- Mauricio Sulaiman confirms a formal WBC adjustment to mandatory rules, allowing flexibility for undisputed and mega-fights
- Yearly mandatories still required — but the new policy creates room for stadium-level fights without immediate stripping
- Luke's verdict: a positive step but the acid test comes when the rule clashes with the WBC's own commercial interests
Right then, the WBC have done something useful for once. Mauricio Sulaiman has confirmed the green council are formally adjusting how mandatories are handled when the biggest fights in boxing are on the table — and credit where credit is due, this needed to happen years ago.
The new policy still requires yearly mandatory defences. That part is non-negotiable, and it should be. What changes is the flexibility around them. When undisputed bouts are being made, when stadium-level mega-fights are on the line, the WBC will now build flexibility into the calendar rather than forcing champions to step aside or get stripped. In plain English: the paperwork stops being the reason boxing fans don't get the fights they want.
Why This Actually Matters
Make no mistake, this is a direct response to years of frustration. David Benavidez watching his mandatory shot at Canelo Alvarez evaporate into the September Riyadh Crawford rematch is the obvious case. Tyson Fury being mandated against fighters that nobody wanted to see when an undisputed clash with Oleksandr Usyk was sat there waiting was another. The system was broken in obvious ways and it took the WBC longer than it should have to admit it.
Sulaiman, to his credit, framed it honestly. He said the WBC's job is to help boxing deliver the fights people actually want, not to throw bureaucratic landmines in front of them. That is a proper grown-up statement from a sanctioning body, and it is genuinely good news.
The Catch
I am not going to pretend this fixes everything. The cynic in me — and the cynic in every boxing fan reading this — knows exactly what comes next. Flexibility for the big fights becomes flexibility for the friends of the WBC. A rule meant to clear the path for Fury vs Joshua starts being applied to keep favoured champions in title positions while their challengers are kept on ice. That happens. It always happens.
The other catch is the mandatory still has to happen at some point. Dalton Smith waiting for Alberto Puello to finally meet him at super lightweight is not going to be solved by this rule change. The flexibility is for the very biggest fights only. Everyone else still needs to grind.
Where This Lands
On balance? Good move. About time. Boxing has been handcuffed by sanctioning body politics for too long, and any movement in the direction of letting fans see the fights they want is movement in the right direction. The Fury vs Joshua signing on Sunday, the November Wembley deal that has now been confirmed, the path to undisputed at heavyweight that runs through Usyk-Verhoeven — all of these benefit from a WBC that gets out of the way when the stakes warrant it.
The acid test comes when this rule has to be applied against the WBC's own commercial interests. Until that happens, I'll reserve full judgement. But this is a positive step, and Sulaiman should be given credit for moving the needle in the right direction. If you know, you know.