WBC prez Mauricio Sulaiman ‘called away’ from interview after being grilled about world champion status

[Ruthless-RKO]

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman ‘called away’ from interview after being grilled by Simon Jordan about Dillian Whyte’s mandatory situation and Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman cut his talkSPORT interview short on Thurday, just after he was asked probing questions about Dillian Whyte’s mandatory situation.

As it stands, the Brit is not the official challenger for Tyson Fury’s title as he lost the position when he was beaten by Alexander Povetkin last year.

Despite Whyte defeating the Russian in a rematch this March, Sulaiman has confirmed the mandatory status remains vacant and will be addressed shortly.

Many expect Whyte, as holder of the ‘interim’ belt, to be appointed as mandatory and his team have previously been involved in a legal process with the WBC, attempting to enforce his position.

On Thursday, Sulaiman joined Jim White, Simon Jordan and Spencer Oliver on talkSPORT.

To begin with, Jordan quizzed Sulaiman on the arbitration ruling which led to the collapse of Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury, and asked him why the WBC hadn’t seen this coming if they’d previously been aware of the Fury vs Deontay Wilder contract.
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Jordan began: “Mauricio, can I ask you a couple of questions and you can help educate us about boxing protocol and policies?

“If you’re the sanctioning body and you’re sanctioning a [Fury vs Wilder] rematch at the same time as sanctioning Fury vs Joshua, aren’t you privy to the contracts that are signed?

“Wouldn’t you understand the obligations, as the WBC champion Fury was signing a contract with Wilder for a third fight, you would be sanctioning that?

“So you must have a view on the contract that they’re entering into and the reality of how enforceable it was at the same time as sanctioning another fight with Joshua for your belt as well?

“And the second question I wanted to ask you – what is the WBC’s policy on mandatory challengers?

“Because it seems to me that what happens is the incumbent champion gets to sign fights and rematches at the expense of a mandatory challenger ad infinitum?”

Sulaiman replied: “The pandemic year has taken over all activity of, not only boxing, but all sports.

“There was the registrations of a contract for the third fight. The WBC was expecting that fight to take place in December [2020].

“When that fight did not take place in December, then there were talks and a petition to sanction the ultimate unification between Fury and Joshua.

“For several months there was expectations to get the date and the place.

“Eventually the court ruled for the third fight of Fury against Wilder.”

Jordan then reiterated his second question: “What is the point of being a mandatory challenger if the incumbent champion can sign fight deals that arrange for three fights sanctioned by the body which makes the mandatory challenger just sit there like a cab waiting to be summoned.

“He can’t be summoned because you’ve got fighters that are signing two-or-three-fight deals, sanctioned by the boxing organisations, that make a mandatory challenger almost redundant?”

Sulaiman responded: “I don’t see it that way.

“Unfortunately there are circumstances at the moment which limit what I can comment and what I cannot comment.

“The scenario is as I have just explained – there is a contract for a fight, there is a pandemic with travel restrictions and many other situations.

“And the WBC is waiting to see all the variables to understand exactly where the heavyweight division is.”

White then went to an ad break with the idea that Sulaiman would return afterwards for more questions.

However, he did not do so.

White explained after the adverts had finished: “Mr Sulaiman, I can tell you, has been ‘called away’.

“Simon, as only you can do, you were asking some very probing questions and I wonder if Mr Sulaiman has decided, ‘Right, enough of that, because he’s got me in somewhat of a corner here.'”

Jordan added: “My question that was gonna follow up was – if Fury vs Wilder 3 resulted in Wilder winning, was he gonna sanction the mandatory to fight Wilder, or was he gonna allow another rematch between Wilder and Fury?

“I think that’s an interesting question people would’ve like to have heard the answer to.”

White then turned to Oliver and asked: “What’s your take on it Spencer? The fact that Sulaiman has decided to leave it at that?”

Oliver reacted: “It’s a difficult one to be honest, he was maybe being put into a corner that he didn’t wanna answer those questions.

“Or maybe he didn’t have the answers for those questions, that’s all I can say really.

“They’re quite straightforward questions, it’s a shame we never got the answers.”

[digzee]

I wonder how many times the WBC have enforced their mandatory since Wilder won the title compared to the other 3 orgs. All I can remember is the Stiverne rematch and Breazeale.

[Ruthless-RKO]

I wonder how many times the WBC have enforced their mandatory since Wilder won the title compared to the other 3 orgs. All I can remember is the Stiverne rematch and Breazeale.

Stiverne didn't even do ANYTHING to become mandatory.

He probably won one match I think..

[gregregegg]

The Stivern rematch was the biggest gift of a mandatory iv ever seen, Made zero sense..

The dom breazeal mandatory also didn’t make sense because dillian was ranked above him… but at least dom was viewed as semi decent then.

As far as I know they were the only mandatorys since vitali Klitschko had the belt… (surely not please someone correct me there) if they are and the wbc has never done a real mandatory then why are people paying fees?

[handsofstone]

Just look at the Gary Russell situation to know all you need to know about the wretched WBC, Mauricio Sulaiman is a cancer to the sport

[Ruthless-RKO]

Just look at the Gary Russell situation to know all you need to know about the wretched WBC, Mauricio Sulaiman is a cancer to the sport

Russell engages in a mandatory once a year.

[handsofstone]

Just look at the Gary Russell situation to know all you need to know about the wretched WBC, Mauricio Sulaiman is a cancer to the sport

Russell engages in a mandatory once a year.

There should be a rule to force voluntaries as well, defending a title less than once a year is a disgrace

[Monzon83]

Clearly he had no idea who Jordan was when he agreed to be interviewed. Probably never heard of TalkSport either but he got verbally mugged and did a runner.
Sulaiman is a slippery character like many in boxing and the fact he just ran like a dog pretty much typifies the attitudes boxing has when people question the ridiculous way the sport is managed by people like him.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Just look at the Gary Russell situation to know all you need to know about the wretched WBC, Mauricio Sulaiman is a cancer to the sport

Russell engages in a mandatory once a year.

There should be a rule to force voluntaries as well, defending a title less than once a year is a disgrace

Never. They just about force mandatories.

It's strange, everyone else at PBC seem to get their in-house fights.. Yet, Gary is left out.

[digzee]

I wonder how many times the WBC have enforced their mandatory since Wilder won the title compared to the other 3 orgs. All I can remember is the Stiverne rematch and Breazeale.

Stiverne didn't even do ANYTHING to become mandatory.

He probably won one match I think..

I remember that 1 win Stiverne got was against a journeyman and it was a close fight that could've gone either way. That was the most undeserving mandatory of a world title I can think of.

[KiwiRider]

I wonder how many times the WBC have enforced their mandatory since Wilder won the title compared to the other 3 orgs. All I can remember is the Stiverne rematch and Breazeale.

Stiverne didn't even do ANYTHING to become mandatory.

He probably won one match I think..

I remember that 1 win Stiverne got was against a journeyman and it was a close fight that could've gone either way. That was the most undeserving mandatory of a world title I can think of.

Ha!
Yes I looked it up when it was announced that he was rematching Wilder instead of Wilder fighting his mandatory #1 and silver belt holder Dillion Whyte.
I thought - how is this happening?
I hadn't even known Stiverne was still fighting, I thought Wilder had retired him. It was exactly what is wrong with the sport.

[dookus]

Sulaiman is a slippery character like many in boxing and the fact he just ran like a dog pretty much typifies the attitudes boxing has when people question the ridiculous way the sport is managed by people like him.

Exactly this

[digzee]

Stiverne didn't even do ANYTHING to become mandatory.

He probably won one match I think..

I remember that 1 win Stiverne got was against a journeyman and it was a close fight that could've gone either way. That was the most undeserving mandatory of a world title I can think of.

Ha!
Yes I looked it up when it was announced that he was rematching Wilder instead of Wilder fighting his mandatory #1 and silver belt holder Dillion Whyte.
I thought - how is this happening?
I hadn't even known Stiverne was still fighting, I thought Wilder had retired him. It was exactly what is wrong with the sport.

Yes it was an embarrassing situation for the sport. Wilder messaged Whyte to tell him he will freeze him out for 3(?) years, no champion should be able to decide when or who his mandate is.

[margaret thatcher]

if the wbc are sick of whyte and dont want him to be mando why did they ever name him mando in the first place?