Unbeaten Russian light heavyweight Artur Beterbiev is the latest professional boxer to knock back the opportunity to compete at the Rio Olympics.
The two-time Russian Olympian announced his decision through his Canadian promoter, Yvon Michel, on Wednesday.
The International Boxing Association (AIBA) recently voted to allow professional fighters to compete for spots in the Rio field, but the Olympic sport's governing body is finding very few interested pros outside of AIBA's in-house professional competitions.
The Dagestan-born Beterbiev (10-0, 10 KOs) fought as a light heavyweight in Beijing and as a heavyweight in London, losing to the eventual gold medalist each time.
He turned pro in 2013 and moved to Montreal.
The 31-year-old strongly considered taking a third Olympic shot, but ultimately decided against it.
"After analysing all situations, we came to the conclusion that the current situation was not favorable," Michel said.
"The short-term goal for Artur Beterbiev is to become world champion in the pro ranks. He will be back in the ring in September."
Beterbiev joins a growing list of pros who have decided they won't crash the Rio Games for numerous reasons. AIBA already has ushered in major changes to the Olympic sport since London by removing the men's headgear and introducing a pro-style scoring system, but the fighters in Rio apparently will be almost entirely from the Olympic-style sport.
Several prominent professionals who have already turned down the short-notice opportunity to attempt to qualify include Manny Pacquiao, Wladimir Klitschko, Sergey Kovalev and two-time gold medalists Vasyl Lomachenko and Zou Shiming.
While most professional fighters apparently aren't interested in Rio, Lomachenko and others believe the field for the 2020 Games in Tokyo will be studded with older professional fighters.
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