Press Trust of India
Lausanne, June 1: Professional boxers can compete at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, if they qualify for the mega event according to a release by the world body AIBA here Wednesday.
However, in spite of the announcement 2008 Olympics bronze medal winner, Vijender Singh, who turned pro last year stated that he will not take part in the Rio Games as he hasn’t been left with any time or chance to make the cut.
AIBA’s plan however, has been criticised across the professional ranks as a move toward dangerous mismatches between established boxers and inexperienced amateurs.
“At the moment it is difficult to anticipate (how many), but there will be some who want to get qualification,” AIBA president CK Wu said after a special meeting of the member federations.
Among the 88 federations who came to Lausanne for the single-issue meeting, 84 approved the rule change less than 10 weeks before the first bouts in Rio. The other four members abstained, AIBA said. Twenty six entry places can be earned at an Olympic qualifying tournament in Venezuela next month, AIBA added. But the body also asserted that the change has been made with an eye to increase the standard of boxing in the 2020 Tokyo Games.
“These are milestones for Tokyo. This is what is happening now,” Netherlands federation president Boris van der Vorst told reporters here.
Meanwhile former World Champions Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis called the decision ‘foolish’ and ‘preposterous’ while others like Amir Khan welcoming the step.
With AIBA taking such a step, the focus turned to Vijender, who after winning his sixth consecutive pro fight is currently training for his seventh bout in New Delhi.
“I welcome AIBA’s decision of allowing professional boxers to compete in the Rio Olympics. I am yet to receive the formalities for this entire process. Since there is no federation in the country, I don’t know who will guide me for this entire thing. Right now I am concentrating on my July title fight to be held in New Delhi,” Vijender stated.
His measured response to the world body’s decision is not without ground given that the final Olympic qualifier for the Indians will be the AIBA World Qualifiers in Azerbaijan, starting June 16. The Rio Games are scheduled to start August 5. The team for that event has already been finalised.