Skip to content
Home » Evander Holyfield Tournament named ‘Jose Sulaiman Invitational’, open to Top 40 WBC welterweights

Evander Holyfield Tournament named ‘Jose Sulaiman Invitational’, open to Top 40 WBC welterweights

  • by
  • 4 min read

The inaugural three-round, eight-man, single-elimination international tournament, named the ‘Jose Sulaiman World Invitational” is open to all world-class boxers who may qualify for a ranking in the top 40 by the WBC in the welterweight division.

The application for fighters may be downloaded at www.therealdealboxing.com, or can be requested by sending an email to info@therealdealboxing.com. The deadline to apply will be January 12, 2018 and only completed applications will be accepted.

The tournament will be a bracket-style tournament with the seeding for first-round matchups determined by the WBC ratings committee and an interactive polling of the fans.

Each fighter in round 1 will receive a purse of $15,000.00 (US), with the winner of each bout receiving a victory bonus of $7,500.00 (US).

Each fighter in round 2 will receive a purse of $30,000.00 (US), with the winner of each bout receiving a victory bonus of $15,000.00 (US).

Each fighter in round 3 (finals) will receive a purse of $75,000.00 (US), with the winner receiving a $25,000.00 (US) victory bonus.

**all bouts in the first two rounds of the tournament will be 10-rounds; in case of a draw, the contestants should be ready to go to an immediate 11th round.

“The welterweight division is among the hottest divisions in boxing and the WBC is the very best organization in boxing to work with on this unique and fan-friendly event,” said boxing legend Holyfield.

Eric Bentley, of Real Deal Boxing explains: “We’ve said from the very start that we want to stand out and provide a unique experience for our fighters and our fans. This tournament will offer a select group of fighters an opportunity to fight on a global platform for the WBC with the potential to earn a high ranking. It’s a big undertaking for our company but we’re up to the challenge and believe this can be something we do on a regular basis. Our intention is to create an innovative experience that will transcend the sport of boxing from a medical, regulatory, and production standpoint.”

“There are still many problems in the sport of boxing that have not been rectified, and our team has worked hard with the WBC to create a concept that can hopefully lead to improvements in these areas, such as developing a standardized scoring criteria and increasing the number of judges to minimize the margin of error, just to name a few. We’ve spoken with several commissions and regulatory authorities around the world who would be interested in employing these methods and we expect to have dates, locations, and broadcast information ready to be released in the coming weeks.”

“We’re looking forward to working with Mauricio Sulaiman and his great team at the World Boxing Council on this extraordinary event, and are greatly appreciative of the opportunity to carry out the legacy of Jose Sulaiman with this recurring tournament.”

World Boxing Council President Mauricio Sulaiman stressed: “Evander Holyfield and The Real Deal Boxing are making my Father’s dream a reality.

“The Jose Sulaiman World Invitational tournament will lead our sport into a new era as these concepts truly capture the essence of boxing and its global interest. Fighters from around the world will meet to have a sole winner, who will eventually be finding a world title opportunity in the world’s most important boxing entity, the WBC.

“This tournament will launch several innovative rules and procedures and our gratitude goes to Evander, our great legendary champion and his staff for making this a reality.”

José Sulaimán devoted his life to the sport of boxing, and because of his efforts to innovate and push the envelope, the sport is a safer place. His commitment to the boxers, their health and safety, and their right to a fair opportunity set him apart from all others and immortalized him as the most influential leader in the sports history. Now under the leadership of his son Mauricio, the WBC continues to revolutionize and improve boxing through various initiatives, such as the Clean Boxing Program, WBC Cares, and new opportunities for more fighters to experience the value of aligning with the WBC.

Evander Holyfield and his company Real Deal Sports & Entertainment, are committed to revolutionizing boxing. From employing a full-time medical staff and partnering with various hospitals and imaging centers, to establishing community outreach initiatives, to providing opportunities for the boxers beyond the sport of boxing, Real Deal Sports & Entertainment is proud to share Don Jose’s vision to transcend the sport.

Real Deal Sports & Entertainment is proud to partner with Medical Arts Radiology (www.medicalartsradiology.com) and Venum (www.venum.com).