By Ronnie Nathanielsz
World Boxing Council president Don Jose Sulaiman has expressed the hope that the winner of the battle of the undefeated between pound for pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr and the unbeaten poster boy of Mexican boxing today, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez will face “Fighter of the Decade” and eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao, next.
In an exclusive message recorded for Viva Sports TV pre-fight special on the Mayweather-Alvarez title showdown and the Manila Standard, Sulaiman said “I sincerely hope that the winner will meet Manny Pacquiao. Manny is my idol, whatever happens I will always feel very, very proud of him as he was a WBC champion and I still believe that he is.”
Sulaiman predicted the September 14 clash will be “a great fight between the best pound for pound fighter Floyd Mayweather Jr and WBC super welter champion “Canelo” Alvarez.
The WBC president said he is confident “this fight will break all TV records in Mexico where every television set will be on to see the fight. Also in the US it will be one of the great occasions as it will be one of the best fights that could be promoted at this time .”
Describing Mayweather as a “superstar” with his speed, his ability to control the action in the ring and slipping out of his opponents punches. He said Mayweather sticks with his jab before throwing a big right hand.
Sulaiman noted that Alvarez “is a hero in Mexico and has tremendous mental strength. He believes he will win. He has to throw all his punches and stop Floyd from getting out.”
The WBC president believes a win by Alvarez will be big and very much appreciated in Mexico while a win by Mayweather “will confirm his status as one of the greatest boxers that ever lived.”
He said he expects the fight “will be seen by more people around the world than ever before” and referred to “the special touch added by the WBC in presenting a pure gold belt to the winner which will be deeply appreciated by the fighters.”
