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Philippines, 11 Mar 2026 |
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WBC BAN AWAITS RANKED PRO BOXERS WHO COMPETE IN RIO OLYMPICS By Ronnie Nathanielsz PhilBoxing.com Wed, 18 May 2016  World Boxing Council president Mauricio Sulaiman is cracking down on any ranked pro boxer who competes in the Rio Olympic Games and has ruled that any fighter who violates a rule that bans pros from competing in the Olympics will be banned for two years from being ranked by the WBC or fighting for a world title. Any WBC champion who fights in the Olympics will also be stripped of his title. The WBC action and the widespread criticism of the AIBA plans hatched by its president Dr. Ching Kuo-Wu has prompted Sulaiman to communicate with the International Olympic Committee and advised them of the danger involved with matching professional fighters against young amateurs with no pro experience. The AIBA has for some time now been trying to build its own professional version of boxing, where boxers would retain their Olympic eligibility, through the team tournament league known as World Series of Boxing and AIBA Pro Boxing with Dr. Wu pushing for a change in the AIBA Constitution that would allow pros to compete against promising amateurs beginning with Rio. Sulaiman said "Any boxer under the WBC who goes to Olympics will be banned for two years." The WBC president believes that AIBA is playing with fire by inviting some of the very best in the world, like Wladimir Klitschko, Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan to compete in the Rio Olympics against young fighters with no seasoning to face this level of opponent. In fact the AIBA president met with eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao some months ago in Qatar and offered to seed him to the competition round of the RIO Olympics without having to fight his way through the eliminations. Earlier, Sulaiman who heads the most prestigious professional boxing organization in the world announced that any WBC champions and boxers ranked in the top 15 would be ?immediately expelled.? Sulaiman indicated the WBC reached the decision after analyzing the worldwide opinions of the boxing community, sports members and medical advisers. The WBC statement said ?It is not possible to imagine, much less accept a fight between professional boxers, who already have a physical development and more advanced technical skills, facing young fighters that are just starting this process.? The WBC made it clear that ?Boxing is not a game. There is no scoring with goals or baskets. Rather, it is a contact sport which must be taken seriously. Reasoning must prevail, the function of all bodies must be always to care and regulate the safety and health of boxers.? There have been several champions and former champions who have come out strongly against the AIBA?S moves but the strongest criticism to date has been voiced by Hall of Fame trainer and one of the finest of all-time, Ignacio ?Nacho? Beristain who trained several great fighters including Mexican legend Juan Manuel Marquez who scored a stunning 6th round knockout of Pacquiao in their fourth encounter. He has also handled several Olympic boxers from Mexico. Beristain branded the plan of Dr. Wu ?complete madness? with the scenario ?a recipe for disaster and a project without a future.? Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.  |
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