WBC President Blasts TKO’s Treatment Of Canelo

The fallout from the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford fight continues, with WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman claiming that Dana White and the TKO Group attempted to destabilize Canelo’s prep for the fight.  

Canelo ultimately suffered a unanimous decision defeat to Crawford, losing his Undisputed Super Middleweight Championship belt. According to Sulaiman, the champion’s preparation was intentionally complicated by the promotion, which imposed “logistical hurdles” and “creative restrictions” aimed at taking Canelo “out of his comfort zone.”

The WBC President was also reportedly banned from ringside for the fight. While Sulaiman eventually found a way to attend the fight, the experience highlighted the growing chasm between the TKO Group (the parent company of the UFC) and the traditional four sanctioning bodies (WBC, WBA, IBF, WBO). Sulaiman has been vocal in his resistance to TKO’s approach, which he views as an attempt to implement a centralized, UFC-style model in the multi-faceted sport of boxing. 

Sulaiman Reacts

“They did everything they could to take him out of his comfort zone. Dana White, with his promotional company TKO, which was the promoter of the fight for this event, did everything possible to go against those of us who are in boxing. For Canelo, it was a constant confrontation. Where to stay, tickets, credentials, ‘come present yourself at a conference,’ the last-minute visa, etcetera, etcetera. And they finish it off by taking away his television rights in Mexico, the first time in 16 years that he has been the headliner on television not seen in Mexico. And they take away the National Anthem, and they take away a spectacular entrance that he always planned with his team. Everything was done (to unsettle him),” Sulaiman said 

Nevertheless, critics of the WBC argue that they treated Canelo favourably. This was most noticeably seen when Canelo was not stripped when he did not face David Benavidez at 168. The Mexican Monster had been the WBC Interim Super Middleweight Champion for over two years. The WBC did not order Alvarez to face Benavidez or strip him, with Benavidez eventually moving up to 175. The dissatisfaction with boxing’s governing bodies has perhaps opened an avenue for TKO to capitalize via Zuffa Boxing.