WBC President Refutes Turki Alalshikh’s Belt Drama With Canelo
WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman has cooled down suggestions that Turki Al-Sheikh told Canelo Alvarez not to get the WBC Belt pictured during his face-off with William Scull.
The news comes amid the Saudis and Dana White’s decision to launch a new boxing league through TKO Group Holdings Inc. During the announcement, Turki revealed his ambition is to crush all the other promotional companies. White has also said he does not plan on working with other boxing promoters such as Eddie Hearn and Oscar De La Hoya. This has raised serious question marks over the future of the sport.
There is an increasing suggestion that the Ring Magazine Belt, which Turki acquired, will be used to premise the idea of a one-face, one-champion moving forward. This is the model the UFC currently operates on, removing the need for extra belts. [And] this is something the boxing world has been criticized for. This is due to mandatory obligations, which prevent fans from seeing the biggest fights. There is also criticism over boxers having to pay sanctioning fees to hold a title which they have legitimately earned.
That naturally raises questions about the role of the WBC. The belt has a long history, having been held by numerous champions from various weight classes. During the face-off with Canelo and Scull, the clip shows Turki making a gesture as Canelo brings in the WBC belt for the photo. That gesture was interpreted as Turki telling Canelo to not put the belt in the picture as he stood in between the two fighters holding the Ring Magazine Belt. That led to the increased narrative that the WBC will be out of the picture moving forward. However, Sulaiman had a different take on the matter, as he rejected talk that there was any friction.
Sulaiman Reacts
“When posing for the official photograph, the great manager and trainer, Eddy Reynoso, passed the Green and Gold belt to Canelo. The video shows His Excellency Turki Alalshikh making a comment with a head movement that appears to be a “no. Many people commented that by zooming in. What he was saying was: “No problem.” The world of social networks was given free rein with aggressive and conspiratorial comments claiming that this new group is against the WBC. Our position is firm and consistent. We will not react to confusing or indirect situations, much less create a hostile environment in the world of boxing. We are all for unity, mutual collaboration, and support.
“The WBC owes itself to the boxer. We exist for the boxer before, during, and after their years of glory in the ring. The WBC supports promoters. Without promoters, there is no boxing, and we will always be open to projecting new ideas, programs, tournaments, and any other activity that is beneficial to the sport and, above all, to its members. We wish them success and hope they do wonderful things for boxing,” Sulaiman said
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