Boxing has been a staple of the Olympic Games for over a century, but over the past few decades the sport has been relegated to day-time status because of its low profile. While the overall decline of boxing as a spectator sport has been undeniable for some time, the Olympics have further hamstrung themselves by forcing Olympic hopefuls to retain “amateur” status. However, this year the Olympics may seem some more noteworthy competitors.
The amateur requirement basically means that anyone who reaches a level where they’re talented enough to be paid to fight is barred from competing in the Olympics. This has allowed younger competitors to wet their feet in the fighting circuit on a big stage before going on to fight the best in the world. However, this has led to an inferior product for the Olympics, and Press Association, International Box Association (AIBA) president Ching-Kuo Wu has vowed to change that.
“It is an IOC policy to have the best athletes in the Game, and of the international federations, AIBA is probably the only one without professional athletes in the Olympics,” explained Wu. Having the most talented boxers in the world is obviously a plus, but could lead to some unbalanced fights in the early rounds. However, the US Basketball team had the same policy until the Dream Team in 1992, and we all know what happened there.
While an inexperienced fighter getting his bell rung by a world-class boxer like Floyd Mayweather may be scary to some, we’re sure the savages on this site would enjoy the hell out of it. Besides, anything that could drag Mayweather out of retirement for another go at Manny Pacquiao is a plus in our book. We’ll have to see what the AIBA and IOC decide to do first..
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