The boxing world is undergoing major changes following the launch of the new promotion TKO, led by Turki Alalshikh, Dana White, and Nick Khan. While some see this initiative as a threat to traditional governing bodies, the president of the World Boxing Council (WBC), Mauricio Sulaimán, insisted the institution has no fear of the project, though he did issue a warning about the dangers the sport faces both inside and outside the ring.

“TKO can be positive, but the risks remain within boxing”

In an interview with ESPN, Sulaimán dismissed the idea that TKO poses an immediate problem for the WBC: “I have absolutely no concern. Everything that comes to boxing can be positive if handled seriously,” he stated. The president recalled that the Mexico City-based body has always supported new initiatives but admitted that the greatest threat to fighters does not come from leagues or promoters, but from internal practices that jeopardize their health and future.

One recent example is Mexican boxer Francisco “Chihuas” Rodríguez, who lost his world title after testing positive in a doping control. According to Sulaimán, the fighter consumed banned supplements by blindly following his team’s advice without checking the ingredients: “It was ignorance and irresponsibility. Even if the boxer doesn’t act in bad faith, the responsibility falls solely on him,” he lamented.

Weight, the boxer’s silent enemy

Beyond doping, Sulaimán warned of extreme weight-cutting practices. Recent cases like those of Lázaro Lorenzana and Ángel Fierro, who were hospitalized due to forced dehydration, show that the issue remains prevalent. The WBC president described it as boxing’s “silent enemy,” condemning unscrupulous trainers who expose athletes to dangerous methods.

To fight this, the organization introduced BoxMed, an app that monitors boxers’ weight on a monthly basis, even when they don’t have fights scheduled. The tool is now mandatory for champions and the top 15 ranked fighters worldwide.

A future in balance

While Dana White promises that TKO will have a single champion per division, following the UFC model, Sulaimán insists that the real challenge is not competition among promoters but ensuring the physical integrity of fighters: “The enemy isn’t always in the opposite corner; many times it’s within the fighter’s own team,” he stressed.

The WBC president’s warning makes it clear that, beyond TKO’s innovations and Saudi Arabia’s multi-million-dollar investment, boxing must strengthen its foundations in health, prevention, and education in order not to endanger the future of those who make the sport great: the fighters.