Professional Fighters Allowed To Compete At The Olympic Games
Professional Fighters Allowed To Compete At The Olympic Games
Under new rules, professional fighters are set to have the opportunity to compete at the 2016 Rio Games.
By Roy Billington
Shockwaves have been sent throughout the world of boxing with the news that professional boxers will be able to compete at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
The Olympic games has always been a bastion of brilliance for amateur boxing. Many great fighters have traversed through the precarious path of international amateur boxing to win an Olympic Gold Medal and use it to build a profitable professional career.
The AIBA is now proposing that established professional fighters should be allowed to challenge amateurs and pursue Olympic stardom.
International Boxing Association, Wu Ching-kuo, has declared that he wants to see the best boxers appear at the Olympic games and he feels for that to happen, the professional fighters need to be involved:
“We want the best boxers to come to the Olympic Games. It is AIBA’s 70th birthday, and we want something to change – not after four years, but now,” he said. “It is an IOC policy to have the best athletes in the Games and, of the international federations, Aiba is probably the only one without professional athletes in the Olympics. We already have our own professionals, APB and WSB [World Series] boxers, in the Games [and] we will go further.”
These monumental changes could potentially see all-time greats return to the Olympics to right wrongs. One man who could be interested is Floyd Mayweather, who was controversially awarded a bronze medal at the Atlanta games of 1996. Mayweather was harshly judged in his fight against Serafim Todorov in the semi finals. Like Floyd, Roy Jones Jr too was famously robbed of a medal, though it seems unlikely that either would choose to compete in the amateur ranks.
The likelihood of professionals competing in Rio is debatable, the Irish team for example, will be unlikely to allow professional fighters spots on their team considering the amount of state funding that goes into the amateur ranks. This could prove to be an interesting idea and could be a great way to boost Olympic boxing’s popularity, but it risks us pressuring the up-and-coming generations and in turn may hinder the development of the stars of tomorrow.
Former world champion Barry McGuigan was quick to question the “crazy” IABA over these new proposals:
“It just seems like a publicity stunt. I don't quite understand it because of the practicalities.How can you possibly have a 12 three-minute-round fighter, who is an elite championship fighter, coming in and boxing over three three-minute rounds, which is a sprint? It just seems crazy, it seems bizarre and it almost seems like a publicity stunt. I just don't see how it can practically work."
The prospect of professionals fighting at the Olympic Games is truly exciting, the idea of GGG, Alvarez or even Mayweather competing at the Olympics is absolutely insane. While financially it doesn’t make sense for the stars to pursue gold, it would make for a much need boost for Olympic boxing, which has been criticized for being boring by casual viewers for a number of decades.
Only time will tell if we will see the pros in Rio, but one thing is for certain: the 2016 Olympic Games is going to be interesting and Team USA has a solid chance of taking home some medals, especially with Billy Walsh acting as a trainer.
Shockwaves have been sent throughout the world of boxing with the news that professional boxers will be able to compete at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
The Olympic games has always been a bastion of brilliance for amateur boxing. Many great fighters have traversed through the precarious path of international amateur boxing to win an Olympic Gold Medal and use it to build a profitable professional career.
The AIBA is now proposing that established professional fighters should be allowed to challenge amateurs and pursue Olympic stardom.
International Boxing Association, Wu Ching-kuo, has declared that he wants to see the best boxers appear at the Olympic games and he feels for that to happen, the professional fighters need to be involved:
“We want the best boxers to come to the Olympic Games. It is AIBA’s 70th birthday, and we want something to change – not after four years, but now,” he said. “It is an IOC policy to have the best athletes in the Games and, of the international federations, Aiba is probably the only one without professional athletes in the Olympics. We already have our own professionals, APB and WSB [World Series] boxers, in the Games [and] we will go further.”
These monumental changes could potentially see all-time greats return to the Olympics to right wrongs. One man who could be interested is Floyd Mayweather, who was controversially awarded a bronze medal at the Atlanta games of 1996. Mayweather was harshly judged in his fight against Serafim Todorov in the semi finals. Like Floyd, Roy Jones Jr too was famously robbed of a medal, though it seems unlikely that either would choose to compete in the amateur ranks.
The likelihood of professionals competing in Rio is debatable, the Irish team for example, will be unlikely to allow professional fighters spots on their team considering the amount of state funding that goes into the amateur ranks. This could prove to be an interesting idea and could be a great way to boost Olympic boxing’s popularity, but it risks us pressuring the up-and-coming generations and in turn may hinder the development of the stars of tomorrow.
Former world champion Barry McGuigan was quick to question the “crazy” IABA over these new proposals:
“It just seems like a publicity stunt. I don't quite understand it because of the practicalities.How can you possibly have a 12 three-minute-round fighter, who is an elite championship fighter, coming in and boxing over three three-minute rounds, which is a sprint? It just seems crazy, it seems bizarre and it almost seems like a publicity stunt. I just don't see how it can practically work."
The prospect of professionals fighting at the Olympic Games is truly exciting, the idea of GGG, Alvarez or even Mayweather competing at the Olympics is absolutely insane. While financially it doesn’t make sense for the stars to pursue gold, it would make for a much need boost for Olympic boxing, which has been criticized for being boring by casual viewers for a number of decades.
Only time will tell if we will see the pros in Rio, but one thing is for certain: the 2016 Olympic Games is going to be interesting and Team USA has a solid chance of taking home some medals, especially with Billy Walsh acting as a trainer.