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From Olympic boxing to professional fighting? PhilBoxing.com Thu, 01 Nov 2012 By Patrick Cusick ? Fight fans who bemoan an ever-growing plethora of boxing organisations, all promoting their own world champions, are scratching their heads wondering why the International Boxing Association (Aiba), the governing body of amateur boxing, is so determined to start its own professional competition in 2013. One may think that Aiba is already too busy looking after its 200 amateur boxing federations and running the Olympic tournament is its main job. Aiba under its current Taiwanese president Ching-Kuo Wu plans to go well wide of the Olympic framework with or without the support of all the world amateur boxing federations. Wu's stated objective is to "revolutionise the world of boxing." He also said that since 2007 Aiba had been on a "mission is to govern boxing worldwide in all forms." I'm sure that the state or government appointed boxing commissions in the United States and Australia as well as the British Boxing Board of Control would find Aiba's mission statement unworkable for professional boxing that requires match-makers, promoters, ranking system and qualified ring officials. Professional boxing is different from amateur boxing in several aspects. Professional fighters use different techniques for power and endurance and the scoring system of pro boxing is vastly different to the controversial "glove touch" scoring method for amateur bouts. Furthermore, it's taken several decades for the boxing organisations to establish rankings for the world's top boxers in 19 weight divisions. In contrast, amateur boxers get to their goal of making the Olympics by winning qualifying bouts. Aiba is under pressure to change its scoring and embrace the standards of the 10-point must system where every fighter starts the round with 10 points and the loser of the rounds has points deducted depending on punching effectiveness and ring skills. A number of Thailand's best boxers have failed to win gold at the Olympics, including Kaew Pongprayoon at the London Games, not for the lack of punching skills and courage, but probably because the Aiba scoring was unclear. If Aiba wants to venture into professional boxing then it needs to act professionally and set an action plan that includes establishing a credible rankings system and the revision of its rules and regulations to include a fairer scoring system. But first Aiba needs to re-establish its collective decision-making that reflects the primary reason for its existence _ to govern amateur bouts worldwide from the grassroots up to the Olympic competition. Aiba's professional ambitions should not distract from its core as the official administration body for international amateur competition. Before embarking on expansion programmes to include professional boxing Aiba should do a full review of its failed computerised scoring systems and come up with a workable timetable to expand amateur contests from four to eight rounds, so that amateur fighters can prepare for their professional careers. And before Aiba gets too carried away with seeking investors' cash for the sale of TV rights for professional competitions, it should first determine weight divisions, ratings and rankings, so that its boxers are qualified to fight for credible titles. Aiba Professional Boxing (APB) has announced plans to introduce three championships _ international, continental and national. Just how boxers will be selected one to 20 for international rankings, 21 to 50 for continental rankings and 50 plus for national rankings in 10 weight categories remains fuzzy and unclear. Boxing is one of the most scrutinised sports, and before Wu embarks on his grand Aiba expansion plan to include professional boxing and the establishment of an elite boxing academy, he should consider very carefully what exactly are the "great development opportunities" he espouses and make sure that they are worthwhile and not a blueprint folly that seeks to dominate all boxing.  |
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