The WBC is suspending indefinitely Mr. Leon Dawson from participating in any WBC sanctioned fight in any form or manner.
The actions which have been seen all over the world, in which Mr. Dawson attacks and punches with bare fists fighter Jose Uzcategui have created regrettable damages to our sport.
The WBC rejects any form of foul play, aggression and behavior. We will seek a meeting with Mr. Dawson to offer several forms of help to address this grave situation.
A tragic car accident took the lives of two boxers this past week in Hermosillo Mexico. They were brothers, former WBC silver champion David “Tornado” Sanchez, pictured at left, and his brother, Jonathan, who had just challenged for the WBC Youth title. Our prayers go out to the Sanchez family, and the boxing community of the world joins them in mourning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjHYQnnwIrE
This past weekend was one of the most active ones in a long time. There were major boxing cards in Tokyo, the U.K., New York City, Maryland, and Texas, just to name a few.
The WBC has two new champions from Japan, as Daiko Higa knocked out Juan Hernandez in six to win the flyweight title, and Ken Shiro dethroned Ganigan Lopez via majority decision. Japan has dominated Mexico in dramatic fashion in the past two years with 11 wins against only three by Mexican nationals.
On that same card in Tokyo, boxing received yet another black eye as the main event ended in one of the worst decisions ever seen. Ryota Murata, an Olympic Gold medalist, worked five years to get to compete for a championship and was prevented from such glory by a horrendous split decision loss. This was the biggest boxing event in Japan since Tyson vs. Douglas, and such a controversial decision has hurt the sport in such a great boxing country.
Floyd Mayweather brought his fighter to the U.K. and Gervonta Davis looked sensational retaining his title with a third-round TKO. Of course, Floyd’s comment made news worldwide as he confirms he will be returning to the ring.
David Benavidez became an attraction overnight. His performance and victory against Porky Medina in Texas has also granted him a shot at the WBC super middleweight championship.
WBC super lightweight champion Terence Crawford displayed his great skills and dominance, winning impressively over Felix Diaz, who showed tremendous heart.
Gary Russell Jr. finally got back in the ring and showed his tremendous skills and class, defeating in impressive fashion WBC interim champion Oscar Escandon. This boxing card which was at the MGM in Oxon Hill, Maryland, was tainted by a series of events which have hurt our sport, and actions need to be taken.
Andre Dirrell was dropped by a series of punches right at the closing seconds of the eighth round. Even watching replay, it is not easy to determine the facts with precision. Dirrell was declared winner by disqualification. Then, a member of Dirrell’s team attacked his opponent with a series of punches. Jose Uzcategui was cowardly punched.
When will boxing in the Unites States get its act together with regards to Instant Replay? There is technology, there is a perfect procedure in place for its use, and there are countless examples which make the use of it a must. The WBC has used Instant Replay in many countries of the world with great results to bring justice into our sport and prevent controversies which can easily turn into riots, just like what happened in Maryland.
Leon Lawson Jr., a member of the corner of Andre Dirrell, committed a horrible act that cannot be accepted and there must be an in-depth process to address it. The WBC is suspending Leon Lawson Jr. from participating in any form in any WBC sanctioned fight.
The WBC has joined the Governor of Mexico City, Miguel Angel Mancera, and the Minister of Health to announce the “Boxing for your Health” program, with boxing activation every Sunday at the most important street in Mexico City with Box Fit exercise, and many different boxing drills performed and supervised by former champions.
Today we are announcing the site for the WBC’s 55th annual convention, which will take place in Baku, Azerbaijan from October 1 to 6.
Thank you, and I welcome any comments, ideas, or suggestions at contact@wbcboxing.com.
By Mauricio Sulaiman
WBC President – Jose Sulaiman’s son
