Round 12 with Mauricio Sulaiman: Cinco De Mayo, A Historic Celebration Of Boxing
By Mauricio Sulaimán
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 08 May 2026
What a way to celebrate the traditional festivities of the Battle of Puebla! The famous Cinco de Mayo at the T-Mobile Arena turned into a battlefield with a boxing card put together by the unity of promoters, who proved with facts that our sport is stronger than ever. It was gratifying to see how promoters have initiated a collaborative working process to give fans the events they deserve. Oscar De La Hoya with Golden Boy, Tom Brown with TGB, Premier Boxing Champions, Sampson Lewkowicz, Zanfer, and Cancún Boxing, among others. They all collaborated to make this one of the greatest cards in history.
The event consisted of 11 bouts, five of which were part of the special PPV broadcast segment on Prime Video. Each fight surpassed the last; we experienced five authentic “wars” in the ring that kept the crowd on their feet at all times. The evening culminated with the categorical demonstration by David “The Mexican Monster” Benavidez, who dealt a tough defeat to the brave, now-former unified champion, Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramírez.
Benavidez entered the ring as the WBC World Light Heavyweight Champion and, following this triumph, has expressed his desire to return to the division where he has multiple options for major bouts.
The World Boxing Council prepared the traditional commemorative “Adolfo López Mateos” belt, based on the culture of Hidalgo: a beautiful piece called Tollan Tlatequi. The official presentation ceremony will take place soon in Mexico. Cinco de Mayo shone like never before, and every fighter gave their absolute best to the fans’ satisfaction.
On the other hand, Tijuana’s Jaime Munguía became a world champion once again by capturing the super middleweight title in a great “toe-to-toe” battle against the brave José Armando Reséndiz. Munguía relied on the strategic cunning of the great trainer Eddy Reynoso, as he is now part of Team Canelo. Even Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez himself was at ringside, euphoric, cheering on his stablemate. A deeply emotional moment occurred when Jaime presented his new belt to Fernando Beltrán, stating with moving words that he dedicated this triumph to him.
The WBC Silver Championship was at stake in another thrilling fight. Oscar Duarte was scheduled for this May 2nd following the withdrawal of Richardson Hitchins, who decided not to fight just a month ago. Oscar De La Hoya and Eric Gómez kept their promise and matched him against the gritty Tashiro Fierro.
Fierro’s story is one worth telling. Last year he provided the “Fight of the Year” against “Pitbull” Cruz, but later went through a difficult process that led him to enter Aarón Silva’s Nueva Vida rehabilitation clinic. This was his opportunity for a grand comeback, and he took it. Unfortunately, Fierro did not make the official weight, but Duarte accepted the fight despite giving up important weight advantage. The bout resulted in a war that ended in a split decision in favor of Duarte.
In another match, Ismael Flores, who recently visited us during our traditional “Martes de Café” promising to become a Green and Gold world champion, gave a masterclass to the previously undefeated Mexican Isaac Lucero, taking the victory by unanimous decision. Also participating was Dylan Capetillo, who showed a great future by defeating James Pierce by decision in his second professional bout. Dylan was a champion of the WBC Green Belt Challenge, a highly successful amateur tournament in Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
Great Activity in Australia and Japan
At the Melbourne Pavilion in Victoria, Australia, this past April 29th, local star Skye Nicolson successfully defended her WBC Interim World Featherweight title. Skye looked sensational, showing absolute dominance from the first round with her technical style and an impeccable jab that frustrated Mariah Turner. With this, she reaffirms her position in the elite and paves the way for a total unification.
From Tokyo, Japan, at the iconic Tokyo Dome before a sell-out crowd of 55,000 people, the brothers Naoya and Takuma Inoue delivered memorable performances. Takuma defeated the legendary four-division champion Kazuto Ioka with a masterclass in speed and counter-punching. Meanwhile, in the main event, “The Monster” Naoya retained his undisputed Super Bantamweight championship by defeating Junto Nakatani by unanimous decision in a high-level technical battle. Naoya improves his record to 33-0 and consolidates his legacy as one of the greatest Japanese boxers in history.
Did you know…?
David Benavidez made history on September 8, 2017, by becoming the youngest Super Middleweight World Champion of all time. He was crowned at just 20 years, 8 months, and 22 days old, after defeating Ronald Gavril, surpassing the record previously held by Darrin Van Horn.
Today’s Anecdote
We were at an annual convention in Cancún, and my father tasked me with carrying out a series of pranks to record with a hidden camera. I remember how much he enjoyed planning the prank on the chairman of the Ratings Committee, Frank Quill from Australia.
In the final session, my father asked me to give him a message: “Frank, my dad says to rank Mike Tyson at #1, because he’s making a comeback and will fight our champion, Klitschko.” It should be noted that Tyson had been retired for seven years. After a prolonged pause and a look of absolute shock, Frank asked the committee for a recess and requested an urgent meeting with Don José. I took him to see him, and while Frank was presenting his resignation to the committee over such a request, my father couldn’t contain his laughter, and both ended up sharing a very long, hearty laugh.
I appreciate your comments at contact@wbcboxing.com.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Mauricio Sulaimán.
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