Mauricio Sulaiman
WBC President – Son of Jose Sulaiman
Last Saturday, the famous and legendary MGM Grand Arena, arguably the most important venue in the boxing world, hosted its 100th boxing event.
The MGM Grand Hotel opened in late 1993 and was a spectacular attraction, combining an amusement park with a hotel, the largest in the world, with 5,005 rooms.
The first boxing card was promoted by Don King and aired on Showtime on January 29, 1994. This marked the beginning of an unforgettable night, when the great Mexican champion Julio Cesar Chavez, considered invincible at the time, took to the canvas to lose his unbeaten status and the WBC super lightweight championship in his 90th bout against Frankie Randall.
Don King promoted numerous events that included four, five, and even six world championship bouts on each card, featuring a host of legendary fighters, including Mike Tyson, Chavez, Azumah Nelson, Evander Holyfield, Ricardo Lopez, Terry Norris, Julian Jackson, Gerald McClellan, and many more.
Top Rank has hosted numerous events over the years, including some great events for Honda's Teiken promotion.
Oscar De La Hoya was based at the MGM Grand as both champion and promoter, and Golden Boy promoted some of the most impressive cards featuring stars such as Floyd Mayweather, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez.
Currently, the arena's most active promoters are TGB and Premier Boxing Champions. A total of 38 promoters have participated in this 30-year magical celebration that has included 100 knockout nights.
It's impossible to pinpoint the most magical moments in boxing's 30 years at the MGM Grand, but I'll try to pick a few.
- Julio Cesar Chavez lost to Frankie Randall in the opening round, ending his undefeated record.
- Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield's ear.
- George Foreman knocked out Michael Moore to regain the heavyweight championship at age 45.
- Juan Manuel Marquez knocked out Manny Pacquiao in dramatic fashion in the sixth round.
- Jorge “Travieso” Arce knocked out Hussein “Hussein” Hussein in a dramatic break of his nose.
- Floyd Mayweather Jr. has fought 15 times and defeated some of the greatest champions of all time.
- Saul “Canelo” Alvarez knocked out Caleb Plant to become the first ever undefeated super middleweight champion.
- Erik “Terrible” Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera put on two epic fights.
- Tyson Fury knocked out Deontay Wilder to become the WBC heavyweight champion.
- Oscar De La Hoya fought 13 memorable bouts.
The 100th card was awesome, as PBC and TGB produced an epic knockout night that included three WBC World Title bouts and a main event that ended with a blockbuster knockout by Gervonta Davis.
MGM and PBC teamed up to celebrate this special weekend with a variety of memorable activations, where legendary champions were invited to attend, receive the luxury treatment they deserve, and have a blast with everyone, including James Toney, Gabriel and Rafael Ruelas, Pauly Ayala, Zab Judah, and many more.
A lavish reception was held in the Grand Arena to unveil the 100 Ko Nights banner that is now displayed in such locations.
The atmosphere was explosive, with many celebrities gathering to catch a glimpse of the gladiators in the ring, including Dallas Cowboys superstars Micah Parsons, Ezekiel Elliott, Lady Gaga, RJ Mitte, comedians and music stars, and Tank Davis' combination that knocked out the brave and competitive Martin, selling out the venue.
Did you know that…?
The MGM Grand holds box office and pay-per-view sales records around the world.
The elite champions of the past three decades have fought at that iconic venue, the MGM Grand, where the baton of pound-for-pound supremacy was passed from Julio Cesar Chavez to Oscar De La Hoya to Floyd Mayweather Jr., the latter of whom was Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.
Today's story
I remember accompanying my father to all the matches in Las Vegas, USA, many of which were held at the MGM Grand.
The ceremony was a bit somber and tedious, but I was willing to give it all to experience it, to remember it, to celebrate Father's Day just one more time. This was the arrival…
Searching the lobby and on our way to our room, Don Jose stopped numerous times to say hello to acquaintances, stop to take photos, etc. Then we arrived at our room and made sure to go downstairs to change rooms depending on carpet color, size, or other circumstances.
Next we went to the store to get some food. Soft drinks, cheese, fried foods to chocolates, oh my gosh! Phone calls came one after the other back and forth to my cell phone: “Son, please give me this, please give me that, bring me glasses, go get my wallet, call Don King, hand out tickets, serve so-and-so, and I'm hungry too, I haven't eaten anything, so I'm going to make an exception today and have dessert (something he did every day).”
I miss my father and I admire my siblings, my wonderful parents, especially my brother Fernando, the most loving and devoted father in history.
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