SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Mexico’s national baseball team gained inspiration from the World Boxing Council as they prepare for the upcoming World Baseball Classic.
Boxing’s version of the WBC took center stage ahead of Mexico’s baseball exhibition game with the Arizona Diamondbacks. WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman was granted the honor of throwing the ceremonial first pitch prior to the start of Tuesday’s crossover event at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, Arizona.
"Today, we swapped boxing gloves for baseball ones,” Sulaiman quipped with reporters of his moment in the sun. “It was a tremendous honor for me to have been invited to be part of such a moving moment.
“Baseball is the Sulaimán family’s sport, and it meets boxing in that commitment, passion, courage, and dedication needed to succeed, knowing that everything can change in a split second.”
Sulaiman and his organization are longtime supporters – dating back to the sanctioning body reign of the late great Jose Sulaiman, Mauricio’s father - of all sporting events in Mexico, particularly baseball. The longtime president did not at all squander Tuesday’s honor, as he took the time to meet both squads.
Derrick Hall, the Diamondbacks President and CEO, was presented with a custom-made WBC championship belt, complete with team logo.
“This is incredible,” stated Hall, a longtime boxing fan. “It’s a tremendous honor, and we greatly appreciate this gesture from Mauricio Sulaimán and the World Boxing Council.”
On the other side of the diamond, Sulaiman delivered words of inspiration to his countrymen.
"Baseball taught me everything I need in life to keep moving forward. I follow you all with admiration, and this is an important moment for Mexico,” Sulaimán told the Mexican players. “I'm sure you'll give it your all—heart and grit—just like [Julio Cesar] Chávez did, like Canelo [Saul Alvarez] does, and all the great warriors who put Mexico on top with the green and gold belt do.”
The speech resonated with the squad.
"The WBC represents and supports our athletes,” noted Team Mexico manager Benji Gil, a longtime friend of the Sulaiman family. “Mauricio is a huge baseball fan, just like his father used to be, and it's a real honor to have his support," said Benji Gil, Team Mexico’s manager, before allowing Mauricio to address his players.
Mexico went on to win the game 6-3, in preparation for baseball’s WBC – the World Baseball Classic.
The triannual/quadrennial event is due to begin pool play on Thursday. Mexico will have one more pre-WBC “Friendly” game when they face the Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB’s defending World Series champions, on Wednesday before making their way back to Jalisco in preparation for the 2026 international tournament.
