Boxing: AIBA Approves Pros in the Olympics

The International Boxing Association — the recognized international amateur boxing governing body — made an unprecedented move on Wednesday at what the organization called an “Extraordinary Congress” in Lausanne, Switzerland. There, it removed Article 13 (J) of the AIBA Statutes, allowing professional fighters to compete in the Olympic Games, starting on Aug. 5. AIBA President Ching-Kuo Wu said the change to the AIBA constitution was approved with 95 percent in favor, or 84 of 88 voting delegates that attended the Extraordinary Congress. “We approved it, and now they can compete,” Wu told Reuters. AIBA’s decision supports the IOC Agenda 2020, which seeks to ensure that the world’s best athletes are eligible to compete at the Olympic Games. Boxing was one of the few sports that had not been open to all professional athletes. The change is supposed to level the playing field and represents the culmination of reforms and new competitions for which AIBA has been responsible, particularly the inauguration of AIBA Pro Boxing and World Series of Boxing competitions. There will be 26 Olympic spots still open when fighters compete at a qualifying tournament in Venezuela next month, with a total of 286 boxers — 236 men and 50 women set — to compete at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. AIBA spokesman Nicolas Jomard said there would be no wild cards, with an age limit of 40 for the athletes. The move has drawn considerable criticism from world-class pros. Former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, an amateur gold medalist in the 1981 and 1982 Junior Olympic Games, has called the move “ridiculous and foolish.” Others, like future hall of famer Bernard Hopkins, have mixed feelings. “Beating a kid at 51 years old is not a good look. These kids should be fighting for a dream, but for someone like me, I fight for a paycheck, not a gold medal,” Hopkins said. “I can see pros, limited pros who aren’t world-class doing it, but I’m fighting for million-dollar checks. Why would I fight for a gold medal? I’d …

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