By Mauricio Sulaimán – President of the WBC – Son of José Sulaimán
![]() ![]() (January 16, 2024) – The road to recovery for Julio César Chávez Jr. has begun. It will be long and painful, but I am sure it will be the definitive one to have that young man well again, healthy, and with a long life ahead of him. Julito has been admitted to a rehabilitation clinic with the expectation that he will be there for several months in order to quell and banish the demons of his addictions. It is important to understand that his addiction is not to recreational drugs, but to pills, which he had to take for a time to address a medical issue and which caused a terrible addiction. ![]() Our great champion, Julio César Chávez Sr., and his family has the support and affection of all of Mexico and the world of boxing during this process, in which his firstborn will be facing his toughest fight ever. May God lead them to a journey of positive vibes, calmness and heavenly strength. 2024 started with huge activity worldwide. Great activity began in the World Boxing Council, with tremendous fights in Canada, Germany, and Denmark. Artur Beterbiev defended his unified WBC-WBO-IBF light heavyweight crown against the official WBC challenger, Callum Smith, in a fast-paced fight that, after rounds of intense activity, the champion ended up demolishing his rival with a blistering attack, knocking him down twice, which led to his own corner stopping the fight. By the way, this was a perfect example on why the boxing authorities from around the world should again accept the use of “throwing the towel.” One of the oldest rules has been discontinued and commissions don’t accept the towel to be thrown to stop the fight. In this fight, Smith’s corner was desperately trying to get the referee’s attention. However, Mike Griffin was correctly fully concentrated in attending to the downed boxer. Both Buddy McGirt, Smith’s chief cornerman, and the commission corner supervisor went into the ring and the fight was stopped. The WBC announced during the last convention the implementation of the red towel. ![]() ![]() ![]() In Germany, Tina Rupprecht was crowned atomweight world champion, defeating Fabiana Bytyqi by unanimous decision in a great fight. It was so emotional and competitive that right there, at the end of the fight, both fighters agreed to a rematch immediately. ![]() In Denmark, Nigerian Elizabeth Oshoba won the silver featherweight championship. ![]() The rest of January will have world championship fights in Japan, where at light flyweight, Kenshiro Teraji will defend against the Venezuelan Carlos Cañizales, and on the 27th in Phoenix, Arizona, the brand new WBC super middleweight silver champion, Jaime Munguia, will face the well-known British John Ryder. John lost on points against the great Mexican monarch, Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez, in the majestic function that took place on May 5, 2023, at the Akron Stadium, in Guadalajara, Jalisco. On the other hand, Jaime Munguia, from Tijuana, is currently in great shape, and promises to put on a great show. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() I appreciate your comments at contact@wbcboxing.com. |