WBC President Offers Support To White's TKO Boxing
03/12/2025 05:00 PM
WBC president, Mauricio Sulaiman, has given his first thoughts on Dana White and Turki Alalshikh's new TKO boxing venture, which will see the duo create a new promotion in the coming months. And if you think he's upset that another promotion is coming into a sport he's been a part of for the majority of his life, you're sadly mistaken.
On the contrary, Suliaman — who has been WBC's president since 2014 — is all for White and Alalshikh's business plan, and says he will offer them his full support because, at the end of the day, it's all about promoting the sport.
"The WBC's position is clear and simple. We are not going to speculate, much less put obstacles in the way of the arrival of a new company. Rather, we will offer openness and full support to those who promote boxing. These are very important companies and, therefore, we should assume that they will bring great opportunities and marvelous benefits for boxers," Sulaiman told The Ring.
"We are not going to fall into provocations, nor react to so many lines and shades of opinion in which negative scenarios are presented, people and groups trying to wield knives by proposing scenarios of confrontation between the actors and elements of the current boxing industry.
"Boxing is a sport that has worldwide activity. It has been and will always be very popular, and all boxers come from a long process of formation starting in the small gyms of the world. There are multiple gyms, small promotions that lead to bigger opportunities for the rising talent, and then on to the bigger stage. There is room for everyone in boxing."
Just imagine all of the mega fights we could have had if all mixed martial arts (MMA) promoters had this mentality. I'm looking at you, Mr. White.
Even one of White's biggest critics, Oscar De La Hoya, didn't outright bash his new venture in his first comments, so it seems the brash UFC head honcho is off to a good start with men he may at some point have to start doing business with.
