The idea of professional boxers fighting in the Olympics has been recently refreshed by Wladimir Klitschko, who has stated on numerous occasions that he is trying to get approved to fight in the next trials and hopefully win a gold medal.
The thought of such an achievement would draw anyone’s attention and the effort to make it a reality, but would it really be fair to the true amateur fighters trying to make a name for themselves by winning a medal and then trying out in the professional ranks?
The North American Boxing Federation President Joseph Dwyer disagrees with the possibility of allowing this proposition to succeed, saying to olympictalk.nbcsports.com:
“In boxing, athletes punch each other and might get hurt if a non-experienced boxer is fighting against a professional. We respectfully but strongly request AIBA not to proceed to his ruling, and the IOC not to accept it for the fatalities that might occur.”
Watching Wladimir Klitschko step inside the ring in the Olympics would be nothing short of a world wide spectacle, but how would his opponent across the ring feel being thrown in against an established, dominant, experienced, world champion.
On one hand it would be the biggest opportunity in a lifetime for whoever is on the other side of the ring, because beating Wladimir in front of the entire world would mean a colossal contract with dollar signs all over it. On the other hand, the chance of such a thing happening is tiny, with a high risk of serious physical damage by being hit by a professionally trained heavyweight.
I agree with Mr. Dwyer, and would urge anyone with the opportunity to speak up on this topic to do the same. Let’s leave the Olympic boxing to the young fighters hoping to jump start their career.
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