AIBA president Dr Ching-Kuo Wu has revealed that the boxing governing body is planning to have professional boxers compete at the forthcoming Rio 2016 boxing event.
Ching-Kuo Wu took over as president in 2006 and has been instrumental to several reforms in the sport. Some of the reforms championed by Wu includes the removal of vest from AIBA endorsed or organised men’s boxing events.
He also ensured that the word “amateur” was removed from its title. Under Wu’s Leadership AIBA started the AIBA Pro Boxing Scheme APB and the World Series Of Boxing.
And In 2013 it was decided that Pro boxers with less than 15 fights to go to the Olympics.
Now in the year of AIBA’s 70th Anniversary the body wants pro boxers to be eligible to fight at the Olympic games in Rio, according to Dr Wu “It is an IOC policy to have the best athletes in the Games, and of the international federations, AIBA is probably the only one without professional athletes in the Olympics.”
If the decision to eventually allow Pro Boxers at the Olympic games is ratified by the executive council of AIBA some very popular Pro boxers might just become the main attraction in Rio, but it doesn’t seem like everybody in the boxing fraternity is all for the idea.
Commonwealth Games gold medalist and Former world champion Barry McGuigan is of the opinion that whole idea is a “publicity stunt” stating that the plan to have professional boxers take part in Rio is “crazy”.
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