ROUND 12: The Incomparable Boxing Industry

By Mauricio Sulaimán – President of the WBC – Son of José Sulaimán

As we’ve mentioned countless times over the years, boxing is the oldest sport of all, and its essence remains an honorable one that generates more incomparable emotions than any other.

The business model of the sport of boxing is also unlike any other. All other sports have a system where the leagues control everything related to the business. This means that the NFL, the NBA, the MLB, FIFA, and Premier League (in short, all of them) manage the regulatory structure, sell franchises (teams), and negotiate TV and sponsorship rights within their own ecosystems. It is a business structure which gives those leagues all the power to do anything they wish, to change rules to accommodate their industry needs, and they have all the power as the networks have all the air time to promote their sport and grow their industry.

In boxing, it’s very different. The sanctioning bodies are only in charge of regulatory, medical, and boxing-related matters, while promotional companies like Don King, Bob Arum, PBC, Matchroom, Queensberry, and Oscar de la Hoya, among others, control all aspects of the business. They contract television platforms, sell sponsorships, and own the ticket sales and other sources of revenue for the events they promote.

The World Boxing Council (WBC) paved the way for the sanctioning bodies since its founding in February 1963. It established that this group would be responsible for changing the course of the sport by humanizing it through regulations and stringent medical studies. It also created an absolute distance, distinction, and differentiation between the boxing side and the business side to avoid any conflicts of interest. All WBC decisions are based on rules and justice without any financial benefit.

In the United States, boxing is regulated by federal law, known as the Muhammad Ali Act, which was instituted in the mid-1990s to protect boxers. This law gives the fighter total control over their decisions, provides open information on event finances, and splits the profits 80% for the boxers and 20% for the promoters. This law has many aspects which were introduced with one sole intention: absolute protection of the athlete in all aspects.

Mixed martial arts, on the other hand, do not have to abide by the Muhammad Ali Act. This is how companies like the UFC have managed to establish themselves as multi-billion-dollar businesses, where they control absolutely everything related to the sport and also the business. In the UFC, the pie is split 83% for them and only 17% for the fighters.

Boxing is a great sport with organic growth, starting from the humblest beginnings in tough neighborhoods like Tepito in Mexico City, the more modest neighborhoods of the Philippines, and the New York ghetto, where young people come to gyms and are trained by dedicated coaches who devote their lives with blood, sweat, and tears, as well as faith, to forming future champions.

There are local promoters in every city in the world who, with great sacrifice and passion, organize popular boxing events to provide activity, direction, and progression for local talent, facilitating a handful of those crucial first steps.

Afterward, regional promoters arrive with some international experience and continue to shape the careers of those who dream of, and then work toward reaching stardom. Finally, international promoters are the ones who burnish the careers of those who already shine.

It’s an industry of open competition where the promoters, with their skills, create stars, and the boxers, with their performance, earn the public’s affection, admiration and adoration. This is how we see the existence of great boxing legends worldwide. This was the story of Manny Pacquiao, who ate from garbage dumps in the Philippines, the Mexican Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez, who sold popsicles on the streets of Jalisco; and Mike Tyson, who faced up to bullies in the streets of Brooklyn.

Boxing is incomparable because all kinds of medical exams are performed and rules are implemented to protect those who step into the ring. While the safety of the boxer is being looked after, pseudo-sports continue to emerge that are brutal and inhumane, such as bare-knuckle boxing, “valetodo,” slapping, and various forms of jumbled mixed martial arts that make the Roman circus seem like a child’s game.

Boxing has structure worldwide. Local boxing commissions or national boxing federations exist in every country to make sure boxing activity is run with the strict medical and administrative protocols, to license boxers, provide suspensions and have medical insurance and attention guaranteed from the promoters of each event.

Did You Know?

The World Boxing Council has worked tirelessly for decades to find ways to make boxing much safer for its competitors. Large sums of money have been channeled to, and invested in medical and scientific studies, to discover what happens in the brain and body, and what effects the sport has on boxers.

A large number of rules have been changed and new ones have been implemented to minimize the risks of getting in the ring. Still, there is much to be done, and this requires the will and effort of everyone in the boxing world.

Today’s Anecdote

One of the most important decisions my dad had to make was based on many scientific studies that showed boxer exhaustion, along with other signs, occurred in the final three rounds when championship fights were 15 rounds.

On January 31, 1983, in Venezuela, the first-ever 12-round fight took place. The Venezuelan Rafael Oronó faced Pedro Romero in the super flyweight division. TV advertisers and many people in the boxing world were upset. For that reason, Don José received a huge chorus of boos. But over the years, many champions have applauded him, appreciating that vital change in boxing. My dad felt at peace because it was a very significant step that is now praised by everyone. Visionary actions require wisdom, foresight, and decisive courage.

I appreciate your comments: contact@wbcboxing.com.

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