The sport of boxing is under threat at the moment of being removed from the 2020 Olympics and World Boxing Council president Mauricio Sulaiman is taking action.
It could be argued that the WBC want to take over the running of amateur boxing from the AIBA, if you believe some behind the scenes rumblings that is.
Who’s to say it would be a bad thing, either.
In the IOC’s (International Olympic Committee) opinion recently they have not been pleased with how the sport of boxing at amateur level is being currently ran by the AIBA (Amateur International Boxing Association).
The WBC have started a petition on their website that says “Yes To Boxing In Olympics” which states the following on their website at https://wbcboxing.com/firma-wbc/ (translated into English):
“Boxing is one of the six sports which created the Original Olympics in Athens, along with Pentathlon, Racing, Horseback riding, Chariots racing and Pancracio ( wrestling ).
Boxing is a sport which has been practiced since 1904 in the modern Olympics.
Boxing is an individual sports which provides the opportunity to conquer Olympic glory to individuals of every single country of the world.
Boxing is an honorable sport which has given the world countless glory moments and has seen national heroes rise from Olympic competition to become world ambassadors.
Olympic glory has been the platform for legendary champions such as Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Tiofilo Stevenson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar DelaHoya, Nino Benvenutti, Lennox Lewis, Wladimir Klishtko just to name a few.
The world boxing community unites through this petition to plead the continuation the sport of boxing in the Olympic Games.”
Time will tell what boxing’s fate will be moving forward at amateur level.
The decision lays in the hands of the IOC at this point, in truth.
