Pro Boxers allowed to compete in the Olympics?

This would be awesome, I really hope it happens(eventually). The Olympics have become more and more of a joke, with the terrible scoring and super extra padding. but actually seeing top boxers compete in the Olympics? awesome.

If Pacquiao really fights for his people and his country like so many claim, this would be the perfect opportunity to prove it! Although like someone else said, he would have to submit to actual Olympic drug testing. Floyd already fought for his country, so I can see him getting a pass on this. Pacquiao would blitz Floyd in the Olympics. But this should never happen. But with football, basketball, tennis and the rest the Olympics have already started this slippery slope. It has become a joke now. This move will be a serious blow to the amateur game and maybe stop the top fighters developing.

how does this work? i mean they are just going to allow pro boxers to compete under amateur rules or what? otherwise it would be difficult to do logistically during the timespan of the olympics. we know pro boxers typically have to recuperate 3 months after each 12 rounder. but i do see high profile boxers competing nevertheless. not pac and floyd, but some other younger prospects most definitely.

That's in 5 years time, They would probably be in their late 30's and Paq doesnt like to be drug tested....

its pointless and will de-value world championship belts and amatuer boxing

I dont like this idea, I dont think ANY current top athletes of their divisions like Wlad,Donaire,Manny,Sergio will ever compete because, whats the point? The scoring system is RETARDED and I doubt they will dress up like a clown with a headpiece and body protectors, they will look like clowns. All the B level scrubs will be licking their chops ready to "win dat derr medal bro" Im sure David Haye is ready to join tho, he will proclaim to be #1 Olympian, he is salvoring at the opportunity

http://www.insidethegames.biz/sports/summer/boxing/13762-new-programme-leaves-olympic-door-open-for-top-professionals-to-compete-at-rio-2016 http://www.insidethegames.biz/images/stories/thumbnails/images-stories-Manny_Pacquiao_with_belt-130x92.jpg August 2 - Floyd Mayweather Junior, Manny Pacquiao (pictured) and Amir Khan could be eligible to compete at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro under radical new plans proposed by International Boxing Association (AIBA) President C K Wu, he has claimed. Wu yesterday unveiled a new programme, entitled AIBA Professional Boxing (APB), to be launched in 2013, which will allow competitors to retain their Olympic eligibility despite boxing professionally. A feature of the competition is that current professional boxers can have their Olympic eligibility restored if they compete in the first season of the APB and the AIBA President, who is also and International Olympic Committee (IOC) member, is confident some of the sport's biggest stars will be tempted to compete in the event because of the lure of Olympic glory. "I hope we can attract the very best professionals out there," Wu told insidethegames. "I don't know definitely if they will compete in AIBA Professional Boxing but I am hopeful they will because the Olympics is something very special and there is no greater prize in sport than the Olympic gold medal. "The door is open to them. "The chance to compete in AIBA Professional Boxing will only be open to current professional boxers for season one though with limited terms and conditions. "After that we will have new stars in place. "But I feel this move towards professionalism is very important for AIBA. "Boxers have always felt that they have instantly had to turn professional after competing at the Olympics. "We want to change that culture, show there is another way and this is now time for the sport to move forward." Mayweather and Pacquiao, who are widely accepted as the best two pound-for-pound boxers on the planet, may well be tempted to compete for gold at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games for differing reasons. Philippine Pacquiao turned professional as a very poor 16-year-old and never got a chance to compete at an Olympics while American Mayweather was left with bronze at the Atlanta 1996 Games after one of the most controversial decisions in the history of amateur boxing. In his Olympic semi-final against Serafim Todorov of Bulgaria, Mayweather pummelled his opponent for the duration of the fight while barely being hit himself but the judges astonishingly gave the decision to the Bulgarian by a 10-9 decision. The US team filed a protest over the Mayweather bout, claiming the judges were intimated by Bulgaria's Emil Jetchev, head of the boxing officials, into favouring Todorov. Mayweather has gone on to become a five-division world champion and one of the greatest boxers of all-time but he has claimed the injustice at the Atlanta 1996 Games still haunts so there is a chance he will want to return to the Olympics to settle an old score and claim the one major prize in the sport that has eluded him. http://www.insidethegames.biz/images/stories/thumbnails/images-stories-Amir_Khan_boxing_at_Athens_2004-550x310.jpg Khan (pictured), meanwhile, first made his name in the 2004 Olympics in Athens when at the age of only 17 he captured the imagination of the British public by reaching the final before being beaten by Cuba's Mario Kindelan. He turned professional shortly after Athens and is now the World Light Welterweight Champion. Meanwhile Wu has stated that despite the move towards professionalism, there is no chance of an overturn on the controversial rule that will see professional trainers being banned from being in their fighters corners at the London 2012 Olympics. The ruling means that Rob McCracken, the performance director for the British Amateur Boxing Association (BABA), will not be allowed in the corner of the GB boxers at the Olympics next year due to his links with WBC super-middleweight world champion Carl Froch. "We must remember that AIBA Professional Boxing comes into place in early 2013 and not before then," said Wu. "We will need over a year to prepare for that transition so there will be no changes to any of the ruling at the London 2012 Olympics. "We have seen a real success with the World Series of Boxing but we will only see the real move from AIBA towards professional boxing after London 2012." Good move or bad? Bit of a kick in the teeth for amateur boxing. Olympics have become a joke, with all the pro-sportmen and women competing in it.

I doubt any of the big pros will compete. $$$$$$$$$$

That would be really cool but I really doubt any big named pros would compete.