By Ronnie Nathanielsz

World Boxing Council president Don Jose Sulaiman has explained the organization’s decision to approve a minimumweight title fight between China’s Xiong Zhao Zhong (19-4-1, 11 KOs) and Mexico’s Javier Martinez Resendiz  (13-3-2, 6 KOs) in Kunming, China on Oct. 27.

He said that “The promoters had reached an agreement with Mr. Aljoe  Jaro (promoter/manager/trainer of top rated Denver Cuello), who originally refused but at my personal request, accepted a step aside fee with the condition that Cuello, who is the Silver world champion and also the official challenger would face the winner in a title fight,” Sulaiman said.

The boxing president conceded that the WBC has been trying very hard for many years to bring China into professional boxing.

“Being the fastest growing financial and technological  country in the world, China should be supported totally to open new roads for professional boxing in that country ad well as for boxing all over the world,” added Sulaiman.

He said it would also give the WBC “an opportunity to have a professional world championship in China that has never been done before. It would be a great dream come true for me to announce such a happening  at our 50th anniversary convention which could very well be my last one.”

The WBC president noted that Zhao has a good reputation and he saw him lose a very close decision to former world flyweight champion DaisukeNaito in a flyweight title fight on May 26, 2009, in which the Chinese dropped the Japanese in the sixth round.

The 29-year-old Chinese fighter won the vacant WVC Silver title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Mexico’s Osvaldo “Chucky” Razon on June 16 this year, and had previously won a round split decision over Filipino Rodel Tejaresd in a WBC Asian Boxing Council Interim light flyweight title fight.

Tags: Denver Cuello