On paper, the World Boxing Council (WBC), like all sanctioning bodies, describes itself as a non-profit organization. Yet, in late 2025, the WBC found itself at the center of a controversy over the stripping of Terence Crawford off his WBC super middleweight title, citing his refusal to pay an adequate amount in sanctioning fees. ‘Bud’ Crawford soon responded with a fiery rebuttal of his own.

He accused the organization of exploiting fighters while offering little beyond a championship belt. Despite the backlash that followed, the organization continues to maintain that no member of the council profits from the organization, and everything, as always, goes back to the fighters. However, this begs the question—how exactly does WBC President Mauricio Sulaimán make a living?

Mauricio Sulaimán reveals he owns several businesses outside of boxing

“We have had a company since 1963. My father was a businessman,” Sulaimán stated when asked about his sources of income outside the WBC. Notably, the World Boxing Council was not founded by a single individual or private company. Instead, it was established as an international non-profit organization on February 14, 1963, in Mexico City.

The initiative came at the invitation of then–Mexican President Adolfo López Mateos, who convened representatives from national boxing commissions to create a unified global governing body for professional boxing. The organization emerged as an alternative to the more U.S.-centric National Boxing Association (now known as the WBA), the European Boxing Union (EBU), and the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBC).

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Sulaimán’s father, José Sulaimán, served as WBC president from December 5, 1975, until his death in January 2014. The following month, Sulaimán was unanimously elected to lead the organization. Regardless, the WBC president went on to explain how he personally earns his living. “We have construction businesses, security businesses, and a pharma business as well,” he explained during his conversation with sports journalist Ariel Helwani.

“We have absolute finances for the family, not from boxing,” he continued. “It is not for a living—it’s non-profit.” This raises an obvious question: why not step away and focus entirely on his private ventures? According to Sulaimán, the answer lies in his lifelong attachment to the sport. “Since I was a little boy, all I can remember is boxing,” he stated.

“I would go to school, come back, and there would be Muhammad Ali, Don King having lunch in the living room,” he told Helwani during the interview. He said similar encounters took place with Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard, as well as young amateur fighters and trainers. In his words, his home was quite literally the home of boxing. “My mom would cook for 20–30 [people] every single day.”

Despite Sulaimán’s intentions, the sanctioning body has often been accused of favoritism and corruption by both fans and boxers. However, that doesn’t mean everyone is against the sanctioning body. 

Oscar De La Hoya blasts Terence Crawford

Former world champion turned promoter Oscar De La Hoya felt ‘Bud’ showed disrespect toward boxing and its governing bodies by refusing to pay the sanctioning fees. In an Instagram video, ‘Golden Boy’ made his frustration clear. “Today, I’m pretty f—ing pissed off,” he said, criticizing Crawford for refusing to pay fees to the WBC for what he described as a “$50 million fight against Canelo.” 

De La Hoya questioned Terence Crawford’s rise to the top, adding, “How do you think you rose to that level? Through the ranking system!” He also took issue with Crawford’s stance on championship belts. “I’ve heard Crawford say many times that he loves the belts,” De La Hoya said, before adding that it appeared “that monopoly money really got to your head.” Regardless, Crawford went on to retire from the sport in December 2025.

From the looks of things, Mauricio Sulaimán does whatever he does for the love of the game. All anyone may ask of him is to put aside his bias, like in Canelo Alvarez’s case, and focus on other fighters as well. But what did you think about the WBC Prez’s claims?