‘National Boxing Class’ unites more than half a million participants across Mexico

President Claudia Sheinbaum led a historical National Boxing Class successful Mexico City’s Zócalo quadrate connected Sunday, drafting a reported 42,000 participants successful the superior alone, with a nationwide attendance of astir 500,000, according to the president’s societal media.

Beginning astatine 9 a.m., the lawsuit was held simultaneously successful nationalist squares successful each Mexican state, specified arsenic Plaza del Ángel successful the metropolis of Chihuahua, wherever much than 10,000 radical participated, and Plaza Mayor successful Torreón, Coahuila, wherever the turnout was 1,500.

President Sheinbaum was an anxious subordinate astatine the event, and made a constituent of reminding everybody of its purpose: “Yes to education, yes to sports, yes to peace, yes to love.” (Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)

In 2022, the aforesaid wide boxing people set a Guinness World Record with 14,000 attendees successful Mexico City, only to beryllium much than doubled the adjacent year.

The lawsuit was not held successful 2024, and this year, officials opted to not question Guinness recertification arsenic the largest boxing people successful the world.

According to a property release, the lawsuit was portion of Mexico’s National Security Strategy, a model introduced successful 2019 during the medication of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

One of its tenets is “Attention to Causes,” which aims to trim crime, violence, recruitment into cartels and different societal ills by assorted means — 1 of which is providing opportunities for young people.

The wide people frankincense served to beforehand accrued younker information successful assemblage sports, including boxing. It was organized with the enactment of the Mexico-based World Boxing Council (WBC).

The lawsuit astatine the Zócalo, which was beamed to different sites, featured legendary boxing figures such arsenic Julio César Chávez, Roberto Durán, Óscar de la Hoya, Marco Antonio Barrera and Mariana “La Barbie” Juárez. 

Participants successful the National Boxing Class enjoyed the beingness of legendary practitioners of the saccharine science, including 1 who’s often considered the top Mexican boxer ever — Julio César Chávez. (Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)

They shared their passionateness for the athletics with young radical from each implicit Mexico, and with prisoners, too, arsenic the lawsuit was held successful prisons, arsenic well. 

A ponytailed Sheinbaum, wearing a achromatic “National Boxing Class” T-shirt, emphasized athletics arsenic a instrumentality for societal transformation.

“Young Mexicans say: No to violence, nary to addiction,” she said. “The radical of Mexico say: Yes to education, yes to sports, yes to peace, yes to love.”

Held connected the International Day of Sport for Peace, the people included 45 minutes of drills led by the aforementioned boxers.

Mexican Mauricio Sulaimán, the WBC president, was connected the signifier arsenic well, wherever helium proclaimed, “Being successful Mexico City’s Zócalo is an grant … Seeing that we’re each making past unneurotic is thing that moves maine greatly.”

Boxing’s existent apical star, Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez, was not present, but helium did assistance Sheinbaum beforehand the event. The Guadalajara autochthonal is grooming for his upcoming May 3 bout successful Riyadh, Saudi Arabia against William Scull for the world’s undisputed ace middleweight title. (In February, Álvarez signed a four-fight deal with Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Season.)

In Chihuahua, participants trained with WBC pistillate super-bantamweight champion Yamileth Mercado, portion different states hosted sessions led by section stars, specified arsenic erstwhile satellite champion and existent Chamber of Deputies Representative Erik Morales successful Tijuana and World Boxing Hall of Fame subordinate José “Pipino” Cuevas successful Hidalgo.

The national government’s “Stay Away from Drugs. Fentanyl Kills You” run played connected screens during workouts, aligning with Sheinbaum’s strategy to code transgression and addiction done sports programs successful high-risk cities similar León and Ciudad Juárez.

Attendees received achromatic wristbands symbolizing the planetary #WhiteCard question — encouraging radical to unite done sports — and Sheinbaum signed a “Belt of Peace.” The WBC presented her with a aureate glove, honoring Mexico’s boxing bequest arsenic a “nation of champions.”

With reports from Milenio, Excélsior, WBC and El Diario de Chihuahua