AIBA Shrugs Off Tyson Criticism of Rio 2016 Pro Boxing Plans

(ATR) The International Boxing Association plays down Mike Tyson’s criticism as it prepares for next week’s vote on whether to allow professional boxers to compete at the Rio Games.

The former heavyweight champion on Wednesday labelled AIBA’s controversial proposal to get pro boxers into the Rio Olympics as "ridiculous" and "foolish".

On a visit to Beijing to promote the sport, Tyson suggested professional boxers would be surprised by the fast-paced style of amateurs. "If they are like the amateur fighters that I was fighting in the 80s… they are going to beat some of the champions. These guys will be fast for three or four rounds, and these guys are not going to be accustomed to that," he told Reuters.

AIBA president C.K. Wu tells Around the Rings he agrees with Tyson that some pro boxers would be surprised by the speed of the match.

"Tyson knows we are fast and have a lot of matches compared to professional boxers," Wu tells ATR. " There are similar styles, the rules are the same but they way of training for four rounds is different from 12 rounds. Once they meet with us they see fast, strong. That’s why Tyson made these remarks because you can not guarantee you can win. AIBA boxers are very strong."

declined to react to Tyson’s remarks. "We will not respond to any comments made by former boxing champions," the federation’s spokesman William Louis-Marie tells Around the Rings."Our objective is to create the best possible platform for our boxers to thrive upon and offer the entire boxing family opportunities to extend their careers all the way from grass-roots training to life outside the ring."

Tyson is not the first to slam AIBA president C.K. Wu’s controversial proposal, which will be subject to a vote at an extraordinary congress in Lausanne on June 1.

In March, another former heavyweight champion, David Haye, said plans to fast-track pro boxers into the Olympics would seriously endanger fighters’ health and safety. "I think you’re going to get some young kids hurt and you’re definitely going to stunt the growth of these young kids," he told the SportsPro Live conference in London.

At next week's extraordinary congress, Wu hopes the federation’s statutes can be amended to "to permit national federations to register boxers who have been involved in non-AIBA professional boxing matches".

It is the only item on the agenda. Wu is set to put the case for pro boxing’s inclusion in the Olympics. Delegates will have an opportunity to air their views, with discussions likely to focus on implementation of the plans given that Rio 2016 qualification is either finished or well underway. A vote will follow. No press conference is planned but the AIBA president will make himself available to media.

Communications director Louis-Marie told ATR that the AIBA Executive Committee will propose to amend article 13 of the federation’s statutes which states: "National federations and provisional members have the following obligations: to prohibit any person who has competed in any non-AIBA professional boxing match to register as a boxer with the national federation".

"If the outcome is positive, it will be up to the national federations to determine which boxers are eligible to be part of a national team, subject to competition-specific criteria, and to register the best boxers for AIBA competitions," he said.

"AIBA strongly believes that all boxers should be entitled to participate in AIBA competitions once they meet the eligibility criteria and are registered by their national federations."

Asked if any pro boxers had committed to going to Rio Olympics, Louis-Marie said "many professionals" have expressed an interest in participating in the Games. But the decision to register a boxer "is in the hands of the national federations once the eligibility criteria is confirmed".

Eight-time world champion Manny Pacquiao has been personally invited to fight in Rio by the AIBA president. Some World Series of Boxing and AIBA Pro Boxing fighters are already qualified for the Olympics.

In March, the IOC backed AIBA’s plan to scrap the use of headgear in the men’s boxing competition at the Rio Olympics. It will be the first time headgear is not used since the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

Reported by Mark Bisson

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