gavpowell Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Well, it's been decided - olympic boxing is now open to anyone who can lace up a pair of gloves, beginning with Rio next month. Fighters need only sign up for the qualifying tournament in Venezuela and they can contest one of 26 places available. I have mixed feelings about this - on the one hand, wasn;t the idea of the olympics always to determine the best in the world? Tennis and other sports have professionals competing in their olympic squads. But then again, in a combat sport, it seems a recipe for serious injury - Khan was a gangly 17-year-old when he won his silver medal, and imagine if they'd told him he was facing Manny Pacquiao or Antonio Margarito? He'd have been lucky to come out alive. Conversely, imagine the shame of being a seasoned pro and losing to an amateur - career-derailment there. Anyone think this is a good idea? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ton Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Re: Olympic Boxing Now Includes Professionals No not really, but I don't think tennis, football, basketball and other "professional" sports should be olympic sports in honesty. Only sports where an olympic gold medal is that absolute pinnacle should be included. I think boxing does belong there though but only for the amateur ranks, as that really is the pinnacle for amateurs and is obviously a platform on which to turn to the professional game. It just works. The pinacle for a tennis player is to win Wimbledon (or another major), for basketballers its to win the NBA or become the MVP for a season. Golf is The Masters (I believe this is an Olympic event now), Footballs pinnacle is obviously the Football World Cup. A gold medal in these sports is just a token memento for it's participants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WelshDevilRob Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Re: Olympic Boxing Now Includes Professionals This is the chance for the King of Prizefighter to regain glory. A-Force. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WSMFC64 Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Re: Olympic Boxing Now Includes Professionals Boxing in the Olympics should not be for the pro's unless they run two different events. Its the perfect breeding ground for future champs (and some chumps) A bigger risk of an accident waiting to happen. About as interested in watching this as i am in six a side football (Zero). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ton Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Re: Olympic Boxing Now Includes Professionals You'd suspect that for professional boxers, they'd think that giving this a go would be beneath them......but you just know some will see it as another chance to get back into the mix, or their name in the spotlight. Amir Khan is already talking about how he would love to represent Pakistan in it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxeador Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Re: Olympic Boxing Now Includes Professionals I don´t like this news at all. I can´t see any pro fighter adapting to amateur rules again in just 2 months... Let´s let the amateur fighters win their golds, silvers and bronzes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavpowell Posted June 1, 2016 Author Share Posted June 1, 2016 Re: Olympic Boxing Now Includes Professionals This is the chance for the King of Prizefighter to regain glory. A-Force. Haye famously had to quit the olympics too due to injury - maybe he'll be tempted? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxingbruiser2015 Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Re: Olympic Boxing Now Includes Professionals I think it is a good idea. If other Olympic sports allow pros to participate, then why not boxing as well? So what if a pro would loose to an amateur? It would just prove how out of shape he is. And the amateur would surely be looking forward to a pro career. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavpowell Posted June 2, 2016 Author Share Posted June 2, 2016 Re: Olympic Boxing Now Includes Professionals I think it is a good idea. If other Olympic sports allow pros to participate, then why not boxing as well? So what if a pro would loose to an amateur? It would just prove how out of shape he is. And the amateur would surely be looking forward to a pro career. There's a difference with tennis, swimming, etc. - they're not combat sports. If you have some 17-year-old kid fighting a guy with 30 pro fights and a bucketload of...nutrition...behind him, you're in very severe danger of serious injury. Look at Khan as an amateur and Khan now - there's a huge difference in his physique. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pittbox Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 Re: Olympic Boxing Now Includes Professionals Hassan N'Dam wants to participate. I think some pros from countries where boxing is not very well promoted like France or Italy may decide to take a chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_budweiser Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 Re: Olympic Boxing Now Includes Professionals Khan was a gangly 17-year-old when he won his silver medal, and imagine if they'd told him he was facing Manny Pacquiao or Antonio Margarito? I doubt that could happen. Isn't there a rule were the boxer is only allowed x amount of fights in the pros and not won a world title before he can compete at the Olympics? Or were they just talking about adding it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavpowell Posted June 3, 2016 Author Share Posted June 3, 2016 Re: Olympic Boxing Now Includes Professionals I doubt that could happen. Isn't there a rule were the boxer is only allowed x amount of fights in the pros and not won a world title before he can compete at the Olympics? Or were they just talking about adding it? There used to be a rule that you could turn back to an amateur if you had less than 4 or 5 fights, but there's nothing preventing any pro deciding to fight in the olympics. England Boxing has issued a statement saying they won't be sending any pros to Rio, but suggest the possibility of someone like Mayweather deciding to go and thus attracting large crowds/exposure for the sport. Important information regarding the amendment to AIBA Article 13 (J) - England Boxing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Layton Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 Re: Olympic Boxing Now Includes Professionals its just pure wrong, i like th wbc take on it myself Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WelshDevilRob Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 Re: Olympic Boxing Now Includes Professionals Haye famously had to quit the olympics too due to injury - maybe he'll be tempted? Haye like many boxers has condemned it. Only high profile ones in support are Amir Khan and Lomachenko (that I know of). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cableaddict Posted June 4, 2016 Share Posted June 4, 2016 Re: Olympic Boxing Now Includes Professionals This can only end badly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Javier Ortega Nieto Posted June 4, 2016 Share Posted June 4, 2016 Re: Olympic Boxing Now Includes Professionals It seems awful this measure, the AIBA boxing wants to break the monopoly and keep boxing and professional boxers. Olympic Games must be clean and amateurs vs professionals face is a measure of crazy. when any accident occurs seek guilty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
repsac Posted June 4, 2016 Share Posted June 4, 2016 Re: Olympic Boxing Now Includes Professionals I'm with most, thinking this is a bad idea. Some look at Olympic basketball, trying to compare it. It's not the same when you consider it being a combat sport. Someone will get hurt, and badly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cableaddict Posted June 5, 2016 Share Posted June 5, 2016 (edited) Re: Olympic Boxing Now Includes Professionals So now what happens when lower-level pros start winning all the medals, what exactly is that going to mean? Will the very best amateurs go home with nothing, for their years of effort? Will their pro careers no longer get a boost, due to their not having Olympic medals and the cache that goes with that? Will their be no endorsement deals for them? Since all that is probable, then why would any amateur boxer waste their time competing in the Olympics at all? Might as well just turn pro right away. And what happens if a mid-level pro competes in the Olympics and gets beaten by an amateur? What happens is mid-level pro competes in the Olympics and gets beaten by another mid-level pro? Does that NOT get added to his pro record, even though the entire world knows it happened? It's so completely messed up there are no words .... Edited June 5, 2016 by Cableaddict Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JrGooNer Posted June 5, 2016 Share Posted June 5, 2016 Re: Olympic Boxing Now Includes Professionals It's the making weight that I would imagine putting most pro fighters off. Having to make weight every day again when they have gone and got used to one weigh in the day before the fight and rehydrating back up again. A lot of them just wouldn't have the discipline for it in my honest opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WelshDevilRob Posted June 5, 2016 Share Posted June 5, 2016 Re: Olympic Boxing Now Includes Professionals Think a lot of the top pros have contracts with promoters, so unlikely to be allowed to take part as they could be breaking their contract. The Cubans have been like Pro's competing in the Olympics for decades - the Cubans are often fully grown men beating up less experienced youngsters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_budweiser Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 Re: Olympic Boxing Now Includes Professionals Interesting to read that GB boxing said no to Eubank Jnr competing at Rio 2016 Rio 2016: GB Boxing rejects Chris Eubank Jr Olympics approach - BBC Sport Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxing_chick Posted June 14, 2016 Share Posted June 14, 2016 Re: Olympic Boxing Now Includes Professionals Olympic was for the peoples who are professionals, Professional boxers who can fight more than others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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