{"id":893357,"date":"2026-09-15T22:32:24","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T22:32:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/893357\/"},"modified":"2026-09-15T22:32:24","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T22:32:24","slug":"round-12-ryan-is-still-the-king-world-boxing-council","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/893357\/","title":{"rendered":"Round 12: Ryan is Still the King \u2013 World Boxing Council"},"content":{"rendered":"

Round 12: Ryan is Still the King<\/p>\n

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

Precisely on his birthday, September 12, legendary Canadian boxer George Chuvalo passed away at the age of 89. The boxing world entered a period of mourning to bid farewell to one of the all-time greats of the ring, who famously faced the greatest of them all, Muhammad Ali.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This week in Las Vegas, the traditional Mexican Independence Day weekend had a bit of everything: concerts by Mexico\u2019s most popular artists, including the cancellation of one of the performances by sensation Car\u00edn Le\u00f3n\u2014who, due to force majeure, was unable to arrive in Las Vegas to perform at The Sphere, though he did perform on Friday, Saturday, and additional dates\u2014as well as Man\u00e1, Cristian Castro, and many others.<\/p>\n

The T-Mobile Arena rocked, and Mexico was once again proudly represented with the spectacular victory of Mexican-American Ryan Garc\u00eda, who brutally knocked out his British opponent Conor Benn in just two rounds.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It was a fantastic card featuring exciting and competitive bouts, capped by two spectacular knockouts in the main events. Australia\u2019s Jai Opetaia knocked out Armenia\u2019s Noel Mikaelian in 9 rounds.<\/p>\n

This fight brought a very welcome note as it marked the first real step toward collaboration between our organization, the World Boxing Council, and the new promotional company ZUFFA.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

For many months, there has been widespread speculation about ZUFFA\u2019s intentions and numerous media clashes between its multi-billion dollar empire\u2014which controls UFC, WWE, and many other entertainment enterprises. There have been multiple media reports, senate hearings and confession among all existing boxing entities, \u00a0promoters, managers, and sanctioning bodies dedicated to fighter safety and the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act which is being looked at a possible reform \u00a0has created unbelievable noise and concerns.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the end, everything turned out positive, defined by great harmony, mutual respect, and the optimistic feeling that meaningful progress was made for the good of the sport and the boxers.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Ryan Garc\u00eda walked to the ring escorted by Marco Antonio Barrera and the famous wrestler Rey Mysterio, with the mariachi band playing El Rey. The performance sent the crowd into a frenzy and generated an explosive atmosphere, setting the stage for the dominant performance Ryan delivered against Britain\u2019s Benn.<\/p>\n

Immediately after the final bell, challenges from other champions caused a stir at ringside: Te\u00f3fimo L\u00f3pez had to be escorted out of the arena after attempting to aggressively enter the ring, while Devin Haney put himself forward for a rematch with Ryan.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In addition to defending his \u00a0WBC world welterweight championship, Ryan took home two very special honors: the Adolfo L\u00f3pez Mateos commemorative belt, inspired by the Toltec culture of Hidalgo, named \u201cTollan Topiltzin\u201d. Crafted by talented artisans from the state of Hidalgo, this piece is deeply rooted in Toltec heritage. The term Tollan evokes the ancient capital of that empire\u2014a concept associated with greatness, wisdom, and artistic mastery. Likewise, Topiltzin (\u201cOur Noble Lord\u201d) pays tribute to Ce \u00c1catl Topiltzin Quetzalc\u00f3atl, ruler of Tula\u2019s golden age. The piece stands out for its central plate and ornaments carved from natural obsidian, genuine leather finish, gold-plated metal reliefs, and representations of the jaguar and the eagle, sacred symbols of warrior strength and authority. He also received an invaluable piece of jewelry , a beautiful ring with diamonds and precious stones that Maestros Joyeros crafted exclusively for the winner of this bout.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Another key highlight of the event was the presence of great champion David Benavidez, who holds the WBC light heavyweight title as well as the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles. Benavidez entered the ring for a face-off with Opetaia, setting the stage for an imminent showdown between the two in 2027.<\/p>\n

I had the opportunity to reunite with dear friends who have been an integral part of the WBC: Rex Walker, Vice President and founder of the Youth World Championship; Duane Ford, Vice President and NABF board member; Chuck Williams, who for many years served as director of conventions and special events; and Alberto Le\u00f3n, Vice President and legal committee director; along with many other friendly faces with whom I shared moments of great joy during this iconic and traditional boxing week.<\/p>\n

Did you know\u2026?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

September 16 has become a grand tradition for world boxing, and year after year, legendary fights featuring Mexico\u2019s greatest fighters have been celebrated on this weekend. Here are a few of them:<\/p>\n

Julio C\u00e9sar Ch\u00e1vez vs. Mario \u00abAzabache\u00bb Mart\u00ednez \/ September 13, 1984
\nShane Mosley vs. \u00d3scar De La Hoya II \/ September 13, 2003
\nFloyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Marcos \u00abChino\u00bb Maidana II \/ September 13, 2014
\nSa\u00fal \u00abCanelo\u00bb \u00c1lvarez vs. Terence Crawford \/ September 13, 2025
\n\u00d3scar De La Hoya vs. Fernando \u00abEl Feroz\u00bb Vargas \/ September 14, 2002
\nFloyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Sa\u00fal \u00abCanelo\u00bb \u00c1lvarez \/ September 14, 2013
\nSa\u00fal \u00abCanelo\u00bb \u00c1lvarez vs. Edgar Berlanga \/ September 14, 2024
\nMuhammad Ali vs. Leon Spinks II \/ September 15, 1978
\nSergio \u00abMaravilla\u00bb Mart\u00ednez vs. Julio C\u00e9sar Ch\u00e1vez Jr. \/ September 15, 2012
\nSa\u00fal \u00abCanelo\u00bb \u00c1lvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin II \/ September 15, 2018
\nSugar Ray Leonard vs. Thomas Hearns I \/ September 16, 1981
\nIsrael \u00abMagn\u00edfico\u00bb V\u00e1zquez vs. Jhonny Gonz\u00e1lez \/ September 16, 2006
\nGennady Golovkin vs. Sa\u00fal \u00abCanelo\u00bb \u00c1lvarez I \/ September 16, 2017
\nSa\u00fal \u00abCanelo\u00bb \u00c1lvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin III \/ September 17, 2022
\n\u00d3scar De La Hoya vs. Julio C\u00e9sar Ch\u00e1vez II \/ September 18, 1998
\nF\u00e9lix \u00abTito\u00bb Trinidad vs. \u00d3scar De La Hoya \/ September 18, 1999
\nRub\u00e9n \u00abEl P\u00faas\u00bb Olivares vs. David Kotey \/ September 20, 1975<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s anecdote\u2026<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

One of those legendary event cards surrounding Mexican Independence Day took place in 1992, when Julio C\u00e9sar Ch\u00e1vez and \u201cMacho\u201d Camacho finally stepped into the ring together; it was one of the biggest, most anticipated, and most challenging fights to organize. There were simply no tickets available\u2014it was complete madness, and all of Mexico wanted to be there\u2026 About 10 days before the fight, we were at home when the phone rang, and my sister Lucy told my dad: \u201cDad, a young man is on the line, someone named Luis Miguel, and he needs to speak with you\u201d\u2026 Sure enough, it was that Luis Miguel, calling our house to see if he could sit next to my dad to watch the Ch\u00e1vez vs. Camacho fight, offering in return to invite my dad to his concert the following night at Caesars Palace\u2026<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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

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