I Was Close To Death

WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman tells Matt Christie about the health scare that changed his life and the challenges of running the sport’s most famous sanctioning body.

MAURICIO SULAIMAN has been head of the World Boxing Council for five years, following the death of his father, Jose, in January 2014. The proud 48-year-old Mexican is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in boxing, a sport he clearly holds close to his heart. But with such power comes great pressure, as he discovered in the worst possible way last summer.

You had a very serious health scare last year.

In July, I had a ventricular crisis. I was about to leave to go on vacation with my wife and my three kids to Europe, we were flying to London. While I was at the airport, the pain and my temperature was extremely high and the doctors told me not to get on the plane. Thank god for the temperature because if it was just pain I probably would have got on the flight. I went into emergency surgery and there were tremendous complications. In the end I was in hospital for 20 days.

How serious was it?

I was close to death. I spoke to the doctors after the surgery and if I had got on the flight, they said I most probably would not have survived. My temperature was 104 degrees, my heart rate was 150, as if I was running a marathon. The infection had burst inside of me; I was very ill during the first hour of the operation. From there, I changed my way of living which resulting in exercising. I was a very good athlete until my 20s, and I have rediscovered a healthy way of living. I have changed my day-to-day, I have stopped the abuse I used to give to my body and now I have a very healthy life.

How difficult was that transition?

It has been difficult at times but extremely satisfactory in most cases. I abused my body travelling too much; taking flights early in the morning, late at night, working extremely hard and as a result my eating habits were very wrong. I would go without eating for many hours and then I would always eat out.