WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said the organization responsible for the belts had distanced itself from them since the tournament began. talking about Ariel Helwani ShowSuleiman said the WBC, as well as the WBO, WBA and IBO, were denied access to the ring and other technical areas where sanctioning bodies normally operate on fight nights.

“I was so badly mistreated in Las Vegas because of Canelo versus Crawford,” Suleiman said. “Me and three other organizations, WBO, WBA, IBO, we weren’t even given credentials. We were told we couldn’t go into the ring. We weren’t allowed in the locker room. We weren’t allowed at the commission desk.”

Suleiman said the issue was how the sanctioning body operates, not its status. He explained that officials attend major title matches to do their job, not to observe, and that their presence in the penalty area is part of the way title matches are managed.

“When we go to fight, we go to work,” Suleiman said. “This isn’t a vacation, it’s not for fun, it’s not as a fan or a reporter. They’re playing for our championship.”

Instead, Suleiman said, sanctioning agency officials are treated as bystanders rather than participants in the operation of the campaign.

“We were given a ticket to play with the general public outside the technical area,” he said, adding that no explanation had been given for the restrictions.

This episode fits Zuffa’s broader approach to boxing. The promotion has openly stated its preference for a streamlined structure around fewer titles, borrowing heavily from the UFC’s model. It also questions the value of multiple sanctions bodies and explores changes to the Muhammad Ali Act to allow greater central control. These positions have been established. The difference here is how they are applied in practice.

Ironically, Zuffa’s boxing breakthrough relied entirely on the undisputed format. Four belts are vital to promotions, marketing and competition. However, once the event begins, administrators of these belts are considered optional participants. The information is procedural rather than verbal. Title is required. The bodies behind them did not.

No public confrontation occurred and no verbal abuse was recorded. Zuffa simply runs events based on his own instincts, introducing UFC-style operating rules into a boxing environment. Access is restricted. The scope of roles is narrowed. Long-standing customs were shelved without explanation.

Since then, Suleiman has reacted cautiously. Although he was critical of the way the event was handled, he said he would still be open to working with Zuffa Boxing in the future as long as certain conditions are met.

“If they want to have a unification fight, if they want to promote boxing, we welcome them,” Suleiman said. “But they have to follow the rules and structure.”

This stance suggests realism rather than escalation. Zuffa currently controls the focus and momentum. Sanctioning bodies still control legitimacy when uncontested status is required. Even as the balance shifted, neither side fully held the leverage.

The Canelo-Crawford showdown shows just how far Zuffa Boxing is willing to push its operating model on stage. It also shows the limitations of the model at this stage of its boxing expansion. Boxing’s traditional system is necessary to sell the night. It just wasn’t invited to fully participate in how the night was run.

That tension will continue to surface as Zuffa holds more events and signs more high-level fighters. The central question is not whether a sanctioning body is needed. The question is whether they are granted access when their participation is unavoidable.