SONAHR: June 12, 2016 – Vasyl Lomachenko is probably the best fighter ever to sport a record of 6-1 (4 KOs) as a professional. On Friday, he won the WBO super-featherweight (or, if you prefer, junior-lightweight) title via a masterful fifth-round knockout of defending champion Roman (Rocky) Martinez. Martinez, whose record now stands at 29-3-3 (17) is a more-than capable boxer. But Lomachenko made him look like a sparring partner. This is Lomachenko’s second world title, as he went into Friday’s match as the WBO’s featherweight belt-holder.
However, Lomachenko is not some wonder boy who improbably skyrocketed from scratch as a pro. The Ukrainian entered the punch-for-pay ranks in the wake of a storied amateur career, having won two Olympic gold medals. He also won several bouts in the semi-pro World Series of Boxing circuit created by the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA).
As the 2016 Summer Olympic Games approach, there’s a possibility that the AIBA could allow professional pugilists to vie for gold against their amateur counterparts. This is on top of the AIBA’s major changes in amateur boxing’s rules, i.e., the scrapping of the hated computer scoring system in favor of a professional-style 10-point must system, and the elimination of headgear in competition. Over the course of time, these changes should narrow a gap between the professional and amateur versions of the sport that had been widening for more than 20 years.
But does that mean professional world champions like Gennady Golovkin, Canelo Alvarez and Terrence Crawford should be granted the opportunity to go for Olympic gold in addition to their alphabet-organization belts? After all, Olympic sports such as basketball and ice hockey have allowed pros to compete for years now. Michael Jordan and LeBron James have won NBA championships and Olympic gold, and no one has raised an outcry.
As always, though, boxing is different. Even with the AIBA’s rule changes, it will take time for amateur boxers to adjust their strategies to accommodate the transition from the pitty-pat tactics that caught the attention of judges who pressed a computer key when they thought a punch had landed, to the more straightforward style that succeeds in the professional ranks. Yes, amateur legends Lomachenko and Cuba’s Guillermo Rigondeaux won world titles within only a few fights of turning professional. But those two are amazing exceptions rather than the rule. And, by the way, would professional fighters be allowed to enter Olympic qualifying tournaments while at the same time fighting for money in other bouts?
Hockey and basketball players play essentially the same game, whether they’re amateurs or pros. As of now, though, amateur and professional boxers are not punching on the same page. There may be logical reasons to allow professional boxers to compete in the Olympics. But my gut tells me this is a very, very bad idea.
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In my tribute to the late, great Muhammad Ali last week, I wrote that when Ali fought Joe Frazier for the first time on March 8, 1971, the United States Supreme Court had overturned Ali’s conviction for his 1967 refusal to be inducted into the United States Army after he was drafted. That statement was an error on my part. The Supreme Court didn’t clear Ali until after the Frazier fight. Even though Ali had been granted licenses to box in Georgia and New York, he still had his appeal of his draft conviction hanging over his head. Had he won the fight against Frazier, Ali would still have gone to prison if the Supreme Court had decided to uphold his conviction. That turn of events would have created even greater controversy and discord during a volatile time in history.
