May 30 of 1931 - 2014
Our work, as our hearts are dedicated to his vision of caring.
Birth place: Cd. Victoria, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Status: Married.
6 children, 13 grandchildren.
Profession:
(Career) Business Administration and Mercantile Law. Holding Institute and Escuela Superior de Comercio.
Doctorates: Doctor, "Honoris Causa", in Humane Letters by the Newport University of California, Campus Mexico, in 1997.
Doctor, "Honoris Causa", in Social Sciences and Philosophy by the London Institute of Technology & Research, in 1998.
Doctor, "Honoris Causa", in Physical Culture by the Russian State Academy of Physical Culture, in Moscow, Russia, in 1999.
Doctor, "Honoris Causa", in Humane letters, by the American Sports University, in San Bernardino, California, in 2008
POSITIONS
- President of the World Boxing Council, formed of 161 countries, since 1975.
- CEO of several business enterprises.
- President since 1964, and owner of a manufacturing company, which has 4 divisions:
a) Charts for precision recording instruments;
b) Design, engineering and construction of wastewater treatment plants.
c) Microfilming and digitalization of documents;
d) Access control and PVC identification cards;
- President since 1986 of the Mexican Council and Museum for Professional Sports, composers and actors guild (COMEDEP).
- Member of The Presidents Association since 1964.
- Member of the Academic Board at National Level of the Newport University, Campus Mexico, since 1998.
- Permanent Counselor of the citizenship Representation for the Secretary of Public Security of the Federal district.
AWARDS:
- Citation by the United Nations in New York, in 1988, for his 19 years of leadership in the world against Apartheid and racial discrimination, under the Secretariat of Javier Perez de Cuellar and President of the General Assembly, Gen. Joseph N. Garba.
- Awarded in 1993 with the Medal of Order, Third Degree, of the Kingdom of Thailand, granted by the King of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej, in recognition of his long lasting efforts in that country to project boxing to its peak.
- Humanitarian Award in 1977, granted by the King of Spain, Juan Carlos II.
- Elected as Favorite Son of Cd. Valles, San Luis Potosi, Mexico in 1976, granted by the Municipality of the city where he grew up.
- Elected as Favorite Son of Cd. Victoria, Tamaulipas, Mexico, in 1988, granted by the Municipality of the city, where he was born.
- "The Good Neighbour" 1998 Year Award extended in Washington, by The United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce and the Organization of American States in 1998.
- Honor Award in 1986, by the Society of Actors and Athletes against Apartheid in USA, for his leadership in the world in fighting for human equality, presented by Harry Belafonte and Arthur Ashe, Co-Chairman.
- Awarded in 1999 "The Latin American of the Year, during the 44th Edition of the Latin American Sports Awards Institution, in Miami, Florida.
- Inducted into the Hall of Fame (Gallery of the Immortals) in Cd. Victoria, Tamps, his hometown, in a ceremony presided by the Governor of the State, in 1998.
- Awarded as "Honorary citizen of Las Vegas, by the Councilman Gary Reese, in 1999.
- Awarded in California in 2000, with the "Bill Shoemaker Media Awareness Award" by The Paralysis Project of America.
- Awarded in Mexico as the "Man of the Year" with the "Emilio Azcarraga Milmo" award in 2001, by the "Asociacion Rafael Banquells".
- Inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in California, having been elected in the first ballot, in 2001.
- Inducted into the Laredo Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame, in 2002, in Laredo, Texas.
- Received "La Jaiba de Oro", as Man of the Year in Tamaulipas, his home state.
- Inducted into the African American Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, in 2002
- Awarded by the Kingdom of Thailand with the Royal Decoration "II Class Knight Commander of the Most Admirable Order of Direkgunabhorn", in 2003.
- Awarded with the "Olympic Medal Winner Award" from the Mexican Association of Olympic Medal winners, the National Sports Commission and the Mexican Sports Federation, on January 15, 2003 in Mexico City.
- Awarded by the Federal House of Representatives by his exemplary leadership in the sport, on April 29, 2004.
- Awarded with the Medal of the Legion of Honor of Mexico, that only very few people have received it in the past and that is given to those exceptional individuals that have left a mark of accomplishments during their lives, on August the 3rd, 2006.
- Honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Association of Professional Ringside Physicians (AAPRP), on September 15, 2006, in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
- Awarded as "The Latin American Man of the Year", by Fox Sports , on December 14, 2006 in Miami, Florida, USA.
- Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and Museum in Canastota, N.Y. USA. in June, 2007.
- Awarded with "Excelencia Universal", recognition by the Administration Board of the Excelencia Universal, on August, 2007 in México City.
- Awarded with "Gran Orden de la Reforma", in Honor Rank and in Collar Grade, by the Academia Nacional, A. C. on November 28, 2007 in Mexico City.
- Awarded with "The Medal of Honor" by the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa, on March 31, 2008 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
- Elected as "Huasteco Distinguido", by the Universidad Tecnológica de la Huasteca Hidalguense, in July, 2008.
- Elected as "Supreme Chief" by the Indian aborigine in the "Huasteca Hidalguense", in a memorable traditional ceremony performed at mid night under a full moon ritual, on July, 2008.
- Awarded by Fox Sports for his leadership in the sport in the world, by Fox Sports, on December the 2nd, 2008.
- By Fox Sports on December 2, 2008.
- Elected as Mr. Amigo by the Mr. Amigo Association that acts to promote relations between the United States and Mexico and publicize the way of life between the border cities of Brownsville, Texas and Matamoros, Tamaulipas, on February 2009.
- Countless awards and recognitions received in several countries worldwide, throughout his 50-year long life in sports and social activities.
HAS BEEN RECEIVED BY MANY CHIEFS OF STATE
- Pope John Paul II
- King Bhumibol Adulyadej, of Thailand
- President Ronald Reagan, of USA
- President Nelson Mandela, of South Africa.
- King Juan Carlos II, of Spain
- King Hassan II, of Morocco
- Presidents don Adolfo Lopez Mateos, Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, José Lopez Portillo, Miguel de la Madrid, Carlos Salinas de Gortari, Ernesto Zedillo and Vicente Fox of México.
- President Carlos Saúl Menem, of Argentina.
- President Emile Lahoud, of Lebanon
- President Thabo Mbeki, of South Africa
- King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev., of Nepal
- President Ferdinand Marcos of Philippines.
- President Giscard D'Estaing, of France
- President of Panama, General Omar Torrijos
- President Fidel Ramos, of Philippines.
- President Mireya Moscoso, of Panama
- President Violeta Barrios Vda. de Chamorro, of Nicaragua
- President Arnoldo Aleman, of Nicaragua
- President Habib Bourguiba, of Tunisia.
- President Abdou Diouf, of Senegal
- President Sulayman Franjiye, of Lebanon
- President Chun Doo Hwan, of Korea
- President Luis Herrera Campins, of Venezuela
- President Mikhail Gorvachov, Russia
- President Stjepan Mesic, of Croatia
- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, of Philippines
- Prime Minister of Canada Pierre Troudeau
- Prime Minister of Aruba, Hanny Emann
- Prime Minister of Thailand Prim Tunsolanonda
- Prime Minister of Puerto Rico Carlos Romero Barcelo
- Prime Minister of Thailand, Dr. Taksin Shinawatra.
- Prince of Thailand, Maha Vajiralongkorn,
- Prince of Nepal Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev.
- Many other high government authorities.
HAS BEEN GRANTED THE KEYS TO THE FOLLOWING CITIES
Los Angeles, California, USA, by the hands of Mayor Tom Bradley, as well as Casablanca, Morocco; Madrid and Torremolinos, Spain; Tunis, Tunisia; Pattaya, Thailand; Seoul, Korea; Montreal, Canada; Venice, Italy; Cartagena, Colombia; Caracas, Venezuela; Dakar, Senegal; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Miami, Florida and Miami Dade, Florida, USA, as well as other cities in the world.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN WORLD BOXING
He has been the leader with all the distinguished citizens of the different countries and members of the WBC, to implement safety medical, technical and boxing rules and procedures to protect boxers, which has made of the World Boxing Council, the organization that has done more to humanize the sport in the last 25 years, than any other body in the entire history of boxing, for example:
- The First World Medical Congress with the attendance of 83 countries and 300 chief ringside doctors, as well as more than 30 lecturing prominent physicians, held in Aruba in 1997.
- Donation to UCLA of about $1,000,000 dollars for the Brain Injury Medical Research Program.
- Friendly Hand Benevolent Foundation to support indigent ex boxers and their families from different countries of the world, with about $1,000,000 dollars donated in their benefit.
- Reduction to 12 rounds from 15, of title fights since 1983, from 15 rounds.
- Insurance on Life and Hospitalization since 1980, for $200,000, including each boxer in WBC title bout cards.
- Weigh-ins 30 and 7 days and 24 to 30 hours prior to fights, in order to protect boxers from dangerous weight loss and dehydration practices, which caused in the past many fatal accidents.
- Extensive Mandatory year and periodical medical examinations to all boxers before being authorized to fight.
- Mandatory antidoping tests in title fights since 1976, as well as world permanent drug, alcohol and aids awareness programs with posters and pocket pamphlets in all gyms in the world.
- Implementation of many changes in boxing for safety, like the four ring rope, the thumb attached glove, heavier padded gloves, prohibition of dangerous hemostatics and a countless number of others.
- Organizer of the fight between Julio Cesar Chavez and Greg Haugen, on February 20, 1993, in the "Estadio Azteca" in Mexico City that broke the record of live attendance in a boxing show with 136,200, already inscribed in the Guinness Record Book.
- Twenty long years of struggle against apartheid for human dignity.
And countless other rules, actions and measures through the last 25 years in order to bring safety in boxing, protect boxers and grant them the best opportunities.
ACTIVITIES :
- President and Vice President of several agriculture, cattle breeding, commercial and industrial state fairs and exhibitions in Tamaulipas.
- President and founder of the social service Club Active 20-30 International in Cd. Victoria, Tamaulipas, with countless donations and services for indigent people.
- Chairman of the Subcommittee for Non Federal Social Studies of the UN in Tamaulipas.
- President of the Chamber of Commerce in Cd. Victoria, Tamaulipas.
- Advisor for the Red Cross for several years in Cd. Victoria, Tamaulipas and Cd. Valles, S.L.P.
- President of several carnival organizing committees in Cd. Victoria
- President of the Tamaulipas State Baseball League.
- National Director of the Little Baseball Mexican League.
- Professor of Business Administration, Accounting and Sports.
- President or Executive in several social, commercial and sports organizations.
MAIN HOBBIES
- Former baseball player, including being in the Mexican National Team for the First Pan-American Games.
- Advanced amateur photographer, having presented several photography expositions in England, USA and Spain, as well as at the Photography Club of Mexico, The Tamaulipas University; the Lebanese Club in Mexico and the Mason Loggia in Mexico.
- Avid light classic and romantic music listener, as well as literature and biographical reader.
MAURICIO SULAIMAN
After the tragic passing of his father, Jose, current WBC President, Mauricio Sulaiman has taken over his vision of giving, expanded it and dedicated himself to many philanthropic causes. He has made his father's dream, of the first ever pension fund for needy boxers, real. Mauricio has made World Boxing Cares fully international and created strong relationships with other organizations who are like-minded.
Mauricio was born on December 30th 1969, in Mexico City.
He studied kindergarten, Primary and Secondary school at the Ovalle Monday school in Mexico City. He studied high-school at Winchedon School in Massachusetts, USA
As a young man, he loved and played baseball from ages 4 to 27, representing Mexico in the 1982 Little League world Cup held in Panama.
Graduating in 1994, Mauricio obtained a Business Administration degree at the Instituto Tecnologico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, State of Mexico Campus.
Other academic achievements include two more degrees. One in finances, while the other is in high management by The Presidents Association of America.
In 1992 the WBC appointed him as Public Relation Director.
In 1994 was elected as Vice President of the North American Boxing Federation, which is composed of the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Given his leadership qualities, in 2004, Mauricio was appointed Executive Secretary of the World Boxing Council.
On February 12th, 2014 he was unanimously elected President of the World Boxing Council, the largest, sport’s governing body in the world, with 166-member nations. He remains as the WBC President today.
Mauricio is also the heart of WBC Cares and BoxVal, and under his leadership the WBC became the official representatives of Pope Francis’s SCHOLAS throughout Latin America and Mexico, a nonsectarian organization that promotes the use of sports, art and technology to bring youth together.
He has received many awards regarding his humanitarian actions and established the first Clean Boxing Program with VADA standards, in combat sports, in addition to the first Pension Fund for needy boxers of all nationalities.
Mauricio was also appointed to the Bipartisan, Congressional Mental Health Task Force and Teenage Suicide Prevention Caucus and works closely with the leaders of many countries to establish programs for impoverished youth, based on the values of his sport: Respect, Sportsmanship and Discipline. He also established the first, Woman’s Global Boxing Conventions, featuring female athletes in Boxing and Mauythai.
From 1994 to date has served as President and CEO of Controles Graficos, a manufacturing company with three different business divisions: printing, security and digital solutions.
Married to Christiane Manzur Zairick, they have three children: Jose, Valeria and Mauricio. Mauricio has five Brothers and Sisters: Jose, Lucy, Hector, Fernando and Claudia.
He is the proud, and youngest son of former, WBC President, Jose Sulaiman Chagnon, (who was acknowledged by the UN for his stand against Apartheid), and Martha Saldivar Morales.
His passions are music and sports. He plays the drums.
Some Awards
- On February 2016, he received from Pope Francis the instruction to create the BoxVal program, according to the Scholas Occurrentes Foundation.
- On July 30, 2016, the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame awarded him the “Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award”.
As President of the WBC he has been received by the following dignitaries:
- Pope Francis
- Enrique Peña Nieto, President of Mexico
- Daniel Ortega, President of Nicaragua
- Prince Alberto II of Monaco
- Dr. Tabare Vazquez Rosas, President of Uruguay
- Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan
- Azad Rahimov, Minister of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
- Vitaliy Klitschko, Mayor of Kiev
He has received the keys of the following cities:
- Miami, USA
- Panama, Panama
- Las Vegas, USA
- Montevideo, Uruguay
- Baccolot, Filipinas
- Managua, Nicaragua