It certainly makes one stop to hear about a promoter, who just staged a successful defence of his only world champion boxer, but does not consider this is biggest achievement in professional boxing.
In fact, Willian Paiva of Guarulhos, Sao Paulo (pictured with Super Bantamweight Alex De Oliveira) believes he has more important goals than becoming a Hall-of-Fame promoter, although his success with WBF World Super Welterweight Champion Anderson Clayton is undeniable.
Still, Paiva’s mission is the Coliseu Boxe Center, which he established in his hometown of Guarulhos in 1995 and through which he is working on assisting juniors and young people through sport, discipline and teaching principles and values.
“Our mission is to forge champions for life,” explains the promoter, “and with over 18 years of history the Coliseu Boxe Center has the privilege of having the testimony of thousands of people who visited the project, more than five thousand assisted directly and indirectly, currently 300 boys are working with us and we aim to increase these numbers until the end of next year. Furthermore, we consider inaugurating two more academies by the end of this year!”
The big-name superstar champions of past and present who have visited the project or support it is testimony to its goals and successes. George Foreman has been to Brazil to see it, and so have Evander Holyfield and Iran Barkley. Especially in Brazil itself, support came from legends like Acelino Freitas, Eder Jofre and Adilson Rodriuez, to name but a few.
So it comes as little surprise that Paiva is happy for the support of the World Boxing Federation, the organization which gave him his first world champion with Clayton, who upset the odds earlier this year to relieve Frenchman Sebastien Madani of his title in the champion’s home territory and now made his first defense on Paiva’s promotion.
After all, with Clayton as the poster boy for the Coliseu Boxe Center, it will be possible to keep even more kids off the streets, off drugs and on the right track of life.
