Pro boxers to fight at Rio Olympics

Professional boxers have been cleared to fight at the Rio Olympics, but it doesn't look like many of the sport's big names will take up the opportunity.

Manny Pacquiao (R) in action against Timothy Bradley

The boxing governing body has voted to allow professional boxers to fight at the Rio Olympics. (AAP)

P - Forget about Danny Green or Anthony Mundine boxing for Australia at the Rio Olympics.

Not going to happen, according to Boxing Australia.

Professional fighters can now compete at the Olympics, if they qualify.

An overwhelming vote by the sport's governing body, the AIBA, in Switzerland on Wednesday allows any boxer to attempt to qualify next month and earn selection for their national team.

The move is expected to be a moot point for Australian professionals.

Boxing Australia president Ted Tanner, an AIBA vice-president, told News Corp in March that Australian boxers couldn't be selected if the move was brought in.

"It's irrelevant to Australia this year, he said.

"The Olympic team is selected by the Australian Olympic Committee and we had to reach an agreement with the AOC last year on our nomination criteria, and there's no provision for professional boxers who have competed in non-AIBA bouts.

"We have an obligation to the boxing community who have committed to this process."

Manny Pacquiao won't be there, passing up a chance to win the first Olympic gold medal for the Philippines.

You won't see Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez fighting three-rounders in Rio, either.

It seems the people who run Olympic boxing may have waited too long to roll out the welcome mat for professional boxers in the Olympics.

That likely means no pros of note in Rio, despite the vote in Switzerland to let them compete.

Mixing seasoned pros with teenage amateurs goes beyond merely tilting the playing field in Rio.

It's potentially dangerous, especially when boxers will not be wearing protective headgear for the first time since the Moscow Games in 1980.

That didn't stop the head of the sport's governing body from crowing about the vote to allow pros to fight for gold medals.

"This is part of the vision," CK Wu said.

"I would say it is in my masterplan."

Suspicious boxing types believe part of that masterplan is to turn AIBA into a force in professional boxing, a fractured world where promoters, television networks and sanctioning organisations battle for power and riches.

The World Boxing Council has gone as far as threatening to suspend any of their champions or ranked fighters if they fight in the Olympics.


Share

3 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world