British professional boxing star Amir Khan tipped off the media that the International Boxing Association (AIBA) is contemplating allowing professional boxers to compete in major amateur events like the Olympics, reports The Hindu.
Khan, who was in India to announce his plan to establish a chain of boxing academies, starting with Mumbai and Delhi, said he would waste no time in grabbing the opportunity if the decision bore fruit. The WBC Silver Welterweight Champion became Britain?s youngest ever Olympic boxing medallist when he captured a sliver at the 2004 Athens Games, aged seventeen.
Currently, AIBA regulations allow professional boxers to compete only in their own amateur tournaments, namely the World Series of Boxing and the AIBA Professional Games. Khan had this to say on the issue: ?AIBA President Mr (Ching-Kuo) Wu is a good friend of mine and I was recently there in Doha for the amateur men?s World Championships on his invitation. I think they are changing the rules soon, that?s what I gathered from Mr Wu while speaking to him, that things will be changing soon.?
