Am I Missing Something??? AIBA New WSB "Amateur" League

[DCAmateurBoxing]

So, I have to call Bravo-Sierra on this one. . .
http://in.reuters.com/article/worldOfSp ... dChannel=0

So boxers will get paid $30,000 - $300,000 a year to compete in a league that has teams paying $5,000,000 for a 10 year franchise?? That sounds like a professional athlete and team to me - but they will still be allowed to compete in the Olympics?

No headgear or shirts and five 3-minute rounds? Yeah right. . .

[rocabye]

is this real
and how do they pick the teams

[JMac]

Sure they be would professional athletes. Plenty of pros compete in the Olympics, boxing hasn't gone that route yet but the international governing body can do what they want. The IOC does not tell them what to do. If AIBA wants to add pros, they can. I am not saying that is good or bad but that's the way it is. To encourage pros to box in their league and not on their own. They must be a part of their league to box in the Olympics. If they box pro but not in their league, they are not elligible to box in the Olympics. That's probably one of the reasons they are keeping thier fights at 5 rounds. That sort of keeps the boxers as novice pros.
If you google world boxing league, you will see that there is a group in Florida that beat AIBA to the punch and trade marked the name that AIBA originally wanted. The group in Florida has had the same idea for a few years and has been setting things up but they have not started yet either.
It is an ineresting concept and will be interesting to see how it goes.

[JMac]

is this real
and how do they pick the teams

Yes it is real and the teams are franchises just like other pro sports and even the Golden Gloves. The franchises are up for sale. If you want a team, you buy it. The boxers will get drafted I would guess. It is up to the boxer if he wants to sign with the team or not.

[rmz]

The idea actually sounds like it has some potential, but in order for it to work right, they have to change the Olympic rules to match the rules of this league. It doesn't really make sense that boxers have to be "amateurs" at the Olympics when pretty much every other sport at the Olympics is at a professional level.

Also, if someone leaves the league, do their professional fights move with them to their non-league fights?