Professional boxers could compete at Rio Olympics

[Redback Rasta]

Professional boxers could compete at Rio Olympics as governing body pushes through rule change

Top professional boxers will become eligible to compete in this summer's Rio Olympics under radical new proposals being pushed through by the sport's world governing body, AIBA.

Its president, Dr Ching-Kuo Wu, has indicated that the last remaining barriers preventing full-time professionals competing in the Games are set to be abolished within a matter of months.

In an interview with Press Association Sport, Wu said: "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.

"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 boxers, in the Games - [and] we will go further."

Pressed on whether the change could realistically be made in time to affect eligibility for the Rio Olympics this summer, Wu replied: "According to our statutes it is absolutely possible."

AIBA say they have been working on broadening their eligibility criteria for Rio for some time, but were given implicit encouragement to fast-track the process by the publication of the IOC's Agenda 2020 document in 2014, whose Recommendation 9 declares the intention of "ensuring participation by the best athletes".

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/boxing/pr ... io-7433348

[Redback Rasta]

Olympics chance beckons for Joseph Parker as boxing looks to get professionals fighting at the Games

Joseph Parker might get the chance to try to add an Olympic medal to his array of professional belts if changes are made to eligibility rules for fighters at the Games. His Olympics dream might be alive again after boxing authorities indicated professionals could be allowed to fight on sport's biggest stage, possibly as early as Rio this year.

The president of the International Boxing Association, Wu Ching-kuo, suggested the last remaining barriers preventing full-time professionals from competing at the Games are set to be abolished within a matter of months.

Parker turned professional after failing to negotiate the tough qualifying process for the 2012 Olympics in London.

In a year where his handlers are desperately trying to get him within sight of a world title shot, he may now have to shift focus again.

Parker's trainer Kevin Barry won a silver medal in the light-heavyweight division at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.

New Zealand's current top amateur heavyweight is David Nyika, the Commonwealth Games light-heavyweight champion who is stepping up a division with an eye on Rio.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-spor ... -the-games?

[Cutman Scabbers]

Pinch me. Am I dreaming?

[Beltane]

Is AIBA's 70th birthday the 1st April?

[Redback Rasta]

Is AIBA's 70th birthday the 1st April?

Probably worth looking into

[Redback Rasta]

Wlad Klitschko : "The Olympic Games is the pinnacle of an amateur's career so you have got to keep it separate. I was shocked when they said it could actually go ahead, and I hope they have another good think about it and make the right decision."

[The Raw Prawn]

Wlad Klitschko : "The Olympic Games is the pinnacle of an amateur's career so you have got to keep it separate. I was shocked when they said it could actually go ahead, and I hope they have another good think about it and make the right decision."

Agree 100 % with Klitschko.
This proposal has been on the cards for quite some time.
AIBA has already dumped head gear for amateur boxers, something that was adopted 30yrs ago as a safety measure.
President Dr Ching-Kuo Wu and his cronies would make Sep Blatter and his henchmen at FIFA blush..
Seems to be all about money and a grubby attempt to eventually dominate world boxing, amateur and professional.
Here's hoping the IOC gives them the big thumbs down.

[Redback Rasta]

Wlad Klitschko : "The Olympic Games is the pinnacle of an amateur's career so you have got to keep it separate. I was shocked when they said it could actually go ahead, and I hope they have another good think about it and make the right decision."

Agree 100 % with Klitschko.
This proposal has been on the cards for quite some time.
AIBA has already dumped head gear for amateur boxers, something that was adopted 30yrs ago as a safety measure.
President Dr Ching-Kuo Wu and his cronies would make Sep Blatter and his henchmen at FIFA blush..
Seems to be all about money and a grubby attempt to eventually dominate world boxing, amateur and professional.
Here's hoping the IOC gives them the big thumbs down.

Interesting to look back on the headgear decision now with the benefit of hindsight. Good pick-up

[ClivePatrickLyons]

I'v been around this game for 40 year's and i'v seen some terrible things and decision's made by certain individual's things a brain surgeon could not explain but this well this is absolutely on top of my list these are 2 different sport's like 100 metre sprint and the marathon yes both use 2 leg's but completely different sport the fu.k is wrong with people

[Redback Rasta]

WBC RIPS AIBA OVER OLYMPIC BOXING; SOME PROS ARE INTRIGUED

The president of the WBC sharply criticized the IBA on Thursday for its intention to allow professional fighters to compete in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

The WBC's Mauricio Sulaiman said AIBA "does not have a clue of what boxing means and represents." The head of pro boxing's most prominent governing body also predicted "dangerous mismatches between experienced professional fighters and amateur boxers" if the pros take AIBA's invitation.

AIBA President Ching-Kuo Wu confirmed his intention this week to change his organization's qualifying structure to allow pro fighters to compete for gold medals in the multi-day Olympic tournament in August.

AIBA's latest proposal to erase the line between pro and amateur boxing has attracted attention around the sport, and some pros are intrigued.

"I would if I could," Wladimir Klitschko told The Associated Press through a spokesperson when asked about the possibility of fighting for his second gold medal after winning for Ukraine in Atlanta in 1996".

But the former long-reigning heavyweight champion added that his rematch with Tyson Fury in the spring would take precedence over any attempt to make the Ukraine team, likely making it impractical for the 39-year-old to compete in Rio. For Klitschko to get a chance at the 2020 Tokyo Games, AIBA would have to change its age limit of 40 years old on competitors.

Most top pros would face major obstacles to participation in the Rio Games. Even after getting the imprimatur of their national sanctioning body, they likely would have to travel to AIBA's world Olympic qualifying tournament in Azerbaijan in June to earn a spot.

"I just think that it's highly unlikely" for any pros to make the U.S. team in Rio, USA Boxing executive director Mike Martino told the AP.

"By matching amateurs against professionals and eliminating headgear, AIBA is showing that it does not seem to care about the physical well-being of the fighters or the correct practice of the sport around the world," Sulaiman said. "How can multi-day boxing tournaments be conducted safely and fairly without headgear? The youth of the world deserve to have the options and opportunities in amateur boxing."

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/ ... 5-19-03-17

[madball1982]

I think it's a bad idea.
Sure the am that can beat a well-known pro will get a huge boost within boxing circles, but not many will notice the difference.
Will they get paid? If not, I can't imagine that they'd take the time out to do it unless the $$$$'s made sense. And I couldn't imagine, without major sponsor $$'s that any of the big name pro's or upcoming big-names would take the risk physically to do so.
How many pro's would want to fight multiple times in the span of a week or so, it's just a different beast.
I say keep the amateurs fighting, let the pro's do their thing elsewhere.
I professional sprinter/swimmer/soccer player, etc can perform multiple times in a week, I think the pro boxers will struggle, whereas am's still do this.

[convict]

The only good thing that came from AIBA so far was Olympics women's boxing, However that was a no brainer decision.