Possiblity of Professional boxers competing in Olympics!

Floyd Mayweather Junior, Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan could be eligible to compete at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro under radical new plans proposed by International Boxing Association (AIBA) President C K Wu, he has claimed.

Wu yesterday unveiled a new programme, entitled AIBA Professional Boxing (APB), to be launched in 2013, which will allow competitors to retain their Olympic eligibility despite boxing professionally.

A feature of the competition is that current professional boxers can have their Olympic eligibility restored if they compete in the first season of the APB and the AIBA President, who is also and International Olympic Committee (IOC) member, is confident some of the sport's biggest stars will be tempted to compete in the event because of the lure of Olympic glory.

"I hope we can attract the very best professionals out there," Wu told insidethegames.

"I don't know definitely if they will compete in AIBA Professional Boxing but I am hopeful they will because the Olympics is something very special and there is no greater prize in sport than the Olympic gold medal.

"The door is open to them.

"The chance to compete in AIBA Professional Boxing will only be open to current professional boxers for season one though with limited terms and conditions.

"After that we will have new stars in place.

"But I feel this move towards professionalism is very important for AIBA.

"Boxers have always felt that they have instantly had to turn professional after competing at the Olympics.

We want to change that culture, show there is another way and this is now time for the sport to move forward."

Mayweather and Pacquiao, who are widely accepted as the best two pound-for-pound boxers on the planet, may well be tempted to compete for gold at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games for differing reasons.

Philippine Pacquiao turned professional as a very poor 16-year-old and never got a chance to compete at an Olympics while American Mayweather was left with bronze at the Atlanta 1996 Games after one of the most controversial decisions in the history of amateur boxing.

In his Olympic semi-final against Serafim Todorov of Bulgaria, Mayweather pummelled his opponent for the duration of the fight while barely being hit himself but the judges astonishingly gave the decision to the Bulgarian by a 10-9 decision.

The US team filed a protest over the Mayweather bout, claiming the judges were intimated by Bulgaria's Emil Jetchev, head of the boxing officials, into favouring Todorov.

Mayweather has gone on to become a five-division world champion and one of the greatest boxers of all-time but he has claimed the injustice at the Atlanta 1996 Games still haunts so there is a chance he will want to return to the Olympics to settle an old score and claim the one major prize in the sport that has eluded him.

Khan first made his name in the 2004 Olympics in Athens when at the age of only 17 he captured the imagination of the British public by reaching the final before being beaten by Cuba's Mario Kindelan.

He turned professional shortly after Athens and is now the World Light Welterweight Champion.

Meanwhile Wu has stated that despite the move towards professionalism, there is no chance of an overturn on the controversial rule that will see professional trainers being banned from being in their fighters corners at the London 2012 Olympics.

The ruling means that Rob McCracken, the performance director for the British Amateur Boxing Association (BABA), will not be allowed in the corner of the GB boxers at the Olympics next year due to his links with WBC super-middleweight world champion Carl Froch.

"We must remember that AIBA Professional Boxing comes into place in early 2013 and not before then," said Wu.

"We will need over a year to prepare for that transition so there will be no changes to any of the ruling at the London 2012 Olympics.

"We have seen a real success with the World Series of Boxing [which was inaugurated last year and sees amateur boxers compete professionally] but we will only see the real move from AIBA towards professional boxing after London 2012."


Source: http://www.insidethegames.biz/sports/summer/boxing/13762-new-programme-leaves-olympic-door-open-for-top-professionals-to-compete-at-rio-2016

This could make the olympics a heck of a lot more interesting for us guys! Not sure what the take up amongst professional boxers would be though.

Thoughts?

Both maybe be a bit old by 2016 and have to fight amateurs again... also doesn't this make it harder for the up and coming amateurs to make a big impact when they come nto the pro game knowing that there chance of a gold medal is a bit limited with the quality they've now possibly got on there hands?

Can't see any of those fighting for free...

Would it be professional boxers in headguards and vests scoring points with jabs? That wouldn't make it much more of a spectacle than Olympic boxing currently is already. And as today's professionals struggle to fight 3 times a year, the tournament format wouldn't work either. Unless they do it like Prizefighter.

FMj in Prizefighter, that'd be a sight, he'd consider retiring after the first one as he's done his bit for the year.

Can't say I'm all that keen on this idea. As Scott says, the likes of Mayweather (who'll be pushing forty by then anyway) aren't going to fight for free, and on top of that it just lessens the window of opportunity for young amateurs coming through. If it aint broke, don't fix it. See no reason for this needless reshuffling, personally.

Scottrf wrote:Can't see any of those fighting for free...

Good point.

I think more realistically it will be pro boxers who are still quite green rather than superstars. The recognition they will get can only help them and they wont be expecting a pay check.

Not really true, they can be expecting a paycheck afterwards as becoming a gold medalist they do no doubt get much better treatment than most...

AlexHuckerby wrote:Not really true, they can be expecting a paycheck afterwards as becoming a gold medalist they do no doubt get much better treatment than most...

Yeah its more of an investment in yourself if you do well!

I read about this earlier, and I really can't see it happening. Every country picks their internationals by national tournaments. Once you're first choice international then you have to enter qualifying tournaments to represent your country at the Olympics. I can't see any professional fighter do all this for free.

I also can't see many national ABA's letting their potential medal prospects go and fight professionally before the tournaments, risking cuts and injury.

To answer your questions Union Cane, Men will not longer be required to wear head guards, but women and juniors still will. The AIBA will also introduce the 10 point scoring like in the pro's.

As said above, I think the current setup is fine the way it is, but as it garners little interest amongst regular boxing fans I think these steps have been introduced to make it appeal more to the masses,

nothing will change, very few fighters will fight for free, trainers won't want there guys fighting with another trainer, and promoter wont want to risk there fighters records if there making nothing out of it.

Would never happen in my eyes, for instance

Ortiz gets offered a fight with Khan at 147, but that would clash with the Olympics.

Wonder which one he'd go for in a miniscule heartbeat?

I can envisage Roy Jones going for Olympic gold after his sickening robbery to the Korean!!!

...and getting knocked out in the 1st round.

Also the age limit for boxing in the Olympics is 34 and to the best of my knowledge this isn't being lifted, so any boxer over 29 currently will not eligible.

wonder if the WBA will bring out a olympic champion belt

eddyfightfan wrote:wonder if the WBA will bring out a olympic champion belt

Or a WBC Intercontinental Diamond Super Olympic Champion Belt.

Ha this would stop those wretched Cubans in their tracks! Those Cuban "legends" like Stevenson and Savon applying their fully mature and prime boxing bodies to beat up a bunch of school kids!

Still can't say I agree with it though.

I bet Audley ran into his A-Force garage, whipped out the drawing board, his dry wipe marker and planned his return to former glory when he heard about this...

He wiped away any previous plans on the board of him competing in the Womens event under the name "Audrey A-Forcefull-Woman Harrison" and was hoping to compete for the planet his mind is currently at.

GOOD LUCK AUDLEY, BRING US ANOTHER GOLD, GRAB ANOTHER MBE, STEAL MONEY FROM THE BBC ONCE MORE! PUT RIGHT ALL OF THE WRONGS. NOW IS THE TIME FOR REDEMPTION!