{"id":755737,"date":"2026-06-23T20:17:37","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T20:17:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/755737\/"},"modified":"2026-06-23T20:17:37","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T20:17:37","slug":"round-12-fathers-in-boxing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/755737\/","title":{"rendered":"Round 12: Fathers in Boxing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Round 12: Fathers in Boxing<\/p>\n

\u200bBy Mauricio Sulaim\u00e1n \u2013 WBC President \u2013 Son of Jos\u00e9 Sulaim\u00e1n<\/p>\n

\u200bLast Sunday, Father\u2019s Day was celebrated in most countries. It will never be the same kind of celebration as Mother\u2019s Day, but it is a special day nonetheless.<\/p>\n

\u200bGrandfathers and fathers are honored, social media is flooded with congratulatory messages among friends and family, and a few gifts always pop up here and there to make the celebration even more meaningful.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u200b<\/p>\n

What wouldn\u2019t I give to celebrate my beloved father today, its been 12 years since he left us but on this day only the memories remain\u2014looking at photos and videos, listening to his favorite songs, and talking to him in silence throughout the day.<\/p>\n

\u200bFathers play a crucial role in boxing. There are many multi-generational boxing families and, in the vast majority of cases, it is the father who takes the son or daughter to the gym for the very first time.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u200bThere is also a large number of fathers who serve as trainers and chief corner for their kids, and we even see others working as managers and promoters.<\/p>\n

\u200bHowever, a father\u2019s influence on a boxer does not always turn out to be the best option. The father-son relationship will always be uniquely complex; there is a higher level of demand by nature, much stronger pressures exist, and in most cases, expectations are excessive, creating a very distinct kind of tension for the athlete.<\/p>\n

\u200bThere was once a rule within the World Boxing Council that prohibited a boxer\u2019s father from serving as the chief corner-man. This rule eventually became rule\u00a0due to the high number of elite boxers who have their fathers in their corner.<\/p>\n

\u200bWith a brief analysis of modern boxing, we can see the following cases where fathers train and work the corner for their children:<\/p>\n

Jose Benavidez initiated and has been trainer and corner of current WBC Light Heavyweight champ David Benavidez as well as Jose jr.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u200bFreddie Fundora\u00a0guides the WBC World Super Welterweight Champion, Sebasti\u00e1n Fundora, and likewise handles his daughter, Gabriela, the Undisputed Flyweight Champion.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u200bShingo Inoue\u00a0works with his two sons: the Undisputed Super Bantamweight Champion, Naoya, and Takuma, who is the WBC Bantamweight Champion.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u200bFollowing a long estrangement, Henry Garc\u00eda\u00a0returned to train and work the ring for his son, Ryan, and they achieved glory by capturing the WBC World Welterweight Championship.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u200bThe WBC Interim Middleweight Champion, Jes\u00fas Ramos, has his father in his corner, who also works with his other son, Abel.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Dalton Smith has dad and even grand dad in his corner.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

And this only the list of current WBC champions and I might even be missing some cases.<\/p>\n

\u200bThere have been many other cases, some involving great controversy and problematic instances that have even damaged family relationships, resulting in feuds that have filled media headlines and social networks:<\/p>\n

\u200bTe\u00f3fimo L\u00f3pez\u00a0Senior and Junior, with constant arguments both in private and in public; Danny Garc\u00eda, who was always eclipsed by his father\u2019s highly complicated personality; the Moseleys, and many other cases.<\/p>\n

\u200bBack in the 1970s, Alfonso Zamora\u00a0left Cuyo Hern\u00e1ndez\u2019s gym due to his father\u2019s demands. And how could we forget what happened at the end of the bout between Carlos Z\u00e1rate\u00a0and Alfonso Zamora\u2014when Zamora was knocked out, his father jumped into the ring to trade blows with Zarate,s trainer\u00a0Cuyo Hern\u00e1ndez.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"\u200b<\/p>\n

The same dynamic occurs across all other activities in our sport. Many judges and referees are the children of ring officials: Arthur Mercante Jr.; Julie Lederman, daughter of Harold; Lawrence Cole, son of Dickie, etc.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u200bIn promotional companies, Carl King\u00a0worked for many years alongside the legendary Don King; Todd duBoef\u00a0is the President of Top Rank, alongside Bob Arum; Luis de Cubas Sr.\u00a0and Jr.; George, son of Frank Warren of Queensberry; Eddie Hearn\u00a0now runs Matchroom, following in the footsteps of his father, Barry Hearn; Oswaldo Kuchle and\u00a0Maldonados\u00a0in Mexico, the Riveros\u00a0in Argentina, the Elordes\u00a0in the Philippines, among many others.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u200bFathers and Sons Who Became World Boxing Champions:<\/p>\n

\u200bGuty Espadas\u00a0(FL \u2013 WBA) \/ Guty Espadas\u00a0jr (FE \u2013 WBC) \u2013 Mexico
\n\u200bLeon Spinks\u00a0(HE \u2013 WBC) \/ Cory Spinks\u00a0(WE \u2013 IBF) \u2013 USA
\n\u200bMuhammad Ali\u00a0(HE \u2013 WBC) \/ Laila Ali\u00a0(SM \u2013 WBC Female) \u2013 USA *
\n\u200bWilfredo V\u00e1zquez\u00a0(BA\/SB\/FE \u2013 WBA) \/ Wilfredo V\u00e1zquez\u00a0 jr (SB \u2013 WBO) \u2013 Puerto Rico
\n\u200bJulio C\u00e9sar Ch\u00e1vez\u00a0(SFE \/ LI \/ SL) \/ Julio C\u00e9sar Ch\u00e1vez Jr.\u00a0(WBC \u2013 MI) \u2013 Mexico
\n\u200bChris Eubank\u00a0(WBO SM) \/ Chris Eubank Jr.\u00a0(GB) (WBA Interim \/ MI) \u2013 England
\n\u200bKostya Tszyu\u00a0(SL \/ WBC-WBA-IBF) \/ Tim Tszyu\u00a0(WBO \u2013 SW) \u2013 Australia
\n\u200bFloyd Patterson\u00a0(HE \u2013 WBC) \/ Tracy Patterson\u00a0(SB \u2013 WBC \/ SFE \u2013 IBF) \u2013 USA **
\n\u200bCarl Bobo Olson\u00a0(MI-WORLD) \/ Eliza Olson\u00a0(LI \u2013 WBC Female) \u2013 USA<\/p>\n

\"\"\u200b
\nDid you know\u2026?<\/p>\n

\u200bMy father, Don Jos\u00e9 Sulaim\u00e1n, served as president of the World Boxing Council for 38 years, during which he experienced everything: a history filled with challenges, lessons, unforgettable moments, and above all, a mission that always stood above everything else: to protect the boxer and work toward a fairer, more humane, and safer sport. Today, I try to follow in his footsteps.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"\u200b<\/p>\n

When my father arrived at the WBC, he did so with a very clear vision. He understood that boxing was not just a sport of punches, victories, and defeats; to him, boxing represented life stories, sacrifice, dreams, and opportunities. He always said that behind every champion was a person who had given up everything to reach a goal, and that our responsibility was to accompany them and take care of them.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u200bI had the fortune of growing up witnessing that dedication every single day. From a young age, I observed how my father lived boxing with an immense passion. The WBC was his life, but beyond the belts and championships, what truly moved him was the people: the fighters, their families, the trainers, the promoters, and everyone who forms part of this great global family.<\/p>\n

\u200bFollowing in his footsteps has been no simple task. When I received the responsibility of continuing his legacy, I understood that it was not simply about occupying a position, but about honoring a history built with hard work, values, and principles.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u200b<\/p>\n

I have always said that my ultimate pride is that I am the son of Jos\u00e9 Sulaim\u00e1n. My father left an indelible mark. His name is linked to historic moments in world boxing, but also to changes that transformed the lives of many athletes. He implemented safety measures, defended the rights of boxers, and always pushed for the sport to evolve.<\/p>\n

\u200bEvery day that I walk into the WBC office, I remember his words, his advice, and his way of looking at life. He taught me that the power of an organization does not lie in its name, but in its capacity to serve others, in the need of keeping an united Board of Governors, in empowering committee leaders and aldermen listening to every single person or\u00a0group who approaches our beloved\u00a0organization.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u200b<\/p>\n

Today, after so many years, I continue to walk with that lesson. My commitment is to keep that philosophy alive. The world changes, boxing evolves, new generations of champions and new challenges emerge, but the essence must remain: taking care of the fighter.<\/p>\n

\u200bToday I look back and I am deeply grateful to have had a man like my father as my guide. Thanks to him, I learned that boxing unites the world, that sports can change lives, and that behind every bout exists a story that deserves respect. Continuing his path has meant keeping a vision alive.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u200bThe journey continues. History is still being written. And as long as I have the opportunity to serve boxing, I will always carry with me the greatest lesson my father left me: the most important champion will always be the human being inside the boxer.<\/p>\n

\u200bToday\u2019s Anecdote\u2026<\/p>\n

\u200bSpeaking of Father\u2019s Day, I remember that celebrating this date alongside my beloved dad was wonderful, with the whole family gathered to spend beautiful moments together. His endless stories, anecdotes and great sense of humor.<\/p>\n

\u200bMany of these celebrations took place at Sanborns, with the entire family together and Don Jos\u00e9\u00a0enjoying a delicious breakfast of huevos divorciados\u00a0with his cup of coffee. Thus, something so simple became part of the moments that remained forever stored in the hearts of the entire Sulaim\u00e1n family.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u200bI welcome your comments at [email\u00a0protected]<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Loading\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Round 12: Fathers in Boxing \u200bBy Mauricio Sulaim\u00e1n \u2013 WBC President \u2013 Son of Jos\u00e9 Sulaim\u00e1n \u200bLast Sunday,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":755738,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[571],"tags":[64,63,802,85],"class_list":["post-755737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-boxing","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/755737","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=755737"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/755737\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/755738"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=755737"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=755737"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=755737"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}