…and my mind took me to 1981, when I first visited this country of Siam. Back then, I was honored to meet the very young Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn. He was only 29.

[30 years later] There I was, watching the strict seriousness in that face of prominent cheekbones and chiseled features of the Prince. He did not move a single muscle of his face when in front of the other five people who received an honorary doctorate prior to me. I knew I would have to obey the protocol. I was obliged to doing so. Nevertheless, no matter how much I tried, I could not help myself and I smiled when I was in front of him. I was taken to such action by the affection, respect and trust I have always felt for him. Suddenly, I was surprised when I saw, in an almost imperceptible way, the Prince winked a little bit at me and in his noble face a slight, very slight smile was drawn. This courtesy triggered deep satisfaction in me. My feelings are not mistaken: Thailand is my second motherland.

– Extracted from World Boxing Council President José Sulaiman‘s article, “Boxing , Thailand and 30 Years Later”, 7 March. This article was first published in the Mexican newspaper El Universal, where Sulaiman’s column is memorably titled “Hook to the Liver”.