario Barrios. The winner will face the Englishman Conor Benn. The Puerto Rican champion Subriel Matías, at super lightweight, will make his mandatory defense against Dalton Smith in New York on January 10th.
The Mexican David Picasso seeks the feat of dethroning the pound-for-pound king, Naoya Inoue in Saudi Arabia on December 27th. Our Mexican flyweight champion, Ricardo Sandoval, has a voluntary defense, as does Galal Yafai, before they face each other.
On Saturday, the interim super lightweight world champion, Isaac Cruz, rocked an arena in San Antonio, creating an epic atmosphere in a Fight of the Year candidate, a draw against Lamont Roach.
Great activity coming top this weekend all around the world:
DECEMBER 13th
Champion Badou Jack and German contender Noel Mikaelian will meet again at Ace Mission Studios in Los Angeles in a highly anticipated rematch for the WBC cruiserweight world title.
Skye Nicolson and Yuliahn Luna Ávila will clash at the Stockton Arena in California, United States. The female warriors will be competing for the WBC interim super bantamweight title.
On the undercard of Skye Nicolson’s event, Diego Pacheco and Kevin Lele Sadjo are gearing up for one of the weekend’s most intriguing matchups. The two fighters will battle for the vacant WBC Silver super middleweight title.
A high-stakes women’s bout is scheduled: Emilie Sonvico and Dee Allen will meet in Uzès, France, for the vacant WBC Silver welterweight championship.
Did You Know…?
Next year will mark a double anniversary which we have decided to celebrate in a big way with an event called 80/50. Sylvester Stallone, who is the greatest ambassador in boxing history, will turn 80, and the most important film in the sport, Rocky, will turn 50. We will organize a series of activations and a grand gala to commemorate these dates.
Today’s Anecdote
My father dedicated a lot of time and effort to designing and implementing the protocols to follow to achieve a successful convention in every sense. Before, they were just a couple of meetings, a party, and then everyone went home. He implemented a manual that, to this day, we follow to the letter. Every detail is more important than the next, which is why these meetings are the most important event of the year in the boxing world. We were in a meeting in Buenos Aires the day before the inauguration of the annual convention when my father suddenly got up and left the hotel without saying anything. Upon returning, he told us he went to the street florist to order 100 red roses with the instruction that one be given to every woman attending the convention. I remember very well how some people in the meeting, including myself, minimized the action and even criticized him for wasting valuable time when there were so many pending matters we all needed to discuss with him. Throughout the entire week the convention lasted, I saw dozens of people approach my father to thank him for the gesture that made every lady feel special while being in a country far from home.
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