WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman says working with Dana White was “one of the worst experiences of my life”

Earlier this year, UFC CEO Dana White promoted one of the most anticipated clashes in boxing: Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs. Terence “Bud” Crawford. This wasn’t just any fight; it was White’s manifesto for a new era in the squared circle.

But the experience for Mauricio Sulaiman, president of the World Boxing Council (WBC), boxing’s historic governing body with 170 member countries around the world, was not so positive.

Nordic bet recently spoke with WBC boxing president Mauricio Sulaiman about working with Dana White.

Interviewer: What did you think about Dana White not letting you in the ring after Canelo vs. Crawford? How do you reflect on it?

Mauricio Sulaiman: Well, looking back on the Canelo-Crawford event, I’d actually like to put it behind me. It was a terrible experience. We have never been treated as badly as we have been – the WBC and all the organizations, promoters, fighters and boxing media.
It was just a terrible experience. Why? I have no idea. Was it intentional? I have no idea. Was there confusion? Don’t know. But the fact is that the overall experience was terrible.

The fight itself was a great fight. Terence Crawford went unchallenged and made a big statement, and it’s sensational. But the event was, as an organization and as president of the WBC, one of the worst experiences of my life.

Interviewer: Have you spoken to Dana White since then, and what is your relationship like with him now?

Mauricio Sulaiman: No, I met Dana White many years ago when he started the UFC. I visited the gym in his office, and I saw him a few times, exchanged a few text messages, but I am not dating Dana White.

Everything that is said and put out in the media, there is a lot of confusion. They certainly make a lot of noise, and there are a lot of things that need to be analyzed, evaluated and acted upon.

So we’ll see what happens. There are many things we need to understand about what will happen regarding their intentions in boxing, the changes in the law and their coming to a new system. We’ll see what happens.

Interviewer: Dana and the Muhammad Ali Act – what do you think about him/TKO trying to change it or trying to change it? Do you think it’s a bad thing for boxing?

Mauricio Sulaiman: Well, we’ve made our point. They are engaged in efforts to change the Muhammad Ali Act, a federal law in the United States. Every boxing promoter has to abide by that law, and if he wants to be a promoter, he has to abide by it.

I don’t know if they will succeed or not, but right now fighters are protected by a law that was put in place specifically to protect them – to give them disclosure, transparency, the ability to negotiate and the right to be represented.

What is proposed in a new league is completely contradictory and goes against the principles for which the Muhammad Ali Act was created. There are many misinterpretations and a lot of talk between all parties.

What I can say is that boxing is a great sport, and the only reason for the WBC’s existence is the boxer. So we will always support the boxer. And without boxing promoters there is no boxing.

So we must also support the initiators. They do a lot of work and have done fantastic work worldwide. To have a Canelo, you need a local promoter from a small town, then a national promoter in Mexico, and then an international promoter coming in. It’s a great structure that works – and has worked since the beginning of boxing.

If you have a different structure, let’s see what it is. Let’s see what it looks like. Maybe it’s a good thing, we don’t know yet.

But the way it is presented has generated incredible resistance as it looks like the boxer is being hit. But we’ll see what exactly happens when the law is changed. We’ll see what happens, and hopefully it will be good for the boxers – but we’ll have to wait and see.