Mauricio Sulaimán, president of the World Boxing Council, spoke about the impressions that Saúl Álvarez left on him in his last fight, against the British John Ryder and assured that the man from Guadalajara has silenced criticism with his performances.
At the WBC coffee Tuesday in CDMX, the leader of the green and gold body recalled that John Ryder was the mandatory rival for the super middleweight world championship and not “a chosen rival.”
“Ryder was the WBO mandate, and that’s the right thing to do. The very few who still criticize Canelo have been covering their mouths with their performances. When there is a criticism, it sounds a lot and a lot of attention is paid to it, but Ryder was a worthy rival, which gives Saúl more greatness, ”he said.
On the other hand, Sulaimán highlighted what was done in the ring by the British, where he led the fight to the decision.
“John Ryder is a hero of the ring because a fight as it was lived, it would have been terrible if it ended with the boxer on the bench and he could have done it, with a broken nose, he continued fighting like that. He came to win, he tried, but he earned the respect of the whole world, ”he assured.
Finally, he did not forget that there is a possibility that David Benavides will face Saúl Álvarez, although he hopes that he will take a break.
“He deserves a good rest after such a demanding fight. She comes from an operation, and her right hand was very hurt and she should give it her time. We are going to wait a while (on his return), but he has an official challenger for the WBC, although he must be given the opportunity to rest. Canelo has already complied by returning home and he did it in a spectacular way. And it is perhaps the best event, as a show, held in the country ”, he concluded.
On the other hand, in this conference, the WBC president handed over the interim super welterweight championship to Brian Mendoza, who defeated Sebastián Fundora by knockout on April 8, 2023.