LAS VEGAS – Mauricio Sulaiman likens his WBC Boxing Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia to the NFL Draft combine, an opportunity for young, unsigned athletes to display their skills and land professional contracts.
Through two rounds of the Grand Prix, which continues August 13 in Riyadh with the quarterfinals in four weight classes – heavyweight, middleweight, super-lightweight and featherweight – WBC President Sulaiman has also witnessed adjustments to the sport that may also join the sport in the future.
Since there are no draws allowed in the tournament, a three-judge panel has taken to scoring the typical 10-9 rounds by checking boxes with an additional opinion – close (one point), moderate (two points) or decisive (three points).
In three cases thus far, a draw has gone to the tiebreaker of the “enhanced scoring” of the fighter’s 10-9 advantage.
“When the points system has decided the winner in the three draws, it has been very clear who won the fight,” Sulaiman told BoxingScene recently. “I am very happy with how this is working.”
Sulaiman’s interview came one night before Manny Pacquiao, 46, and WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios Jnr fought to a disappointing draw at MGM Grand.
Most ringside observers scored the bout for Pacquiao, and if the Grand Prix scoring method had been in effect, the record eight-division champion and Hall of Famer would’ve likely joined Bernard Hopkins and George Foreman as the only men to win a belt after age 45.
The Grand Prix is thus accomplishing a second advancement for the sport beyond the dream of Sulaiman’s father, Jose, who longed to create this worldwide tournament as a launching pad for incoming talent.
“It has been outstanding, incredibly successful – the level of fights. It’s been gratifying – mostly because of the level of competition,” Sulaiman said. “Most promoters didn’t believe it was going to happen, or if it was, that it would be successful. Now everybody’s very excited about it as we see these quality fighters from Africa, Argentina, Mexico, U.S. It’s sensational.”
The participants were restricted to being younger than 26 with no more than 10 pro bouts at the start of the competition, and the Grand Prix, which heads to the semifinals in October and finals in December, is serving now as a DAZN-streamed complementary showcase for free-agent talent.
The timing is ideal for the Saudi Arabia-backed TKO organization, which is currently assembling fighters for a promotion that intends to stage its own title fights following its planned debut in 2026. Sulaiman said other promoters will likely also bid for Grand Prix fighters.
Additionally, Sulaiman said he wants to press boxing to adopt the administrative strides the Grand Prix has embraced.
Beyond the scoring, fighters have been universally medically approved for the bouts while subjected to Voluntary Anti-Doping Association testing requirements.
The tournament employs instant replay, open scoring after the second and fourth rounds and a 30-second buzzer that has effectively stimulated action through the close of rounds.
“We are also using a new glove for bigger fighters, to [ultimately] fit the cruiserweights through heavyweights,” Sulaiman said. “It’s incredible today that a super-welterweight uses the same glove as a heavyweight when the difference [in punching power] is huge.”
These are all tweaks Sulaiman has pushed for during his 11-year run as president, and gaining the financial support of Riyadh Season to bring his father’s vision to reality is something he said will help lift a sport which just felt the sting of losing ESPN as a broadcaster following the departures of Showtime and HBO during this decade.
“We are very proud of what we are seeing,” Sulaiman said.
