June 26, 2012 – Mexico City. From the office of WBC President Dr. José Sulaimán: The following is one of the weekly “Hook to the Liver” columns by WBC President Dr. José Sulaimán that are published in El Universal every Sunday. From June 24, translated from Spanish:
HOOK TO THE LIVER
By José Sulaimán
Chavez, Hook to the Liver, and Boxing Today
Julio César Chavez Jr. won on an electrifying knockout over Andy Lee, and proved to those who did not believe in him that he is a real champion. This was one of the most interesting fights that I have seen in a long time. This was a fight for those who really enjoy a very good, competitive, masterful, technical title fight. Lee showed himself to be a much better fighter than many estimated, with his very fast and powerful jab and a fast and strong counter uppercut that he used very effectively, at least in the first three rounds of the fight. I enjoyed seeing Lee perform and Chavez come after him like a panther trying to learn how to get his K.O. punch. Chavez took three rounds to come for the fourth and devastate Lee with his powerful hooks to the liver, until the time that he just overpowered Lee for a sensational K.O. when referee Laurence Cole stopped the fight. I believe that Sergio Martínez must have seen that Junior is not the easy target that he thought, as Chavez showed the class of a champion with the power of his fists and not with favors.
His father, the immortal Julio César, a lifetime idol of mine and great friend, came hard in the press – offending the WBC and myself – accusing the judges for having Lee winning four rounds to two before the K.O on the seventh. It is about time that he, and everyone else, know that once the bell sounds for the first round, for the WBC and myself there are no friends, no empathies, no pressure, no power, and only remains what it always should be: unwavering justice and fairness in the ring. Junior was losing the fight, perhaps on a plan, but he did not throw or connect many punches at all – as it could be proven by the sepulchral silence in the arena where you could hear the noise of a fly. Chavez came out moving around, trying to get into Lee’s style, while Lee moved around throwing his fast, strong and precise jabs, as well as the powerful uppercut during all of the three first rounds. This was the great sense of the fight, when Chavez started to connect with powerful and damaging hooks to the liver. His devastating punches stopped Lee. It was really a great fight and I am very proud of the WBC judges.
I was very impressed with the respectful and discreet security in El Paso, as well as the peace, joy, and passionate participation of the attending boxing attending. The Mayor of El Paso, Mr. John Cook, must be congratulated as it was because of his strong support for the fight in El Paso that it could be held in such a nice and sporting place.
All that has happened in boxing in recent times brought to my mind the crazy steps that people of boxing are taking without apparent control. Many boxers are having positive anti-doping results. A boxer, Chisora, slapping the champion at the weigh-in, spitting the face of a second in the ring, taking off his bandages and threatening not to fight, while ending the day by stepping down from the dias to go after someone else to hit him. A boxing Federation, Luxembourg, invading the territory of a very respected boxing board, without any ethics or respect for their international affiliations; promoters who hate each other and live to attack their competition instead of putting all those efforts for their own; bad decisions, based mainly on the appointment by roll; arrogance, lack of mutual respect, egolatry, abuse of power; monopoly-like actions to favor only a few boxers and promoters; most promoters and boxers abandoned in the world without support, when they are the seed of the future; abuse of powerful TV corporations choosing and signing in exclusivity only boxers who are the top of the cream; the same TV powers trying to direct boxing to their vested interests without any respect to good rule and order; countless lawsuits to take boxing from the ring to the courts; treating international boxing organizations at the will of the invested interests, and so many other wrongdoings that it would take me longer to describe, as if boxing would be throwing itself into the apocalypses, behaving like those mental abusers who are taking the world into the streets of blood, barbaric confrontations, and destruction with the inclusion of those in suits and ties.
It is just not possible to continue allowing this to happen, as it would mean the disappearance of boxing as sport and convert it into a simple spectacle for TV in no more than 25 years. It is not possible that mud and putrefaction continue being the way of life of boxing. The WBC has a reason for what we must invite the real lovers of boxing – commissioners, promoters, boxers, trainers, the media, and all those that have given their lives for the sport of our love, to find a way of good faith, of opportunities for all, without discrimination of color, race or religion; unity, mutual understanding, cooperation, and respect that would lead us all to a great promising and different future.
Our way will be with friendship, respect, cooperation, understanding, and patience to get all to understand what boxing needs to live forever, and to continue being the friendly hand for the poor of the world. If not, I believe that it is time that for those wanting boxing to live to act firmly to implement the strictest rules for the sake of peace, honesty, integrity and the good and welfare ff boxers and the sport itself.
Thank you for reading my thoughts.