WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman has reflected on the days leading up to the monumental showdown between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford.
The legendary pairing locked horns for the undisputed super-middleweight championship at a packed-out Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas last September.
‘Bud’ Crawford prevailed on the night as he defeated the Mexican great by unanimous decision to capture the undisputed world championship at 168lbs and become the first fighter to achieve this feat in four weight classes.
The 38-year-old from Nebraska announced his retirement from the sport just several months later to bring an end to his outstanding professional career with an unbeaten record of 42-0.
One man who was at the forefront of the showdown between Canelo and Crawford was WBC President Sulaiman, who has now reflected on being part of the fight week last September.
Speaking on Ring Champs with Ak and Barak, Sulaiman claimed that it was one of the most ‘horrible experiences ever’ as he says he was treated very poorly by the promoters – Dana White through his Zuffa Boxing entity under TKO Group Holdings in collaboration with Turki Alalshikh of Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Season.
The event was held at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas and streamed on Netflix. [1, 2, 3, 4] of the event throughout fight week.
“I deeply regret the way I was treated by them in Las Vegas when Canelo fought Crawford. It was one of the most horrible experiences I ever had.
“The promoters did everything to undermine everyone in boxing. The four organisations, the promoters and managers of the fighters who were fighting in that card.
“The media, ask your peers who cover boxing where they were sitting and the people who cover MMA or UFC, they were sitting ringside. So it’s very low class, very arrogant, very bullish or bullying I don’t know how to say it.
“But I wish them luck, if they do good for boxers, great. But the way they’re presented in changing the law that today protects the fighters, then it’s good for boxing and for boxers.”
While Sulaiman was unhappy with what happened behind the scenes, inside the ring, Crawford’s legacy-defining victory over Canelo will remain etched in boxing history. However, the WBC would then strip Crawford of its belt due to unpaid sanctioning fees.
