WBC Supervisor & WBC Champs Ring the Bell
A special Southern California “Ten Count” tribute was held for World Boxing President (WBC) Jose Sulaiman, who passed away on January 16 at the age of 82.
The weekend tribute took place at the Boxing Superstars: Round 4 event in Pico Rivera, California, where over 30 champs and fighters came out to meet the fans at this community event in association with Heroes Boxing Sponsorship Agency and Cleto Reyes Boxing Equipment.
Here is my exclusive on the touching memorial with hundreds bowing their heads in prayer for the WBC President who was also a trainer, promoter and boxing official. Best known for their famed green and gold championship belts coveted by all the elite champs, Sulaiman will be mourned by countless individuals around the world. At the Pico Park gathering, city officials Gustavo Camacho and Cristina Garcia, Pico Rivera’s Department of Parks and Recreation’s Efrain Lee, show organizer Alfonso Gomez and his fellow champs paid respect during the “Ten Count” for Sulaiman.
Ringing the bell in this emotional Ten Count was longtime WBC Supervisor Rudy Tellez. Rudy was there with his daughter Jacqueline and her husband Gabriel Gomez III. Tellez told me this loss is devastating for his boxing family and the community. “Jose was our leader,” Rudy (known as the “Mouthpiece Doctor”) said, eyes filling up with tears. “We’re lost over this. He did so much for everyone…My hope is that his son Mauricio will carry on in his name. Mauricio needs to be the next President!”
The election will take place in February with the voting for President having big shoes to fill in the wake of Sulaiman’s death.
During this Southern California “Ten Count,” former WBC Silver Welterweight Champion Josesito Lopez also lent his support. The boxer gained fame after beating Victor Lopez in an upset victory. Nicknamed the “Riverside Rocky” for his underdog scrappiness, Jose proudly held his shiny WBC belts that fans got to see up close. And during the ceremonies, Jose was flanked by one petite fan, six-year-old Gigi. The little girl was thrilled to meet her hero for the first time. Her family brought her to the event in an impromptu reunion with Lopez.
“Gigi was so excited about this,” her mom Sandy Garcia (Josesito’s cousin) told me of the relatives meeting for the first time. “We were lucky it was in our area we were able to call our local family members that he hadn’t met yet. It was a nice surprise for him.”
Jose and Gigi were also honored to hoist the WBC and NABF belts up for the crowd, in honor of the famed WBC President. The leader had been hospitalized before succumbing in a Los Angeles hospital on January 16. The Hall of Famer has been remembered around the world by those in the boxing community and beyond. The “Race of Champions-Jose Sulaiman” traveled from Australia to Mexico City with efforts culminating on Sunday. The tributes all over the world speaks volumes on the devastating loss for the WBC organization and its supporters.
The WBC’s Rudy Tellez continues to mourn the loss of his boxing idol while noting the huge wave of support for the legendary leader. Tellez also takes part in the WBC Cares program, helping those in need internationally.
Two of Rudy’s associates also have taken a strong stance in paying tribute to Don Jose Sulaiman. And his family, friends, supporters and fans came out in droves to say goodbye to the famed President.
WBC and World Boxing Cares’ Jill Diamond spoke of the leader’s legacy. She was in Mexico in mourning with the family.
“Jose Sulaiman was a man of great dignity and graciousness. He never gave up. He never surrendered,” she relayed to me. “And he never failed to meet everyone who visited in the hospital with a smile and a thank you.”
“The services for him after his passing were attended by thousands. Those who loved Jose, and saw him as a patriarch, actually turned to the grieving family for comfort. I’ve never witnessed anything like it,” Jill adds. “And in true, Jose spirit, they responded. The race in his honor was a wonderful tribute, not to his passing, but to his vibrancy and dedication to sport and life; and to his son Mauricio, who despite his personal struggle, stood fast and welcomed the 4,500 runners. To me, the involvement in boxing has been a privilege, thanks, in part, to Jose. We have to hope that those who were bigger than life are bigger than death. Jose Sulaiman was an icon and he will be missed.”
Former Colorado State boxing champion Stephen Blea is a veteran and longtime supporter of the WBC organization. The referee and judge is heartbroken by the passing of Sulaiman, whom he affectionately called “Papa Jose.” Blea and Raylene Carbone (WBC Cares Colorado) have attended many WBC Conventions through the years and have been awarded many accolades for their commitment to the WBC.
“I loved ‘Papa Jose’! He treated us just like family and he was that way with everyone,” Denver’s Blea reminisces. “If you met him, you know what we are talking about. I will cherish over 10 years with him. We gave him that awesome trophy by Steve (Harpst) and that was just a small token of the GREAT work that Papa Jose started with the WBC Cares and Jill Diamond.”
Blea then repeats a quote: “A good friend is someone who will inspire you to be who you always knew you could be.”
Sulaiman was Stephen and Raylene’s inspiration to reach out to others in their state of Colorado and others around the world. Blea says the pair will continue to carry on to help and inspire others who need assistance. “That to me was Don Jose Sulaiman President of the WBC,” Stephen explains, “and his legacy will forever be defined as “loyalty and integrity to our WBC family and our WBC champions and caring for our fellow man. Much love to Papa Jose and may you R.I.P. for our God has another plan for you. We will forever cherish many memories of your awesome legacy!”
Rest in Peace; Descanse en Paz Don Jose Sulaiman Chagnon.
Photos by Michele Chong/ Sulaiman photo courtesy of Stephen Blea