World Boxing Council chief Mauricio Sulaiman believes a certain magazine is at risk of eroding the legitimacy of boxing.

Sulaiman took aim at The Ring, the more than century-old boxing periodical that shut down its print operation last year, in a recent interview when he was asked about the magazine’s decision to refrain from putting its belt on the line for the upcoming flyweight unification bout between Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez and Sunny Edwards on Dec. 16 at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

The magazine’s ratings committee voted against the idea because it normally reserves its belt for the top two-rated fighters in a division; Rodriguez is ranked the No.4 flyweight, while Edwards is No. 1.

“I don’t know why media, champions, and promoters give any credit to a Ring magazine belt that only threatens the credibility of the sport,” Sulaiman told iFLTV.

“I am very upset because they just declared a few days ago that the rankings of the organizations are corrupt. If you touch my WBC, I’m gonna fight back. I don’t care about the Ring Magazine because they are a business. They make money. They are biased. That is not boxing.

“Boxing is what you see here. The world of boxing united to make boxing better and safer. A paper magazine awarding a belt has no meaning. Of course, fighters like it because it gives them positive news. But look at these decisions, completely arbitrary. I hope that this understand and stop media giving any value to a magazine belt.”

Sulaiman’s claims did not go unnoticed on social media, with many fans pointing out his hypocrisy. The WBC, along with the three other major sanctioning bodies in boxing, the IBF, WBO, and WBA, have long been considered bastions of corruption and routinely characterized as parasites because of the fees they charge their champions.

The Ring responded to Sulaiman in a withering column.