Hublot & WBC Bring Together World Champion Boxers For Legendary ‘Night Of Champions’ Gala & Auction
In what turned out to be a historical evening, luxury Swiss watch manufacturer Hublot partnered again with WBC—the World Boxing Council—for an epic ‘Night of Champions’ gala dinner and live auction with some of the biggest names in the history of boxing, including Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Evander Holyfield, Julio César Chávez, Oscar De La Hoya, Vitali Klitschko, George Foreman, Thomas Hearns and Lennox Lewis. Taking place at one of Las Vegas’ most recognizable hotels, the Encore Hotel, Hublot and the WBC raised an unprecedented $1.2 million for the WBC José Sulaimán Boxers Fund.
“Once again, we have the great honor and privilege of teaming up with the WBC and iconic boxing champions for a historic evening here in Las Vegas,” began Ricardo Guadalupe, Global CEO of Hublot. “We are proud to have raised over 1 million dollars tonight to benefit the WBC José Sulaimán Boxers Fund and celebrate the fusion of world-renowned competitors and Swiss watchmaking. This collaboration continues the brand’s long history in support of the noble art of boxing.”
To kick off the evening, VIP guests enjoyed the red carpet and cocktail reception with the boxers, which also included Roberto Duran, Zoe Shiming, Jeff Fenech and Hozumi Hasegawa. Additionally, world-renowned and multiple Grammy Award winning artist Carlos Santana made an appearance, later taking the stage to speak about the magical evening, as did Mauricio Sulaimán, President of the WBC. He said, “Today is one of the happiest days of my life. My gratitude goes to Hublot, Jean Claude Biver and Ricardo Guadalupe for joining the WBC in the creation of this Boxers Fund to support our past and present heroes who have fallen in financial hardship.”
The WBC José Sulaimán Boxers Fund was founded by Hublot and the WBC in 2012 with the goal of protecting boxers’ safety, health and well-being, specifically contributing toward retired boxers’ financial and medical hardships in housing, living expenses and medical costs. This year, Hublot auctioned off money-can’t-buy experiences and packages and donated 100% of the proceeds to the fund. Auctioned items included the opportunity to enter the ring during the following evening’s big fight at T-Mobile Arena, Canelo vs. Jacobs; the opportunity to throw the first pitch for one of the top Major League Baseball teams; and even the opportunity to receive a one-on-one boxing sesson with a WBC Heavyweight Champion. A silent auction presented items such as a boxing glove signed by Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao; a golf club signed by Dustin Johnson; a pair of shoes signed by Kobe Bryant.
To mark the special partnership between Hublot and the WBC, the brand created two versions of the new Big Bang Unico WBC, boasting a green alligator strap and reflecting the eye-catching design of the beautiful championship belt. The first version is in green ceramic and a matte black skeleton dial, while the second also has 18k gold with green ceramic. The former of the two was gifted to all of the boxing champions who attended the event.
All images courtesy of Hublot.
