Round 12 with Mauricio Sulaimán: The World Cup: a great celebration of peace and joy
By Mauricio Sulaimán
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 05 Jul 2026
The World Cup has practically begun and in my opinion, the first round was merely the warm-up and adjustment phase.
When Mexico hosted the World Cup back in 1970, 16 teams competed for the trophy; by 1986, it grew to 24 teams, and as this 2026 edition kicked off, 48 countries participated.
As I write this column, 32 teams are already set to play in the direct elimination rounds—the exact same number of teams that started the previous World Cup. That is why I say the 2026 World Cup is truly beginning now.
Mexico qualified in first place of its group, achieving three victories without conceding a single goal. This is highly encouraging for the fans, and this Tuesday, they convincingly defeated Ecuador at the Azteca Stadium.
The celebrations that have gone viral across global media and social networks are a cause of joy for all of us who seek a happy world filled with laughter, peace, and brotherhood. There is only one Mexico, and the world recognizes it every four years, as our compatriots make sure to throw the best parties wherever the World Cup takes place. Let us hope everything continues this way—in peace and happiness—no matter what happens on the field.
Technology and innovations have kept FIFA on everyone’s lips. The world is naturally resistant to change, but FIFA has constantly sought to adapt to changing conditions and utilize increasingly powerful technology in the pursuit of justice, in my opinion.
There have been several highly controversial incidents where VAR (Video Assistant Referee), which is the instant replay review of the action, has left many deeply dissatisfied. However, at the end of the day, the rules were clear from the start, and I assume everything has been carried out based on technology and without any foul play.
The famous cooling break has also been a subject of constant criticism. I assume the intention is to safeguard the physical integrity of the players, but the most talked-about aspect is that it serves as a mechanism to slot in multi-million dollar commercials among various sponsors. Many games have suffered a disruption in their rhythm, and in general, this new rule has not been very well received; it is only to the liking of those who take advantage of that pause to chug a drink and rehydrate themselves.
Imposing rule changes in boxing is highly complicated and very different from what happens in football and other sports where the governing authority (FIFA, NFL, NBA, NHL) is the ultimate boss. In those sports, besides administering the game and the regulations, they own the business, as they control everything related to television rights, sponsorships, franchise (team) sales et al.
In boxing, a sanctioning body like ours does not control anything related to the business. Therefore, it is the promoters who hold the deals with the television networks, thereby controlling the content and the development of the events. Furthermore, boxing faces a reality where a local jurisdiction controls the execution of the boxing card, which is the local boxing commission of the venue where the event takes place. In the United States, there are boxing commissions in every state; in Mexico, in every municipality; and in many countries, they are federal entities responsible for each boxing card.
In professional boxing, there are two types of fights: title bouts, which are sanctioned by an organization like the WBC, and non-title fights, which can be scheduled for four, six, eight, or ten rounds.
The rule changes or new procedures that the WBC implements are exclusively for our organization’s bouts, which is why it is more difficult to see them implemented across all boxing matches globally.
However, many of the WBC’s innovative rules have eventually become established worldwide. For example, changing world title fights from 15 rounds down to 12. This is undoubtedly one of the most important changes in boxing history, enforced since 1983, which has unquestionably saved many lives and preserved the quality of life for boxers after their years in the ring.
Another major change adopted globally was the day of the weigh-in. For decades, the official weigh-in took place on the exact same day of the fight, just a few hours before the bout. Since 1987, however, the official weigh-in takes place the day before, allowing fighters to fully recover from the tremendous dehydration they undergo to make the official weight.
Fifteen years ago, we pioneered the use of instant replay (similar to VAR), but exclusively for controversial actions that could alter the outcome of the fight. We have managed to implement it in the vast majority of countries, though with a lot of resistance in some; there are even states in the US that still do not accept it, and it is not accepted in the United Kingdom either.
Another great rule that has been highly effective for the WBC, yet has faced great resistance, is open scoring—announcing the scores of the three judges after the 4th and 8th rounds. It is an excellent rule that allows the corners to know how the judges are scoring, enabling them to modify their strategy rather than waiting until the end of the fight only to say, “if I had known we were down, I would have done things differently.”
Did you know…?
The boxing world stands united in prayer and action with the people of Venezuela. We have launched a campaign to raise funds and materials to be sent in support of Venezuela during these tragic moments they are experiencing. If your heart moves you, do not hesitate to help in any way possible.
Mexico has stood out as a tremendous World Cup host, even outshining the United States and Canada.
Today’s Anecdote….
The opening day of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico remains unforgettable. I was there with my father, José Sulaimán, my brothers Pepe, Héctor, and Fernando, and my cousin Antonio Esper, who was attending a football match for the very first time. After a few beers, Toño went to the restroom right at halftime. Upon returning, he noticed the teams had switched sides on the pitch and ended up walking all the way around the stadium looking for us. When he finally made it back to his seat, my father looked at him and said, “Everything good, Toñito? How about another beer?”
I welcome your comments at contact@wbcboxing.com
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Mauricio Sulaimán.
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