Professionals in the Olympics: Yay or Nay?

[New England]

**** nay

you're going to have grown men with world championship experience against a sport designed to be for young men / kids. amir khan is going to cherry pick his way to a gold medal.


dude won a silver medal in amateur boxing when he was a 17 year old kid. and it's somehow fair for him to come back now as a grown man?

[The Big Dunn]

no. the mere thought of it is disgraceful.

[Szef]

Voted no.

But I'm intrigued by this, I can't help it.

[sicko]

NO! It would be HILARIOUS though if some pros get embarrassed by some some of the younger fighters but this Props in the Olympics especially for a Physical sport like that is a JOKE and Dangerous

[boliodogs]

I am completely against it but it's the rules now. So far most pro boxers seem to be against it too. Only Amir Khan says he wants to compete in the Olympics to date unless I missed some other pro saying they wanted to fight in the Olympics.

[Chrismart]

I like the idea of a pro fighter representing his country. Recognizable names facing eachother while wearing their countries colours. That would be kind of cool if they were all pro.

But as for the olympics? Nah, not for me. Leave to the amateur lads who have dreamed of it for years, had to qualify, and who have put off the temptation of turning pro to have a stab at their dream.

[STREET CLEANER]

It is going to be like the basketball games

[soul_survivor]

The Olympics are ALL PROS except for Boxing & Wrestling now. Either those sports will bring in pros or they won't be in the Olympics at some point. So you are basically voting yes or no if you want boxing in the Olympics with your vote on this topic.

Personally I'm intrigued by the idea of all pros being in the Olympics. I'm not sure how guys like Manny, Khan or Klitschko would do in 3 rounds fights, but I don't think those are the types of guys who'll be doing this more often then not. The guys going for the $50k prize for winning a gold medal are going to be 9-0 guys or 17-2 journeymen & people more along those lines trying to qualify & fight in the Olympics. I actually suspect many notable pros wouldn't even make it to the actual Olympics & would get knocked off by guys more comfortable fighting 4 & 6 rounds who haven't gotten accustomed to warming up a few rounds before they really begin.

There are a lot more sports than just boxing or wrestling that have become professional to a certain degree. In fact Olympic boxing, especially in the UK, is a very professional enterprise. The fighters get a place to stay for free, a place to train, for free and an annual fee while they are part of the GB squad, which makes them earn more than the average Brit. It's a very lucrative business. Not sure about the States which is now decades behind amateur programmes in Europe.

The problem with true professional boxers, guys like Manny, Wlad, Khan etc, is that they are taking part in a form of the sport where physically hurting the opponent is more relevant than tap dancing your way to a points victory. Most modern ams are only just starting to get used to not having head gear and using more body shots.

Imagine a pro ripping shots to the body. That would destroy these am guys who have never experienced that.

[soul_survivor]

I am completely against it but it's the rules now. So far most pro boxers seem to be against it too. Only Amir Khan says he wants to compete in the Olympics to date unless I missed some other pro saying they wanted to fight in the Olympics.

Manny has said he'd think about it. I remember reading something about Wlad a while ago but of course he is busy now.

Other than that, there aren't really any other high profile boxers the media would mention picking up on.

I like the idea of a pro fighter representing his country. Recognizable names facing eachother while wearing their countries colours. That would be kind of cool if they were all pro.

But as for the olympics? Nah, not for me. Leave to the amateur lads who have dreamed of it for years, had to qualify, and who have put off the temptation of turning pro to have a stab at their dream.

I think there probably needs to be more national representation in pro boxing but then again, it's a version of the sport all about money, the biggest bidder and the best contract.

[Eff Pandas]

There are a lot more sports than just boxing or wrestling that have become professional to a certain degree.

Thats what I said. ALL THE SPORTS in the Olympics have pros competing EXCEPT boxing & wrestling bro.

The writing is on the wall. Amateur boxers in the Olympics is coming to an end. This is just the start. And honestly amateur is a bs term cuz everyone in the Olympics is paid already via stipends or more sketchy payment, but more importantly they are all fighting for $50k.

If boxing is still around in the Olympics in 2024 I bet its 100% professional. Anyone wanna bet all their epoints on a bet that'll take 8 years to decide & could be a push after 7 years if boxing gets KO'd from the Olympics lol?