The WBC’s behavior over the past few weeks has been execrable even by their benthic standards, but while the whole bespoke interim title garbage dominated the headlines, their treatment of their welterweight title deserves similar censure. Despite titlist Mario Barrios being long overdue for a mandatory defense, Mauricio Sulaiman and co. gave their blessing to a proposed defense against Ryan Garcia, who has no victories at 147 and just one win in the last three years.
To make matters worse, they simultaneously
ordered the winner of that bout to fight Conor Benn, who is coming up on four years without a welterweight victory.
At least one person is pushing back, however: “silver” titlist Souleymane Cissokho (18-0, 9 KO), who got off the canvas twice to beat Egidijus Kavaliauskas in what was supposedly an eliminator this past May. The president of the French Boxing Federation submitted a complaint to Mauricio Sulaiman, who “will administer a specific situation to consider his petition on the floor.”
You’d think that with all those sanctioning fees, the WBC could afford a proper translator.
Regardless of whether you want to see Cissokho mix it up with Barrios or think he has the body of work to justify a title shot, the Frenchman has jumped through every hoop the WBC put in his way. I’m glad he’s making noise and desperately hope other victims of sanctioning body favoritism like Mirco Cuello and Meiirim Nursultanov do the same.
