Pacquiao, Vargas meet face to face in final press conference

Former multi-division world champion Manny Pacquiao and WBO welterweight champion Jessie Vargas faced off at the final press conference before their PPV showdown on Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas

Manny Pacquiao: I thought I wouldn’t see you again, but now I’m here to continue my journey and all I can say for this fight is I respect Vargas and his team, how dedicated they are. I feel what he’s feeling right now because I’ve been there when I was 27 years old, 28 years old, and how hungry I was. What I’m thinking when I prepared for this fight was I have to make sure I’m in condition, work hard even though I’m working in the office. It’s not easy being a senator working in the office and being a boxer while you’re training. It’s hard, but it’s a good thing when you are happy and enjoying it.

Jessie Vargas: I had a great training camp. This has been my best to date. I’m very happy with my team, they’re bringing out the best in me. I said before my last fight and we’re planning on outdoing that performance. We’re looking stronger, faster, we’ve over-exceeded every aspect in training when it comes to speed, power, intelligence in the ring, ring savvy. We have a strong hook, we have a strong right, either way. If he wants to sneak over to the right we’ll catch him there, if he wants to sneak over to the left we’ll get him there. So we’re ready. I can’t be any more ready than this.

(Report from fightnews.com)

Knockout loss to Vargas will send Pacquiao to retirement

NEW YORK CITY -- Manny Pacquiao "might be forced to retire" in prizefighting if he loses by knockout in his 12-round title fight against WBO 147-lb titlist Jessie Vargas in Las Vegas on Nov 5.
But owing to his not-so-impressive knockout percentage, oddsmakers are giving Vargas a 50--50 chance to win by KO when he defends his title against the former seven-division titlist at the Thomas & Mack Center, according to writer Jefrey Celiz.
In fact, Vargas has been installed as underdog in the first defense of the title he collected via TKO in March this year.
Taller by four inches and younger by 11 years, Vargas managed to secure only one stoppage victory in his last 12 fights.
Pacquiao, on the other hand, hasn't won by knockout since he scored an 11th round TKO against Miguel Angel Cotto in 2009 also for WBO welterweight fight.
His 12-round unanimous decision loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 2, 2015 was viewed by analysts as "the signs of the times" and calls for his retirement reverberated after he claimed he had concealed an arm injury prior to the multi-million bout.

BORING

"Normally, boxing aficionados might think this fight is going to be boring since both fighters have not been so explosive in their previous fights, but fans might be surprised to see that both fighters will be aiming for a knockout win," observed Jeff Randall, a boxing analyst from New York.
Randall said since Vargas is the defending champion, he might press the action and wait for the Filipino senator to commit a mistake and unload his bombs.
Vargas has put to sleep 10 of his 27 victims. His last fight ended with a spectacular 9th round TKO over Sadam Alim to claim the vacant WBO title in Washington, D.C. on March 5, 2016.
The only blot in his record was a unanimous decision defeat to Timothy Bradley for the interim WBO welterweight belt in Carson, California on June 27, 2015.
In September 2008, Vargas won his pro debut against the undefeated Joel Gonzalez by first round KO.

KISSED

Vargas got attention when, during a fight against Trenton Titsworth,  he was kissed on the neck and responded by hitting Titsworth during the break. Titsworth was deducted two points, Vargas one.
In his 12th fight, the Las Vegas-based Vargas knocked out a former IBO light welterweight champion Daniel Sarmiento of Argentina. The bout was the main event of FSN's Fight Night Club. In his next fight Vargas won an eight-round unanimous decision against Mexican Ramón Montaño on the undercard of Amir Khan vs. Marcos Maidana.
In terms of experience and quality of opponents, Vargas pales in comparison to Pacquiao, who has knocked out 38 of his 58 customers, including a brutal two-round disposal of the feared Ricky Hatton for the IBO lightweight diadem in Las Vegas on May 2009.

Water crisis: Iloilo to California

"Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out." Anton Chekhov

By Alex P. Vidal

LOS ANGELES, California -- Has the water crisis become a global phenomenon?

Barely two weeks since the Iloilo City Council in the Philippines declared the city under a "state of imminent water crisis" due to projected prolonged drought, California's State Water Resources Control Board (SWCB) announced the approval of an emergency 25 percent cut in the cities' water use May 5.

The Council declaration in Iloilo City came as a response to the Iloilo City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (ICDRRMC), chaired by Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, which made a resolution to allocate P3 million for possible water rationing.

It emphasized the need for funds "in preparation for long drought as brought by the prolonged dry spell has identified possible alternative water distribution mechanisms and alternative water sources."

This will enable metro villages to prepare their calamity funds now that many villages have reported that their wells have dried up, according to Mabilog.

PORTRAIT

California data released May 5 painted a stark portrait of the uphill struggle Californians face in achieving a mandated 25 percent reduction in urban water use, with one official joking grimly that dealing with severe drought was similar to grappling with the five stages of grief.

Reports said cumulative water savings since last summer totaled only 8.6%, according to the State Water Resources Control Board, far short of the historic reduction outlined in an April 1 executive order by Gov. Jerry Brown.

ICDRRMC said at the same time, most of the state's water suppliers issued 20 or fewer notices of water waste in March even though they have received thousands of complaints.

“It's a collective issue we all need to rise to. I keep thinking that we are in some stages of Elisabeth Kubler-Ross,”Felicia Marcus, the water board chairwoman, told the Los Angeles Times, referring to the psychiatrist who wrote “On Death and Dying.”

“It's a collective issue we all need to rise to. I keep thinking that we are in some stages of Elisabeth Kubler-Ross,” said Felicia Marcus, the water board chairwoman, referring to the psychiatrist who wrote “On Death and Dying.”

DISCLOSURES

The paper reported that the disclosures came as board members May 5 night unanimously approved new conservation regulations set to take effect in time for summer, when outdoor water use traditionally accounts for 50 percent to 80 percent of residential consumption.

It quoted water board staff scientist Max Gomberg as saying that California residents and businesses used only 3.6% less water in March than they did during the same month in 2013, the baseline year for savings calculations.“We need to do more,” Gomberg told the LA Times. “Conserving now and over the summer is imperative.”

Despite the meager savings, some outside experts said it was still possible for the state to achieve the governor's goal in the coming months. 

Brown is seeking hefty fines for water wasters, and some local water agencies have been crafting tougher conservation plans in recent weeks.

In the Philippines, the P3 million fund can be mobilized once Iloilo City is declared under crisis, said Councilor Joshua Alim who blamed the Metro Iloilo Water Districs (MIWD)'s inability to supply sufficient water because of narrow pipes.

The fund can be used to buy water containers for water distribution in affected barangays and for fuel expenses in transporting the water.

***

EVEN in California, bettors who lost in the Fight of the Century continued to bemoan the lackluster performances of both Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr on May 2 in Las Vegas.

Many Hispanics claimed they were shocked when Pacquiao, who is now facing sanctions from the Nevada State Athletic Commission for his failure to disclose a shoulder injury before the bout at the MGM Grand Arena, performed below expectations.

"What happened?" Mario Sosa, a customer in a T-Mobile store in the City of Lake Forrest, asked this writer. "I haven't tasted a free dinner from my wife, who offered to give me one if Pacquiao would win."

"I expected too much from Pacquiao because videos released on TV before the fight showed he was prepared and very strong while training. But during the fight, he hardly threw punches and it was the defensive fighter (Mayweather Jr.) who was the one initiating the fight."

Former San Miguel, Iloilo councilor Reynalod "King" Uy said he and his fellow bettors in the Filipino community lost heavily believing that Pacquiao would beat Maywearher Jr.  "even only on points."

"Some of our kababayans lost their salary equivalent to one month," he revealed. "Others lost $5,000. Many of them are still shocked."

Las Vegas Filipino community leader Raul Sabido, who collected all the bets from his California friends for Pacquiao, said he is now convinced that Mayweather Jr. is the better boxer pound-for-pound.

"Pacquiao should stop giving excuses. Let's move forward na," said Sabido, president of the Central Philippine University Alumni Association Las Vegas Chapter.

Warning to Pacquiao: Algieri ain’t heavy and he’s not your brother

“The first thing I learned in boxing is to not get hit. That's the art of boxing. Execute your opponent without getting hit. In sports school, we were putting our hands behind our backs and having to defend ourselves with our shoulders, by rolling, by moving round the ring, moving out feet.” Wladimir Klitschko

By Alex P. Vidal

WE were surprised to find out that Manny Pacquiao (56-5-2, 38 KOs) was heavier than Chris Algieri (20-0, 8 KOs) during the official weigh in a day before their 12-round battle for the WBO welterweight title in Macao on November 22.
Pacquiao was 143.8; Algieri 143.6. 

If the opponent is not heavy and moves like a rabbit, he can be a difficult target.

A moving object is always hard to hit.

If the moving vehicle with a full tank does not carry heavy passengers, its speed is like a bullet in the Ventura highway.  

Even if they will dispute the WBO 147-lb title in a 144 lbs or “catch weight”, we always expected Pacquiao’s opponent to be heavier.

Antonio Margarito, one of the two other tallest trees in Pacquiao’s forest at five feet and 11 inches, weighed 150 pounds as against Pacquiao’s 144.5 pounds when they disputed the WBC light middleweight crown in Arlington, Texas on Nov. 13, 2010.

Oscar De La Hoya, the other giant opponent at five feet and 11 and a half inches, weighed 145 pounds as against Pacquiao’s 142 pounds when they battled for the IBO light welterweight tiara in Las Vegas on December 6, 2008.

Another tall customer, Brandon Rios, weighed 146.5 pounds as against Pacquiao’s 145 pounds when they rumbled for the WBO international welterweight bauble in Macao on Nov. 24, 2013.

Timothy Bradley was 145.5 pounds while Pacquiao was 145 pounds when they fought in a rematch for WBO welterweight championship in Las Vegas on April 12, 2014.

FIGHT DAY

During fight day, their weights are always expected to balloon as they immediately fill up their empty stomachs with juice drinks and heavy meals to replenish the body.

We expect Pacquiao and Algieri to weight between 147 to 149 pounds before the bell rings.

In any weight category, the heavier boxer is the slower.

No one is giving Algieri the benefit of the doubt to score a one-punch knockout against the Filipino KO artist owing to his not-so-impressive ring ledger.

But the lighter Algieri, standing five feet and 10 inches, will be a difficult moving target.

Computer statistics of his previous bouts revealed Algieri’s work rate increases as the fight moves on to the final stanza.

The volume of Algieri’s punches, as the bout progresses, should not be taken for granted.

Experts consider the New Yorker as “a very intelligent fighter” who has channeled his brains to prizefighting.

An intelligent fighter knows what is best and what is dangerous for him.

DANGEROUS

It is dangerous for Algieri to engage Pacquiao in a slugfest.

It is best for him to weave and bob, sidestep when trapped in the corner, use Ali’s rope a dope tactic, and utilize a lot of lateral movements.

With a longer reach and legs, he can survive and live another day until 12 rounds if he can avoid Pacquiao’s early kamizake-like assault which includes a left hook and right uppercut.

“Knowing he doesn't have one-punch power, Algieri smartly has utilized incredible volume and lateral movement to forge his undefeated record,” reported the Compubox.

“In winning the title from Provodnikov, Algieri averaged 82.8 punches per round to Provodnikov's 64.7 and his jab was particularly busy (47.2 thrown, nearly twice the 24.7 junior welterweight norm) and effective (9.2 connects per round was nearly twice the 140-pound average).

HEART

“Despite his Basilio-esque swelling Algeri never lost heart and the result were wide gaps in connects across the board (288-205 overall, 111-41 jabs, 177-164 power; 29%-26% overall, 20%-12% jabs, 41%-38% power).”

Pacquiao will have lot of running to do to cut the ring and catch the tall rabbit for his first KO win after eight fights (six wins by decision and two losses).

The memory of the 6^th round KO lost to nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez is still very much in his mind, thus Pacquiao, 35, can’t afford to underestimate Algieri, 30, even if the American was able to score only eight stoppages in 20 victories.

Algieri will have a lot of adjustments to make since he will be fighting a lefty who can disarrange a bull’s set of teeth with a single punch.

He is prepared to ride in a bicycle and use his footwork diligently to avoid losing a single tooth.

Referee Genaro Rodriguez probably has prepared to run around for 12 rounds as we expect the clash to finish the full route with Pacquiao winning by unanimous decision.

'Maidana Pacquiao's' handwriting on Mayweather's wall

'Maidana Pacquiao's' handwriting 
on Mayweather's wall

"Man is a strange animal. He generally cannot read the handwriting on the wall until his back is up against it."
Adlai E. Stevenson

By Alex P. Vidal

As long as Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s main faculties are intact after 12 rounds, some Nevada ring judges don't have the guts yet to call spade a spade.
If they could snatch him away from the jaws of defeat, Dave Moretti and Burt A. Clements made sure Mayweather remained unblemished even if he looked like a kindergarten pupil pummeled from pillar to post by a gang of neighborhood homicidal maniacs.
It took a combination of Manny Pacquiao and Marcos Maidana (35-4, 31 KOs) or "Maidana Pacquiao" to expose the flamboyant black fighter as a hogwash.
True to his reputation, Mayweather isn't a risk taker. He knows how to unwrap his safety nets if the enemy packs wallops in both fists. He has mastered the art of timing when to boob and weave to avoid his rival's bazooka-like bombs. Mayweather is allergic to a waterfront brawl thus exposing himself like a scared rabbit like what he did when he recently kept his WBA super welterweight diadem via majority decision, 116-112, 117-111, 114-114.

WOBBLY

Standing on wobbly legs each time he was trapped in the ring by the Argentine dynamo, who could be mistaken for a bull because of his ferocity and never-say-day attitude, Mayweather would mimic Muhammad Ali's rope-a-dope style and gyrate his way to freedom and safety.
Piqued by his pretensions and copycat, Ali (56-5, 37 KOs) dared his fellow black American champion to test the mettle of the more dangerous Pacquiao. Ali must have seen "Maidana Pacquiao's" handwriting on Mayweather's wall. The same wall that Ali saw when Joe Frazier (32-4, 27 KOs) landed the "punch that shook the world" that toppled him with a big thud to the canvas like a deck of cards for a clean knockdown scored by Frazier, who retained his WBC and WBA heavyweight crowns by 15-round unanimous decision at the Madison Square Garden in New York on March 8, 1971.
Like Mayweather, Ali was also undefeated when he lost that epic battle against fellow unbeaten Frazier, whose style as a brawler was similar to Maidana and Pacquiao or "Maidana Pacquiao." Although he managed to avenge that embarrassing loss to Frazier twice (one in the "Thrilla in Manila" in 1975) in his comeback fight after being stripped of the world heavyweight crown for his refusal to to be drafted to the US Army to shoot the Vietcongs in the Vietnam War, the 1971 debacle against Frazier was registered in history as one of Ali's lousiest performances.    

MAJORITY

Mayweather's majority decision conquest of Maidana last May 3 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, failed to convince oddsmakers who are now contemplating on a rematch. Unheralded Maidana may or may not get the much-ballyhooed rematch in September, but one thing is for sure, he exposed Mayweather's Waterloo: gore him like a wounded bull and bedazzle him with blinding over right blows as he backpedals and attempts to use the ropes for sanctuary.
Against Manny Pacquiao in a dream match, Mayweather will continue to dig deeper in his bag of tricks to avoid being trapped under an avalanche of hooks and uppercuts and reach the limit for a decision win like what he did when he survived Juan Manuel Marquez (12-round unanimous decision), Shane Mosley (12-round unanimous decision), Miguel Angel Cotto (12-round unanimous decision), Robert Guerrero (12-round unanimous decision), Saul Alvarez (12-round majority decision), and Maidana.

MYSTERIOUS

Mayweather described the mysterious customer from Buenos Aires as "a hell of a fighter, a very tough competitor."
"Congratulations on your new baby. You have a beautiful family but in the next fight don’t hit me in the dick,” he declared during their post-fight press conference.
"Next time let me use my gloves," Maidana, 30, retorted. "I don’t know what to say. The truth is the fight was a good one. I did everything possible to win, but the work we did wasn’t enough for the judges. I don’t think anyone has ever attacked him and landed as much as I did. I pressed the action most of the fight. He’s a great boxer and he was able to manage a few moments in the fight…All I want is for this f--ker to give me a rematch!"
Next time, should promoters make a mistake of arranging a rematch, fight fans won't be able to see a repeat of the 1971 Ali-Frazier "punch the shook the world" because Mayweather will know how to play smart once more: boob and weave to avoid an opponent's scud missiles and rope-a-dope ala Muhammad Ali to escape a trip to dreamland. 

Why Ilonggos love Manny Pacquiao

Why Ilonggos love Manny Pacquiao

"The strength of a man's virtue should not be measured by his special exertions, but by his habitual acts."
Blaise Pascal

By Alex P. Vidal

Ilonggo fans were among those who cheered heartily and prayed hard for Rep. Manny Pacquiao, 35, to regain his WBO welterweight title from previously unbeaten Timothy Bradley Jr. last April 12.
Aside from being a sports celebrity, Ilonggos remember Pacquiao (56-5, 38 KOs) both as a "sympathizer" and "friend."  
When typhoon "Frank" ravaged Iloilo in 2008, Manny Pacquiao, fresh from a 9th round TKO against David Diaz for WBC lightweight title in Las Vegas on June 28, 2008, went straight to Jaro district in Iloilo City to donate cash for typhoon victims through Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, then president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
His presence bouyed the spirits of Ilonggos who identify themselves with the puglist who speaks pure Hiligaynon whenever he is in the Visayas and Mindanao. 
I speak to Pacquiao in Hiligaynon and he answers in Hiligaynon. I don't speak Tagalog when I converse with Pacquiao so he can easily recognize me. In fact, he is surrounded by Hiligaynon-speaking staff. Among them are Ben Delgado, a former assistant trainer, and Danny Halibas, caretaker of his apartment in La Brea, Los Angeles. 

GOODBYE

I personally bade goodbye to Pacquiao in his vehicle at the parking lot of Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino the night he dismantled Diaz, telling him I could not join with the entourage in going back to L.A. the following day, June 29, because I would fly to Laredo, Texas. Before the Diaz duel, Pacquiao announced he wanted to go to Iloilo City to help the typhoon victims. I could not make it also to Iloilo City as I would be in L.A. by that time, I quipped.  
As I walked inside the hotel and was already about 20 meters away, Alex Oreto, Pacquiao's driver, who works as hospital instrument technician in L.A., loudly called me to comeback: "Tokayo Alex, tinatawag ka ni Manny (Tokayo Alex, Manny is calling you)."
When I went back to Pacquiao's vehicle, the champ handed to me several crumpled $100 bills without much ado. 
"Sa iyo 'to (This is for you). Happy trip," he quipped, grimacing in pain from a broken left fist he used to steamroll Chicago-based Diaz. I thanked the champ and left without counting the crumpled papers.

'THANK YOU'

I never asked anything from him, but it was probably his own way of saying "thank you" for all the articles I wrote about him since I started covering his fights in the United States. My stories were not for sale. No strings attached. It was heartily-given by an ebullient champion.
In Iloilo City, he gave interviews to reporters and met with church leaders and city officials. Pacquiao showed his concern for typhoon victims not only by donating cash, but also by telling them he felt sad when he heard about the destruction and damage wrought by the howler on properties and infrastructures. When he was not yet a superstar, Pacquiao surreptitiously honored an invitation by then Guimbal mayor and now Iloilo first district Rep. Oscar "Richard" Garin Jr. to go to Guimbal, Iloilo, 30 minutes ride from Iloilo City, together with Cebu promoter Sammy Gello-ani, to grace a small-time professional boxing event in 2006.
When Pacquiao fought Antonio Margarito for WBO 147-lb belt in Arlington, Texas on Nov. 13, 2010, I saw Mayor Garin in the lobby of Gaylord Hotel waiting for his complimentary ringside ticket. "I was invited by Manny to watch his fight," Garin told me when I asked him why he was there.

New Pacquiao-Bradley judge known to score a big margin

New Pacquiao-Bradley judge  
known to score a big margin 

"If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score?"
Vince Lombardi

By Alex P. Vidal

The name Craig Metcalfe does not ring a bell among Filipino boxing fans familiar with personalities involved in officiating big time Las Vegas fights probably because he is based in Canada. 
Metcalfe, a Canadian, is a last-minute replacement for the "ill" John Keane of Great Britain. A real estate broker in Alberta, Metcalfe will judge the Pacquiao-Bradley rematch on April 12 along with Glenn Trowbridge of Nevada and Michael Pernick of Florida. Kenny Bayless will be the third man in the ring.
Because of the controversy over the first fight, the Nevada State Athletic Commission agreed to assign two judges from outside Nevada. The WBO could only assign a supervisor.
When he was assigned to judge famous duels mostly involving WBC championships in the past, records showed Metcalfe gave margins by a mile to celebrity boxers.

FIRST TIME

The Pacquiao-Bradley rematch will be the first time in Metcalfe's 15-year career as judge that he will officiate for two successive times in the gambling capital of the world. He is busy officiating bouts mostly in Canada. Last March 8, Metcalfe was back in Las Vegas when Saul Alvarez TKO'd Alfredo Angulo in 10th. When the fight was terminated, Alvarez was ahead by seven rounds in Metcalfe's scorecard, 89-82. If the fight set for 12 rounds went the distance, there was no way for Angulo to chase Alvarez's lead in Metcalfe's ledger.
Alvarez is the more popular between the two courtesy of his 12-round majority decision defeat to celebrity Floyd Mayweather for WBC light middleweight and WBA super light middleweight crowns on Sept. 14, 2013. Incidentally, Metcalfe was a judge in the Mayweather-Alvarez setto held at the MGM Grand.
Of the three judges, it was Metcalfe's score that caught the attention of fans with malicious minds. He scored a lopsided 117-111, while Dave Moretti had it 116-112 for Mayweather. Third judge C.J. Ross disagreed with them and submitted a draw, 114-114. Ross, a veteran of more than 30 world title bouts, was the same judge who scored an atrocious 115-113 in favor of Bradley in the first Pacquiao bout on June 9, 2012.

PERFORMANCE

Going back to Metcalfe's performance in the Mayweather-Alvarez setto. The scorecard showed he had "no mercy" for Canelo, who was never in danger of falling down during the rumble. Many fans wondered if Ross saw the bout even, how in the hell could a fellow judge see a one-sided action when they were both watching and officiating the same pair of protagonists in the ring?
Also, when Vitali Klitschko halted Tomasz Adamek in 10th for WBC heavyweight title at the Stadion Miejski in Wroclaw, Poland on Sept. 10, 2011, Metcalfe's scorecard was also a head-turning 90-80 at the time of the stoppage. He gave Klitschko almost a shutout score that would have rendered impossible Adamek's efforts to chase with two rounds left. 
Was it a mere coincidence that in all these championship clashes, Metcalfe showed apparent generosity for celebrity fighters like Alvarez, Mayweather and Klitschko by giving them kilometric leads? Pacquiao and Bradley are both also considered as celebrities. Will Metcalfe give weight to their rank in the galaxy of boxing stars? Or he will judge the fight according to their performance?  

TEN FEET 

There was one championship fight, however, that Metcalfe stood ten feet tall. This was when he scored 115-113 for Andre Ward, who retained his WBC/WBA super middleweight belts by unanimous decision against Carl Froch at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Dec. 17, 2011. His tally agreed with fellow judge John Stewart, who also scored 115-113. Third judge John Keane, the man originally assigned in the Pacquiao-Bradley rematch, had a terrible 118-110 also for Ward.
"Metcalfe is a good judge. We have no issue whatsoever," Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti recently told ESPN.com.
If no knockout will happen, the fight will be decided anew on the scorecards. We will keep an eye on Metcalfe and his two colleagues.

Mauricio Sulaiman, right man to succeed Don Jose as WBC president

Mauricio Sulaiman, right man to 
succeed Don Jose as WBC president 

"Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes." PETER DRUCKER 

MAURICIO SULAIMAN AND ALEX P. VIDAL IN MEXICO CITY

By Alex P. Vidal

I exhort all my friends and colleagues in the world boxing fraternity to support Mauricio Sulaiman as the next president of the World Boxing Council (WBC). I am making a personal endorsement of Mauricio, knowing him as a truly competent, dedicated and sincere person both as a boxing leader and son of the late and highly-regarded Don Jose Sulaiman Chagnon.  
Most of us know that Don Jose had tremendous trust and confidence on his son, who, as secretary general, is actually his right hand in running the affairs of the biggest professional boxing organization in the world with headquarters in Mexico City. If Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra's  Don Quixote had Sancho Panza, Don Jose had Mauricio.
Like King Philip II of Macedon, who wanted his son, Alexander the Great, to succeed him in his throne, Don Pepe had seen the potentials of Mauricio to lead the WBC in the future ever since Mauricio officially joined the WBC family in 1992 as public relations director.

RENAISSANCE

"With Mauricio around, I can see the renaissance of the WBC in this millennium," Don Jose said during a one-on-one exclusive interview with this writer in Mexico City in 2008. "His heart is in boxing and he gets along very well with everyone involved in this sport."
Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kennedy Sr. saw his dreams dashed to pieces when his favorite son, Joseph Jr., was killed in a naval airplane crash in 1944, but was rewarded by God when his other son, John Fitzgerald or JFK, became president of the United States in 1961.
Don Jose's dream was not only to ensure that the WBC will continue to expand and reach out with promoters and boxers in the four corners of the globe, but to see to it that the WBC is safe and sound under the able leadership of Mauricio even if on some occasions, he expressed reservations of his son taking over the helm of the organization as he did not want Mauricio to be victimized by intrigues and attacks mostly from American press.

PROTEST

The elder Sulaiman had protested the "hurtful" and "humiliating" attacks he suffered from writers mostly in the United States over the way he managed the ruled the organization.
Don Jose had lamented that during his 36 years as WBC president, he's been "the victim of tremendous of public scrutiny by boxing and sports media outlets who based their reports on innuendo and insufficient data," he told writer Richard Powell.
 Don Jose, however, remarked in the same interview: "Mauricio, my son, is the one who decided to help me in the WBC and without his efforts and his work, it would not be possible for me to do what we are doing now. Mauricio would do a fantastic job (as president). Better than me!"
Like his father, Mauricio treats people in boxing like his extended family. He deals with them equally and does not discriminate them whether they are Asians, Africans, Europeans, Latinos or Americans.

REMEMBERS

Mauricio also remembers faces wherever he goes and lends his time to chat with them even for a few minutes. When he spotted me during the WBO welterweight tussle between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Angel Cotto at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in 2011, he stopped and gave me some boxing memorabilia for souvenir. He was there to represent the WBC which awarded Pacquiao diamond belt.
In all the boxing promotions, conventions and other related activities that we attended, Mauricio was a regular acquaintance, accompanying Don Jose and helping push the wheelchair of the immortal WBC chieftain.
When Texas-based Dr. Allan Recto and I went to visit Don Jose in Mexico City in July 2008, Mauricio was our gracious host; he awarded this writer with a WBC silver medal in the WBC headquarters. Despite their not-so-pleasant experiences with the press, Sulaiman father and son have high regards for journalists.  
We expect the WBC Board of Governors and all the prominent personalities -- promoters, boxers, managers, trainers, writers -- to throw their strong support behind Mauricio Sulaiman as the next WBC president.

Adios, Don Jose Sulaiman!

Adios, Don Jose Sulaiman!

“All the misery of the world is nothing next to a farewell.” DANIEL BALAVOINE

By Alex P. Vidal

When Don Jose Sulaiman ascended as president of the World Boxing Council (WBC) in 1975, the biggest and the greatest ever world heavyweight championship match in history unfolded in the Philippines known as "Thrilla in Manila" with Muhammad Ali emerging victorious after 11th round via technical knockout (TKO) over Joe Frazier.
Since then, Sulaiman never relinquished the presidency of the Mexico-based world boxing body until his death due to heart ailment last January 16 at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California.
A Mexican of Lebanese descent, Sulaiman, 82, was scheduled for cremation on January 19, Sunday, and a Monday Mass was to be offered in his honor at the iconic Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City.

WISH

Before he died, Sulaiman's wish was granted. This was to see the WBC belt once again strapped around the waste of Manny Pacquiao, whom he considered to be "the best boxer in history next to Muhammad Ali."
This happened on November 13, 2010 in Arlington, Texas when Pacquiao annexed the WBC light middleweight title via 12-round unanimous decision over Antonio Margarito. 
In my one-on-one exclusive interview with Sulaiman inside Polanco, his favorite restaurant in Mexico City shortly after Pacquiao demolished David Diaz via 9th round TKO for WBC lightweight belt in Las Vegas on June 28, 2008, Sulaiman expressed sadness that Pacquiao would leave the WBC and embrace the rival WBO.

FIRST

"Pacquiao is with the WBC ever since he won his first world crown (via 8th round KO of Chatchai Sasakul in Thailand on December 4, 1998) and I want him to continue fighting with the WBC," Sulaiman said.
After humiliating Oscar De La Hoya via 8th round TKO in Las Vegas on December 6, 2008, Pacquiao fought for rival IBO light welterweight title and obliterated Ricky Hatton in two rounds in Las Vegas on May 2, 2009.
From IBO, Pacquiao went to the WBO where he destroyed Angel Miguel Cotto (TKO 12) on Nov.14, 2009 and Joshua Clottey (UD 12) on March 13, 2010 in welterweight rumbles.
Then came Pacquaio's comeback fight under the WBC against Margarito where Sulaiman flew all the way from Mexico to act as supervisor.

HAPPIEST

"I'm the happiest person in the world because Pacquiao is once again with the WBC," beamed the wheelchair-bound Sulaiman, who was born on May 30, 1931 in Ciudad Victoria, Mexico to immigrant parents from Lebanon.
For unknown reason, Pacquiao, however, discarded anew the biggest and most prestigious boxing body in the world and fought his last five fights under the WBO: Shane Mosley (UD 12), Juan Manuel Marquez III (majority decision 12), Timothy Bradley (lost, split decision 12), Juan Manuel Marquez IV (lost, KO 6), and Brandon Rios (UD 12).

TENACIOUS

"Was Jose Sulaiman tenacious? You bet," boxing analyst Bob Newman remarked. "Dedicated to the sport he loved? Without a doubt. Was he unconventional? Perhaps. Then again, what is conventional in the irregularly regulated sport of boxing? There are so many contradictory rules and disagreements in this sport, who is to say who’s right and who’s wrong? In keeping with the theme song that accompanied slideshows at the annual conventions, he did it his way. As he often did during the portion of the WBC convention where members of boxing’s fraternity were remembered, we now sound the bell for a count of ten in remembering and paying respect to him."
Sulaiman, who was the longest president in any world sports body according to the Guinness Book of Records, is survived by his six children- Jose, Lucy, Hector, Fernando, Mauricio and Claudia and his loving wife of over fifty years Martha.