WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman may have his critics, and perhaps he is entitled to have them. But nobody could ever deny the fact that Sulaiman, like his father before him (who had his own flaws) has a very real passion and so much love for the sport he and his organisation represent.
A Call for Free TV
Case in point right now: Sulaiman has called for a banishment of any and all pay-per-view for the massive Canelo Alvarez-Terence Crawford fight. In Mexico, anyway. Sulaiman pointed out in a recent press release how ALL of Canelo’s last 21 fights have gone out free-to-air in Mexico, this via TV Azteca. The September 13 showdown with Crawford – a fight some see as the biggest of this year and also the toughest test of the current Mexican idol’s career since his 2013 fight with Floyd Mayweather – will go out on Netflix.
The problem for Mexican fans, a good deal of them, anyway, is that they cannot afford a Netflix subscription. Sulaiman says the fight should go out for all in Mexico, free of charge; even if the fight enjoys only a delayed broadcast in Canelo’s homeland.
Sulaiman says all of Mexico should be able to enjoy a free-to-air “celebration” on the night of September 13; this, with the soccer match between America and Chivas to go out on free TV, with the big fight to follow on delay.
If not:
“The Mexican people will be deprived of shouting with joy on the night of this traditional Mexican holiday,” Sulaiman said.
But it could not and should not be that way:
Sulaiman’s Vision for a Celebration
“The formula is very simple: air it (Canelo-Crawford) live on Netflix for all those people who have the platform and after [Netflix’s] program ends, then enter a delayed broadcast so people can watch that great fight,” Sulaiman continued. “What a great Mexican celebration that would be! The classic soccer match between America and Chivas ends at 11 P.M., and people can watch what happened in Canelo Vs. Crawford.”
Agreed. This would be some night for Mexican fans. And the numbers such a duel event would pull in on Mexican TV would almost certainly be massive. Good in Mauricio for calling for this. Now, let’s see if it happens.
As has been pointed out, Canelo’s fights have gone out on free TV in Mexico over the course of the last 16 years. The trend should continue……..