INSIDE SPORTS: SULAIMAN AT 77 STILL GOING STRONG
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 05 Jun 2008
Our esteemed friend ? and indeed a friend of Philippine boxing ? World Boxing Council president Don Jose Sulaiman celebrated his 77th birthday last Friday.
The truth is that all those of us around the world who love the sport with an indescribable passion and respect and admire the men who face each other in the ring and the trainers and conditioning men who hone these modern-day gladiators into perfect condition, perhaps celebrated the occasion more than Don Jose did. Because his leadership over these many years is reason enough for celebration.
The World Boxing Council is the pre-eminent international organization that is closest to the hearts of the Filipinos despite the efforts by other groups to carve a name for themselves and in so doing win the allegiance, to some extent at least, of the Philippines.
By the very nature of the sport and the fact that in recent years in particular there?s been a groundswell of support for boxing stirred by the amazing exploits of Manny Pacquiao, a certified national treasure, and scores of young men continue to emerge as potential world champions, organizations such as the IBF, the WBA and the WBO have served as a venue for our fighters exploits.
But despite all this, the WBC and its consummate leader Don Jose always have a special place in boxing ? and in our hearts.
It stems from the fact that the two men who provided the initial framework and impetus for the establishment and rapid growth of the World Boxing Council were two eminent Filipinos steeped in the sport ? the late Justiniano Montano Jr who was Chairman of the Games and Amusements Board and later President of the WBC and the lawyer par excellence Rudy Salud who was GAB secretary general and then served as WBC secretary general and crafted its constitution and by- laws.
Through the years since Don Jose Sulaiman assumed the presidency of the WBC he has steadfastly recognized the contributions made by the Philippines and often makes special mention of Salud from whom he has the decency and honesty to admit he learned the nuances of the sport and its administration.
Don Jose Sulaiman at 77 works like no other leader in the boxing world. Perhaps the one man who must rank as a parallel in terms of his remarkable energy and passion is Top Rank promoter Bob Arum.
No matter what their shortcomings, few real and most imagined, Don Jose and Bob Arum have given ? and continue to give the very best years of their lives to boxing - and the sport is all the better because of them.
To those of us who are privileged to know Don Jose Sulaiman up close and in some ways, personal, he has done more to help Filipino boxers remain in the limelight and in contention for world titles against seeming odds.
His aggressive pursuit of growth and respect for the established institutions in boxing is all a reflection of his love and passion for the sport and even as the years go by there is no perceptible waning of the passion for a man to whom boxing is his life and who has clearly passed on his acumen to his son Mauricio ? another fine gentleman who has, in his own way, developed a fondness for the Philippines.
From the fullness of our hearts Don Jose, may God give you the strength and the wisdom ? of which you have an abundance already ? to serve the sport we collectively love till the end of time.
Top photo: WBC President Jose Sulaiman (L) chats with Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo during the WBC Convention held last year in Manila.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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