Round 12: A promising 2023
By Mauricio Sulaimán – Son of José Sulaimán & WBC President
2022 has ended, and it's time to look forward and get to work to administer, implement and activate the so many plans that are in place after the very successful work done at the annual convention, after the traditional closing of the year, in which the resolutions flow with great optimism and enthusiasm towards achieving the goals and objectives that each person sets for themselves.
It is time to open new cycles with plans that motivate, hurdling inertia and so achieving continuity. Losing weight, drinking less, stop smoking, read more, developing and improving professionally, are the most common desires. What are your goals?
I recommend taking a new notebook and giving yourself time to jot down your 2023 life plan there. Make measurable, reachable goals, dividing them into sections, which allow progress to be monitored, sustained, progressed and achieved.
Every day take 10 minutes to plan and, at the end of it, review the results, in order to plan ahead for the next day.
Likewise, at the beginning of each week do the same as every day and the same at the beginning of each month. If you manage to achieve constancy and consistency, your productivity plus efficiency will grow, flourish and blossom.
The WBC Annual Convention, which was in Acapulco, was fruitful and from there an aggressive action plan for 2023 was put together. Throughout the year we will talk about the way these agreements and plans are progressing and implemented.
Women’s Boxing:
Women have reached the summit, after long years of sheer hard work by many people who have believed, and fulfilled via so many efforts, building a platform to dignify women`s capability zenith in sport. Jill Diamond planted the initial seed in the WBC in 2004, in the WBC World Championships Committee. From there it has all been extremely satisfactory to see how the sport is today.
The WBC crowned Jackie Nava as our first champion, and thus began a glorious era during which we have had three exclusive World Women’s Boxing Conventions ( Cancun, Tijuana, Manila Philliìnes ), Women’s Boxing Attention Committees, and countless actions to support plus reinforce it.
Don King achieved in the decade of the 90s to position Christy Martin as a great attraction; while Top Rank’s Bob Arum promoted Mia St. John; Laila Ali came to grab the spotlight while in Europe; Regina Heimlich and Ina Menzer made more money than many men who had belts… However, little by little, the flame, faltered, flickered, ebbed and almost extinguished. Sue Fox created the Boxing Hall of Fame for women
Without promoters there is no boxing, yet there have been some who have dedicated a lot of interest and resources to support women: Lou Dibella, Tom Loeffler, Zanfer, Promociones del Pueblo, today Matchroom has a very solid women boxing schedule and so do other promoters around the world. Long time HBO executive and now boxing manager Mark Taffet has been instrumental in the growth of attention to women in boxing. He took Claressa Shield under his wing have gone all out to make sure women get success and greater benefits. Christy Martin is an active promoter having great results, Raging babes Michele Rosado and so many others …
WBC Convention agreements and voted by the Board of Governors:
– All boxing cards, where a WBC world championship is presented, must necessarily have at least one women’s fight on the card.
– WBC will hire a specialized agency to develop a manual, so that female boxers can learn the management of public relations and social networks, with the intention of raising their profiles and commercial value to complement their true and real worth.
– The continuation of medical research will be geared in relation to the topics of rounds of three minutes and fights of 12 rounds for women. Two minutes rounds and a duration of ten rounds is currently in the rules and there is no medical data not practical proof that would support any changes with our putting in danger the safety and integrity for women boxers.
– The fourth Women’s World Boxing Convention was approved for 2023.
Transgender Boxing:
The WBC completely rejects any boxing activity between people born male against born female, regardless of their current sexuality; so the creation of a Committee to create a competition manual was approved, with the possibility of having a transgender league welcoming those who wish to participate in our sport. This decision is about safety and inclusion.
WBC Women Current champions:
Heavyweight: Hanna Gabriels (Costa Rica)
Super middleweight: Franchón Crews Dezurn (EU)
Middleweight: Claressa Shields (USA)
Super welterweight: Natasha Jones (GB)
Welterweight: Jessica McCaskill (USA)
Super lightweight: Chantelle Cameron (GB)
Lightweight: Katie Taylor (Ireland)
Super featherweight: Alycia Baumgardner (USA)
Featherweight: Amanda Serrano (Puerto Rico)
Super bantamweight: Yamileth Mercado (Mexico).
Bantamweight: Yulihan Luna (Mexico)
Super flyweight: Asley González (Mexico)
Flyweight: Marlen Esparza (USA)
Light flyweight: Kim Clavel (Canada)
Strawweight: Tina Rupprecht (Germany)
Atomweight: Fabiana Bytyqi (Czech Republic)
Did you know…?
For the first time in its history, Madison Square Garden was sold out with a women’s match. Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano gave us the Fight of the Year. Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall managed to pack the O2 Arena in London, taking a giant step forward for our sport.
