Written by Mauricio Sulaiman
WBC President – Jose Sulaiman’s son
When a game meets and exceeds expectations, the world continues to talk about the event and fans are elated, captivated and renewed with a renewed passion for the sport.
Last Saturday, Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury gave us a fight full of drama that will undoubtedly place it among the all-time greats in history.
By tradition, the heavyweight division is the most prestigious division. The World Heavyweight Champion is hailed as the most powerful, respected and feared athlete in the world. This went on for decades. Jack Johnson, Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Vitaly Kryshtko…
Lennox retired from boxing as WBC world champion after his dramatic fight with Vitaliy Klitschko, and Lewis was the last undisputed heavyweight champion until now.
In 1999, he defeated Evander Holyfield to become the undisputed champion that fans and media had been waiting for. This means he is the only champion in his division to hold the four currently recognized belts: WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF.
Saudi Arabia has become the most interesting venue for today’s most important matches, and the Riyadh Season is undoubtedly the epicenter of the world’s biggest spectacular events.
His Excellency Turki Alarusik is a passionate fan of the sport of fisting and is revolutionizing boxing by launching an epic campaign to ensure the fights the world wants to see take place.
After five years and many attempts to unify the top division, it was finally achieved, with the Kingdom Arena packed to capacity, thousands of people watching Ring of Fire, and millions watching on DAZN. , a historic battle is now taking place. This book is one of the greatest books in history.
With an inexhaustible budget, this battle was advertised and promoted all over the world in a visionary and entertaining manner, with very attractive and effective elements.
A short film reenacting an old Western duel was created, a special song was created, and the show was performed on giant screens, the Latin American Tower, the World Trade Center, trucks, airports, bars, and other locations in England, New York, Tokyo, and Mexico City. It was advertised in restaurants and even human billboards walking around town advertising it.
Social networks were flooded with all kinds of publications for weeks, becoming the highest trending topic during the match week, before the match, during the match, and above all on the Saturday after the match.
Jacob designs and manufactures unique watches, which are also on sale along with other valuable items, shorts signed by legendary players, WBC belts signed by Fury and Usyk, and even gloves signed by the Beatles. It was auctioned off at a glamorous event.
The watch ultimately sold for $800,000.
The in-arena production was spectacular, with lights, music, lasers, special effects and moving screens. In the front row were soccer players Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Jr., as well as actors Jean-Claude Van Damme, Roberto Manos de Piedra Duran, Antonio Tarver, Ami Khan, Badou Jacques, Then there were heavyweight legends Larry Holmes, Wladimir Klitschko, and Anthony Joshua. Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield were in the ring, holding the invincibility belt in their hands.
A spectacular ring walk by both teams, a moving singing of the national anthem, and an atmosphere that is indescribable.
That being said, all the paraphernalia and the millions of dollars spent on this card melded and fused into a moment of high anticipation when the first bell rang.
There were only Fury and Usyk in the ring, and nothing else mattered, just the battle between these two gladiators. Reminiscent of Rome's Circus Maximus, Madison Square Garden, Rumble in the Jungle's Zaire Stadium, and Manila's Tila's Manila Coliseum, befitting these classics, Ring of Fire's The time has come.
At the end of the match, there was a split decision winner to the delight of thousands of spectators and millions of viewers. Because we knew we had just witnessed a legendary match that will be remembered for generations. Usyk became the undisputed heavyweight champion, Fury became a part of history and showed the heart of a lion, Torki Alalacik made this happen, and the promoters of the event, Queensberry, Top Rank, K2, Congratulations to DAZN Boxing and everyone involved.
Did you know that…?
Five Ukrainians were scheduled to compete in world championship matches within 45 days. Sergiy Bokhachuk, Vasyl Lomachenko and Denis Belinchyk each took home the crown. While Usyk has claimed undisputed glory, the only player missing is Oleksandr Gvozdyk, who will face David Benavidez on June 15 in Las Vegas.
today's anecdote
It is impossible to recreate the legendary battle. What happens between the ropes creates, precipitates and ignites that emotion forever. In boxing, despite grueling and thorough preparation, you can't plan anything. Spontaneous ignition occurs.
One of the most famous matches is undoubtedly the “Jungle Brawl” that took place in 1974 in Zaire (now Congo). His father came as his WBC secretary-general and director. When Don Jose arrived, he naturally contacted the match's promoter, Don King, who was new to the field.
Something unexpected happened and Don Jose told us this story many times. I called him (the king) in his room and his response was something he would never admit. He is now my soul brother and I have claimed him countless times.
“Who is this caller? Listen clearly, I only speak to the WBC President, and it's not you, I only speak to Professor Velazquez.”
A few days later, Foreman was injured while sparring and the match was postponed for 30 days. His father returned home and was so angry that he stopped going to the game. As a result, he was forced to miss what is considered the most important match in boxing history.
After this unpleasant incident, which Don King always denied, they became inseparable friends for decades.
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