Mauricio Sulaimán, president of the World Boxing Council (WBC), announced on Tuesday that his body will not endorse fights with Russian or Belarusian boxers due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
“We have decided that we will not sanction performances with Russian and Belarusian boxers. It is a terrible decision, but necessary to show that the world of sport, of boxing and that we all want peace”, he said.
The president of the World Boxing Council explained that this determination will be maintained until that there be an end to the war conflict in which Russia is supported by Belarus against Ukraine.
“Initially we would not sanction fights in Russia, but seeing the seriousness of the situation we decided not to sanction fights involving Russian and Belarusian boxers until there is definitive progress towards peace”.
Sulaimán He stressed that the determination not to endorse contests in which Russian and Belarusian boxers appear will also be adopted by the World Organization and the International Boxing Federation.
“I am glad to have a common front with the boxing organizations the Organization and the Federation to show the world that these conflicts should be resolved at a desk and not in the way it is being done”, he stressed.
The WBC chief mentioned that with this position does not intend to side with any nation.
“Any act of war is absolutely reprehensible, it is not to blame or be on one side or the other, we cannot see that innocent people die and how soldiers from Ukraine and Russia die”, and He emphasized.
The leader acknowledged regret because this announcement hurts many people who work at the World Boxing Council.
“It is a painful decision, we have many Russian friends; promoters, trainers, judges, boxers, that’s why we want this to be reactivated as soon as possible, the only thing we want is for peace to return to Ukraine”.
Sulaimán did not want to comment on the scheduled fight for May 7 between the Russian Dmitry Bivol, light heavyweight champion of the World Boxing Association (WBA) and the absolute monarch of the super middleweights Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez.
“I prefer not to comment at this time on that fight, at this time what matters is this union between the different organizations that have joined together to seek peace”, he said regarding the contest that will be sanctioned by the WBA.
The fight between Bivol and ‘el Canelo’ still does not have a venue for its performance.
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