The IOC has refused to amend its rules regarding the age limit of 40 for boxers at the Olympics, meaning that retired legend Manny Pacquiao will not be able to compete in Paris this summer. The 45-year-old Pacquiao, who retired in 2021, had expressed interest in representing The Philippines at the Games later this year. Pacquaio had not officially announced he would seek a place at this month's qualifying event in Italy or a second event in Thailand in May.
Furthermore, the IOC also rejected The Philippines' request to be allocated universality places for the boxing events. Universality places provide underrepresented countries places in various Olympic events. "Universality places are not allocated to [teams] with an average of more than eight athletes in individual sports/disciplines at the last two editions of the Olympic Games. This is the case for the Philippine Olympic Committee," the IOC explained.
Tyson Fury Postpones Oleksandr Usyk Bout After Training Injury
Elsewhere, Tyson Fury's bout with Oleksandr Uysk has been postponed until May. Fury postponed his February 17 fight against Usyk after suffering an injury in training. "I am absolutely devastated after preparing for this fight for so long and being in such superb condition. I feel bad for everyone involved in this huge event. Furthermore, I will work diligently towards the rescheduled date once the eye has healed. I can only apologize to everyone affected including my own team, Team Usyk, the undercard fighters, partners, and fans as well as our hosts and my friends in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," Fury said in a statement. Per the British fighter, he suffered an orbital laceration while sparring.
Fury and Usyk signed fight contracts last year for the first undisputed heavyweight fight in boxing's four-belt era. Fury currently holds the WBC belt while Usyk holds the WBA, IBF, and WBO belts. The fight was originally scheduled for April 2023, with a fight slated for London's Wembley Stadium. However, the fight fell through at the last moment. Instead, Uysk fulfilled his mandatory WBA defense against Daniel Dubois in an August fight in Poland. Meanwhile, Fury has not fought since beating Derek Chisora in December.
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