Jose
Sulaiman caused a bit of a firestorm when he spoke of the WBC not stripping
Floyd Mayweather of their welterweight title despite being convicted of a
felony (which is in their rules). Mayweather is scheduled to begin his 90-day
sentence on January 6th for charges of domestic violence against the
mother of his three children, Josie Harris.
Sulaiman
rationalized to the Manila Standard that while “beating a lady is highly
critical, it is not a major sin or crime.”
OK,
in the ensuing aftermath, the Sulaiman and the WBC was then compelled to
release this statement on Wednesday afternoon:
“I
would like to clarify my feelings about some recent comments of mine and
apologize for not finding the right words in English - there are many times
when I cannot find the right words to express what I really mean. The comments
attributed to me are a complete misrepresentation of my true feelings.
“I
am a devoted husband and father of two daughters and have three wonderful
granddaughters as well. The Virgin of Guadalupe is my superior saint. I am the
person that developed female boxing and I am the person in the WBC that has
always been concerned with the protection of women in the ring. I have always
been a strong supporter of women’s rights and the protection of women in
society. Those are the facts – everybody knows me.
“In
my comments, I just meant to say that I have always been in the corner of all
the boxers of the world. They are my greatest heroes and, good or bad, I will
always be in their corner.
“I
know Floyd Mayweather personally
and I know that he’s a good person. I know that he accepted a plea deal for a
serious offense and I did not intend to make light of that. The judge sentenced
him to 90 days, which I think is fair.
“But
I know that Floyd is a good human being with a good heart and I am confident
that he will redeem himself with his actions in the future.
“I
just wanted Floyd to know that the WBC will always stay strongly in his
corner.”
In
other words, “Hey, I goofed, but c'mon, I'm not giving up those sanctioning
fees that come along with his fights. Are you crazy?! I got a dictatorship to
run here!”
No
truth to the rumor that Sulaiman named Ike Turner one of his “emeritus
champions.”
.
