WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman had some harsh words for Zuffa Boxing’s debut event, the Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford fight. Back in September, Turki Alalshikh and UFC boss Dana White put together one of the biggest recent boxing matches when Canelo and Crawford met for the undisputed super middleweight championship.
WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman had some harsh words for Zuffa Boxing’s debut event, the Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford fight.
Back in September, Turki Alalshikh and UFC boss Dana White put together one of the biggest recent boxing matches when Canelo and Crawford met for the undisputed super middleweight championship.
It was White’s first major step into boxing, launched under the TKO Boxing banner, though that has since been rebranded as Zuffa Boxing.
While many fans are enthusiastic about the UFC boss’ potential impact on the boxing world, his plans for the sport have not been met with universal approval.
WBC president recalls being ‘mistreated’ by Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing
Since stepping into boxing, White has stirred up plenty of controversy, especially around his efforts to alter or scrap the Muhammad Ali Act.
That has led to friction with organisations like the WBC and WBA, particularly over his proposal for a single-title system.
The Canelo vs Crawford fight was contested under the existing four-belt system, so all the major sanctioning bodies were present. Among them was WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman.
Speaking recently on The Ariel Helwani Show, Sulaiman reflected on what he described as poor treatment from the Zuffa Boxing team during that event.
“I was mistreated so bad in Las Vegas for Canelo vs Crawford. Me and the other three organizations, WBO, WBA, IBO, we were not even given credentials, we were told we could not get into the ring. We were not allowed to go into the dressing room, we were not allowed to be at the commission desk,” he began by saying.
“When we go to a fight, we go to work, it is not a vacation or for fun or as a fan or reporter, we are there to work. They are fighting for our championships… It was very disappointing. (We were) never (given a reason).
“We were given a ticket to go into the fight outside of the technical zone, just with the regular public.”
Sulaiman remains vocal in his opposition to White’s push against parts of the Muhammad Ali Act. The move has only added tension between them and may continue shaping how they interact going forward.
Mauricio Sulaiman still open to working with Zuffa Boxing
Even though there has not been much cooperation between Zuffa Boxing and the sanctioning bodies so far, the organisation has added some top fighters to its roster, including Jai Opetaia, who currently holds two Cruiserweight titles.
Sulaiman has indicated a willingness to collaborate with Zuffa Boxing in the future, provided specific conditions are met. This comes as Opetaia is anticipated to soon compete for the undisputed title.
“They’re welcome, if they wanna do a unification fight, if they wanna promote boxing (let’s do it). Of course (I want to work with them), but they have to comply with the rules and the structure,” he stated.
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Category: General Sports
