Instead of one authority managing the business and the competition, Sulaiman described a divided system. Sanctioning bodies oversee rankings, rules and medical standards, while promoters assume the financial risk and responsibility of putting events together. This includes securing venues, arranging broadcasts, handling logistics and building the cards that fans ultimately see.
The absence of a single controlling entity leaves those roles separate by design. In Sulaiman’s view, that separation avoids conflicts related to money and decision-making, while allowing different promoters to work at every level of the sport. Often overlooked, smaller shows have been highlighted as the launching pad for future stars, with fighters such as Manny Pacquiao and Canelo Alvarez starting their careers on modest cards before reaching the top.
That path, from local events to major international cards, depends on a network rather than a single system. Sulaiman acknowledged that promoters at the bottom rarely receive attention or financial reward, but positioned them as essential to the sport’s continuity. Without them, he wrote, there would be no battles to fight in the first place.
The argument lands as a defense of how boxing operates at a time when its structure is often criticized for being fragmented. Rather than pushing for a unified model, Sulaiman proposed that fragmentation as part of the sport’s identity, one that allowed it to operate across different countries, promoters and levels without a central authority dictating terms.
The alternative looks cleaner on paper, but it gives too much of the sport to one set of hands.
