Rio16: Rule changes moving Olympic boxing closer to pros

By Senabri Silvestre

SANTO DOMINGO, Dom. Rep. (AA) - Rule changes and the inclusion of professional fighters make boxing one of the most anticipated competitions at this summer’s Olympic Games in Rio.

The alterations promise to bring a new level of competitiveness to sweet science that will feature 286 boxers in 13 weight classes -- 10 for male and three for women.

The Cubans are among the favorites because of their historical success at the games in this sport -- the second-winningest country with 67 medals since its first in 1972.

The top spot belongs to the United States with 111 medals and arguably the best pedigree in the sport, producing the likes of legendary fighters such as Floyd Patterson, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar De La Hoya and Andre Ward and of course, Muhammad Ali.

Amateur and professional fighters will battle for medals in tournaments scheduled for Aug. 6-21 at the Riocentro Pavilion 6.

The men's categories range from light flyweight division, 49 kilograms (108 pounds), all the way up to the super heavyweight class, 91 kilos (200 pounds) and above.

Thirty-six women will step into the ring in Rio in three weight classes: flyweight 51 kg (112 pounds), lightweight 60 kg (132 pounds) and middleweight 75 kg (165 pounds). Women first boxed at the London Games in 2012.

For the first time, professional pugilist will be allowed to compete in Olympic boxing since the sport debuted at the 1904 St. Louis games.

Elite pro fighters are not going to Rio although some have expressed interest, such as Manny Pacquiao, who is the only fighter to ever hold championship belts in eight weight divisions. He resigned in May to pursue a career in politics and is now a Philippine senator.

Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson argued that professionals might struggle to keep pace with amateurs in the shorter Olympics bouts.

In Rio, that may not be too much of a problem since most professionals have chosen to skip the games, undoubtedly helped by an announcement by the World Boxing Council (WBC) and the International Boxing Federation (IBF) that threatened a two-year suspension and loss of titles for any pro fighter competing in Rio.

In explaining the move, WBC vice president Alberto Guerra said the potential for injury to amateurs was too great.

Former world champions Ricky Hatton, Julio Cesar Chavez and Larry Holmes agree with Guerra.

Considered one of the greatest heavyweight fighters of all time, Holmes said amateurs are in a different stage of development than professionals and shouldn’t be forced to compete with them. He warned the Olympics committee of being lured by commercial success at the expense of Olympians.

Having experienced professional fighters at the games were pushed by the international Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) in order to give amateurs the same opportunities other Olympic sports have had for years with pros battling amateurs. Thus far, it’s proven to be a hard sell for boxing.

Another controversial change sees male fighters doing away with the headgear that has been used since 1984 at the Los Angeles Games.

It surely moves the event closer to the professional level but the AIBA defends its decision by saying it reduces dangerous head injuries.

Experts who have studied the issue, support the move but acknowledge there would be increased injuries and blood.

One expert at the English Institute of Sport said the head protection can reduce a boxer’s ability to see the immediate surroundings and can lull a fighter into a false sense of security.

Also moving Olympic boxing to closer mimic the pros will be the scoring system, which is no longer based on punch-counting.

Fighters will now be judged on a 10-point must system traditionally used in professional boxing, with final scores of each judge reduced to a single number.

The final scores in the fights will be announced as 3-0 or 2-1.