Professional boxers are being seriously discouraged from competing at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The International Boxing Federation and the World Boxing Council announced on Monday planned punishments for pro boxers who choose to compete at the Olympics this summer.
This is all a discussion after the International Boxing Association announced it would allow professional boxers to compete at this year's Olympics. The United States announced shortly after it would not change its qualifying for the Olympics that were already underway and punish amateurs.
The IBF has decided it will remove any pro Olympic boxers from its rankings for a year and strip any champions of their titles, citing safety concerns, according to the Associated Press.
"Making this decision was not difficult for us," IBF president Daryl Peoples said. "We felt it was important for the IBF to get involved and take a stance against professional boxers competing against amateurs due to safety concerns, as part of our commitment to this sport is to promote the health and well-being of the boxers."
The WBC plans to impose a two-year ban on fighters competing in the Olympics. Most notable pro boxers have already said they will not compete in the Olympics, including Anthony Joshua, Sergey Kovalev, Gennady Golovkin, Amir Khan, Wladimir Klitschko, Andre Ward and Manny Pacquiao.
It's the smart move for boxers who are already among the top professional ranks. There is nothing to gain in money or fame by competing in the games. It's also smart for the governing bodies of the sport to discourage these guys from stepping into the ring because if one of these champions loses, what do they do with the belt?
They can't just give the amateur their championship for beating them in an event sanctioned differently and held under different rules.
