Jose Sulaiman
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José Sulaiman (* ) Born May 30, 1931 in Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, Mexico) is a Mexican boxing official. He is the president/godfather of the World Boxing Council.
Sulaiman who has Libanes roots is known in the boxing world as an administrator for the WBC for more than three decades. At the age of 16 he was on the boxing commission in Valles San Luis, Potosi, Mexico. In 1968 he joined the World Boxing Council (WBC) and quickly moved through the ranks. His shrewd management allowed the WBC to become just as powerful as the original sanctioning body World Boxing Association.
On December 5, 1975 Sulaiman was unanimously elected president of the WBC and has remained just that until today. Among changes prposed by him are reduction of world championship bouts from 15 rounds to 12, the official weigh-in 24 hours prior to each bout, the creation of intermediate weight divisions, creation of the World Medical Congress, introduction of the attached thumb glove and funding of brain injury research programs at UCLA. Critics accuse him to have made changes like the extra divisions to make more money from sanctioning fees and reduced rounds to accomodate television. He is also known to be very close to promoter Don King , many King fighters are placed highly in his ratings (i.e.mandatory Richard Frazier against Roy Jones). The Ring Magazine has thus called him "a swell guy to have lunch with but you better count the silver afterwards". He was introduced into the Itl.Boxing Hall of Fame nevertheless.
Sulaiman speaks Spanish, English, Arabic, Italian, Portuguese and French.
He also operates a medical supply company in Mexico.
