The World Boxing Council (WBC) has doubled down on its total and categorical opposition to professional boxers being competing in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman announced Tuesday that the WBC, boxing’s largest professional organization, is forwarding a letter to the International Olympic Committee voicing its opposition.
In 1992, a so-called “Dream Team” of professional basketball players from the United States blew everyone off the court to win the Olympic gold medal. But Mauricio Sulaiman stressed that as a contact sport, “You can’t play boxing! This is in the name of the world boxing community. The voice of millions of people, the voice of the world. We cannot take a backward step for commercial or personal motives!
“We ask for clarity about this issue. This is a very real risk and we want to transmit the very real concern that exists.”
The WBC is opposing the Mexican National Boxing Commission, which has invited all former and current Mexican boxing champions to participate in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualifiers.
A petition will also be collected at the WBC’s 57th annual Convention in Cancun, which is being held October 20-26th. The issue will be further discussed there.
Three pros participated in the 2016 Olympics and all were eliminated in the first round.
One would assume that the WBC understands at least the basics about the Olympics but apparently they don’t.
The very purpose of the games is to crown the BEST of each sport and not just the best amateur.
Amateurs can always have their own tournaments, championships, etc. in case they don’t want to compete with pros.
All other representatives of various sports (42 for summer + winter Olympics) are or can be pros. Only boxing and wrestling are complaining about pro participation because they are losing some authority over their athletes.
Stone, it’s really a different sport, the scoring, the rules, the head gear, the amount of rounds. And once they make pros take on the amateurs, someone I.M.O can wind up getting killed and hurt beyond recovery. For once I agree with the WBC, as much as I do not want to. I mean imagine a kid getting in the ring with a Wilder or a Klitschko? These are Fighters that can kill you with one shot. Leave pros out of the Olympics in boxing.
Sorry, Steve – but your arguments make absolutely no sense to me.
Why do you cling on to the false notion that amateurs have to go the Olympics? If they can’t fight pros, they shouldn’t – they should stay out of the games.
The first pro boxers at the last Olympics all lost in the first round already. So, the notion that pros are all monsters and amateurs can’t fight, is another misconception. Loma would have beat any pro in his division – as an amateur or as a pro.
In any case, the Olympics are not for amateurs but the best representatives of each respective sport. What’s so difficult to understand in this regard?
Loma lost though in his second pro fight. So you are wrong he wouldn’t have beaten any pro in his division – as an amateur or pro.
Matt: you may want to learn about the background of the 2nd Loma pro fight before posting something that doesn’t make sense.
The reason of the Olympics is to crown the best in each sport, but the best amateur, not the best professional athlete. That is the reason the athletes are rewarded with medals, not a certain amount of money. Also, the real amateur boxer doesn’t know what is to fight more than 3 rounds, so, a professional boxer used to fight 10 or more, can fight those 3 rounds with a lot more intensity than most amateurs.Another difference is the amount of tricks or dirty tactics learned in the professional field could be bigger than the one on the amateurs. What about an amateur 20 years old kid facing a guy like Spence or Crawford?
The common sense tells us that this is a dangerous unfair idea, something stupid in the all context.
A sanctioning body clown complaining about “commercial ” motives? Give me a break. Even though pros have not done very well in Olympic competition, they should not be denied by sanctioning body buffoons. Professional sports like the NFL, NBA, MLB and the NHL are run by professional executives. Only boxing remains in the dark ages with these “self-appointed” regulators who live off the blood and sweat of boxers through their sanctioning fees and laughable belts.
I firmly agree with Mauricio Sulaiman. He is a good man.
No he’s not. He’s a spoiled and entitled brat like his father. Even worse maybe.
Jonathan must really be Mauricio Sulaiman.
The WBC has had a bad reputation for decades, but this is good that they do not allow pros in the Olympics.
It’s not for them to allow. But they sure do want to have their nose in everything. I’m sure they’ll try to ruins any and all careers that participate in the olympics.
It should be considered beneath the dignity of any pro boxer to descend to the ranks of (mostly) teenage amateurs. It’s also an embarrassment for any sport when pros compete in the historically amateur-only Olympics.
That what you said at the beginning resumed a lot why a professional boxer should stay away from competing with amateurs in the Olympics or any other amateur tournament
Guys, the amateur status of the Olympics is long gone. Today, there are countless pros in the Olympics.
I see both sides to be quite honest. Olympics is for the best athletes in the world to compete. BUT Don’t we already have that in boxing in the WBC, IBF, WBO, and the WBA? If u wanna be the best in the world, climb those rankings. Boxing is boxing and it’s been a time honored tradition to let the Ammy’s compete in the olympics. Last olympics u had a bunch of unknown “pros”. That is why they got beat up. Yes a top amateur can keep up with a top pro, but u cld ruin them before they even start. U wldnt have thrown a 2012 Spence fresh into the pros with with a prime Pacquio or Mayweather world champion would u. Spence cant even fight the best in Crawford right now lol. On the flip side, this could actually put the two together in tryouts to fight without a sanctioning body and of course no pay for what cld be the biggest fight of the year.
I agree with pros not being in the olympics although some arguments has me second guessing myself. But I get a kick at how Sulaiman “TOTALLY” opposes as if he’s some king or god.
Fact is the WBC knows there is no sanctioning fee at the Olympics. Is anybody else tired of professional boxing not putting on the right fights? Alot of these pros would be exposed! The best pros wont show due to money. PROFESSIONAL BOXING IS GARBAGE!!!
Wait, I thought the only thing the WBC totally opposed was a single champion per weight class.
They’ll totally oppose to anything that doesn’t bring in any sanctioning fees for them. I’m sure I’d these pros paid them sanctioning fees, they wouldn’t oppose.
People don´t seem to understand the Olympics has allowed professionals athletes for some 40 years already. And even before the amateur concept was very blurry in most sports as many athletes were state funded or competed for prize money. It´s up to the International Federations to decide who should participate. Obviously they want the best athletes to participate, otherwise who will want to watch? Basketball was one of the last on board when they allowed NBA players in 1992.
You hardly would call Rafael Nadal, Lionel Messi, Neymar, Serena Williams, Usain Bolt, etc amateurs?
In boxing, pros have already been competing against amateurs for a decade almost. First in the WSB, then APB and from 2016 also in international and even national competitions.
The pros haven’t even made an impact in the amateur game until Bakhodyr Jalolov became world champion recently. And Jalolov was knocking out people in world championships long before he turned pro.
Professional world champions like Hassan Ndam Njikam, Amnat Ruanroeng, Jonathan Romero and one Chinese boxer which name I don’t recall, all lost to “amateurs”. Some 20 pro boxers failed to even qualify for the Rio Olympics.
We’re not talking about 17 year old kids going up for fun at the Olympics. Except for a few names most boxers have a long international track record. Otherwise they wouldn’t even be close to qualifying.
Amateurs spar with pros all the time. Of course sparring is different from a bout but so is also a 3×3 min bout under amateur rules with padded 10-12 Oz gloves from a 12 round pro bout under pro rules with small 8-10 Oz gloves.
Sulaiman is only there to protect his business. He has only authority over the WBC. Why would IOC even listen to him.
Thanks for the well-put comment, Ioco.
It will take time for some people to understand the issue, but its a fact that the amateur history of the Olympics is a matter of the past.
Since someone mentioned that athletes get “medals” and “not prize money” at the Olympics: this claim couldn’t be further from the truth. Ask Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps.
The prospect of pros in the Olympics would give any promoter a stroke. I’ve never been a fan of this approach. It’s ALL about selling tickets
Most pro well lose in the Olympic because it’s only 3 x 3 minutes round and pros are used to fighting up to 12 rounds and they’re slow starter. They don’t throw as many punches as Amateur. It will be only a few selected pro that will do well with Olympic style boxing. Those who has high IQ w high volume punching and fast starter will succeed in the Olympic. Boxing will be a hot tickets seller if they can allow pro into the Olympic. I can guaranteed you that 75% of the pro will lose against amateur. Most of you commenting on here have never boxes a day so shut your trap. Olympic should be about the best competing against the best representing their country regardless of Pro or Amateur status.
This seems like a no-brainer. Everyone should want the pros in the olympics. With no promotion and all the other nonsense we as fans would get to watch fights that otherwise may not be possible due to promoters or titles.
The WBC is not relevant. Who cares what they think. They’re just mad they cannot get sanctioning fees from the fights.
Pros should be in the olympics period.