With the growing debate as to if professional boxers should be allowed to compete at Olympic Games in the future, one administrator has added his voice to the argument which supports the cause.President of the Guyana Boxing Association Steve Ninvalle has stated categorically that while there are both sides to any argument, athletes and sports must adapt to the ever-growing world of their respective disciplines.
Ninvalle, who in 2014 scored a first for Guyana and the English speaking Caribbean when he was elected to the International Boxing Association (AIBA)executive committee in 2014, has told the world that, “We must learn to accept change. All it says is more competition”
He lent credence to his argument of allowing professional boxers to compete at the Olympics, adding, “I’ve seen, and this is my opinion, I’ve seen we have professional footballers playing at the Olympics, we’ve had professional basketball players at the Olympics when it was an amateur sport.”
He opined that the move will auger well for the sport, continuing, “ It’s all about who can step up to the plate. I’ve heard the argument that people are saying, well how can a Mayweather come back but how can a Mayweather come back and fight a three round fight (as against his usual 12).
“It’s a whole different thing. So it’s not a win win for the professional guys,” Ninvalle continued adding that the deal is not sealed as yet.
“AIBA has called for an extraordinary congress. It is not a done deal, it must be passed at the extra-ordinary congress in Switzerland in June, and so it is not a done deal.”
Professional boxers would be allowed to compete in the Olympic Games in August in Rio de Janeiro, provided this decision is ratified when the proposal would be put to vote.