WBC CELEBRATES ITS 53RD ANNIVERSARY TODAY
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 15 Feb 2016
The leading boxing organization in the world ? the World Boxing Council ? celebrates its 53rd anniversary today.
The WBC recalls that the historic Inauguration happened at High Noon plus sixty minutes in Mexico City, at the now extinct Prado Alffer Hotel.
Present at what it described as ?that monumental occasion was our Honorary Lifetime President, Don Jose Sulaiman," embarking on what the WBC website said was ?a path to become the greatest boxing commissioner of all time."
Witnessing the historic moment, there were representatives of local and international commissions from 11 countries.
Nat Fleischer the then Director of Ring Magazine and author of more than 60 boxing books, legendary promoter George Parnassus, pioneering promoter Aileen Eaton, plus commissioners, boxers, managers, and many more people inextricably linked to the world of boxing.
Historically, the WBC was created in M?xico thanks to and during the Presidential era of a great leader and avid boxing fan, Adolfo Lopez Mateos. The main organizers were the then commissioners of this city: Mr. Luis Spota Saavedra, Professor Ram?n Vel?zquez Gonz?lez and Secretary Rafael Barradas Osorio.
Onslow Fane, from Enganld, was elected as the first WBC President, he would be almost immediately followed by Mr. Luis Spota, and he was succeeded by the chairman of the Philippines Games and Amusements Board as president with the esteemed lawyer-sportsman Rudy Salud who drafted the Constitution and By Laws of the organization as secretary general.
We remember that when Montano stepped down their was a clamor for Salud to succeed him but he told us that he turned down the importuning and then Professor Ramon G. Vel?zquez took over.
The indefatigable Don Jose Sulaiman who told us in an interview during the WBC Convention in Manila that he learned so much from Salud who was chairman of the Ratings Committee where Sulaiman was a member.
Don Jose succeeded Velasquez and when he passed away his son Mauricio was overwhelmingly elected to succeed him as WBC president.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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