Can pro boxers compete at the Olympics?

By Nam Hyun-woo

JEJU ― Can boxers with professional experience compete in the Olympic stage? So far, it has been difficult. But you can imagine star boxers draping their national flags and standing on podium in Rio de Janeiro.

During the International Boxing Association (AIBA) Congress at the Jeju International Convention Center in Seogwipo, Jeju Island, Wednesday, the world governing body of the sport promoted the AIBA Pro Boxing (APB) competition, whose participants will be allowed to retain Olympic eligibility.

To help boxing regain its status, the AIBA on Oct. 24 launched the inaugural competition in Baku, Azerbaijan. APB is a ranking-based competition whose participants are some top-tier boxers of the AIBA's other competitions, such as Mohamed Flissi and Clemente Russo, and a number of selected pro boxers from all around the world.

“The APB is the foundation for boxing heroes and future legends that all young generations will follow and respect,” said AIBA President Wu Ching-kuo, during his presentation before reporters from some 50 countries. More than 1,500 officials from boxing federations worldwide and relevant experts were present.

“For many decades, professional boxing, which was not controlled by AIBA, had been seen as badly managed by those who were exploiting the sport to enrich themselves,” he said. “The AIBA decided to take action and the boxing world will see one of the biggest transformations of our sport in its history with the launch of APB,” he added.

As of 2012, the only sports in which no professionals compete at the Olympics were boxing and wrestling. And the AIBA, the only international boxing body recognized by the IOC, has skirted the ban with the launch of APB, which the body describes as “another opportunity for many good boxers” and the sole way for boxers to pursue professionalism while retaining Olympic eligibility.

However, the move was criticized by the World Boxing Council (WBC), widely considered the sport's leading professional organization, which claimed “all boxers worldwide eligible under current Olympic Games' requirements, regardless of their country of origin or the organization with which they are affiliated, should have the same opportunity to compete at the Olympic Games.”

At the Congress, AIBA Executive Director Kim Ho said that “They (WBC, WBA) are organizations just selling titles,” and urged boxing leaders there to join the AIBA, saying “We will provide as much investment for each country's boxing entities.”

Meanwhile, in the congress, officials of the AIBA made presentations over a number of boxing issues, such as developing a sustainable commercial model for boxing and the effect of not wearing head guards.