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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