Pacquiao denied entry to 2024 Olympics

[Snoop]

https://www.boxingscene.com/pacquiao-den...oc--181550

Personally, I think it was the right call. Pros of Pacquiao's stature and experience shouldn't be allowed to beat up on amateurs like that.

[the ollie reed fan club]

(02-23-2024 12:38 PM)Snoop Wrote:  https://www.boxingscene.com/pacquiao-den...oc--181550

Personally, I think it was the right call. Pros of Pacquiao's stature and experience shouldn't be allowed to beat up on amateurs like that.

This racism. Let Manny fight and stop the genocide!

[Warlord]

Weird. The Olympics are going to allow men to compete against and beat the shit out of women and that’s fair, but letting an old man face off against a young man is totally unacceptable.

Clown world.

[lloyd mayflower]

Manny shouldn't be asking. The Olympics carries a bit of prestige still for the amateurs. He's got no business getting involved.

[Warlord]

(02-28-2024 05:54 PM)lloyd mayflower Wrote:  Manny shouldn't be asking. The Olympics carries a bit of prestige still for the amateurs. He's got no business getting involved.

Does it, though? Every other sport in the Olympics features the absolute best athletes in the world competing. I mean, they aren’t getting high school or college kids to compete in track and field, swimming, or powerlifting. Why should boxing?

I think it would be better for both boxing and the Olympics if they actually had the best in the world competing. The rivalries they build could carry over or spill over into both sports.

[lloyd mayflower]

It would be magnificent if there was a credible rankings system for the pros that led to a proper, you can't avoid anyone round Robin in the Olympics, but it's never going to happen for obvious reasons. I think its a great launchpad into the pro ranks. Plus it affords something winnable for guys who maybe don't want to go pro to put the crown on their amateur careers.

I mean, the Olympics is a long way from perfect and I think a more meaningful debate would be the inclusion of sports where it DOESNT represent the peak in the first place. Football.... Golf.... Tennis..... and yeah even boxing. But at least in Olympic boxing you follow amateur rules which is for me, sufficiently different as still make it a worthwhile exercise.

[Snoop]

(02-28-2024 09:14 PM)Warlord Wrote:  Does it, though? Every other sport in the Olympics features the absolute best athletes in the world competing. I mean, they aren’t getting high school or college kids to compete in track and field, swimming, or powerlifting. Why should boxing?

I think it would be better for both boxing and the Olympics if they actually had the best in the world competing. The rivalries they build could carry over or spill over into both sports.

Boxing can't really be compared to other sports like track & field, swimming or powerlifting for a couple of reasons. First, there doesn't exist the distinction between a "professional" and "amateur" circuit in the other sports that are based off of completely different rules. Amateur and pro boxing are almost different sports.

Second, the objective of boxing is to physically hurt your opponent. Letting seasoned pros like Manny into competition would potentially ruin the crop of upcoming and coming prospects to keep the pro circuit going.

If you wanna say Pac is at a disadvantage because of his age and is accustomed to different fighting rules, that's a valid argument. I still don't think it's worth it given what could potentially happen to the overall future of the sport though.

[Warlord]

(02-29-2024 05:46 PM)Snoop Wrote:  Boxing can't really be compared to other sports like track & field, swimming or powerlifting for a couple of reasons. First, there doesn't exist the distinction between a "professional" and "amateur" circuit in the other sports that are based off of completely different rules. Amateur and pro boxing are almost different sports.

Second, the objective of boxing is to physically hurt your opponent. Letting seasoned pros like Manny into competition would potentially ruin the crop of upcoming and coming prospects to keep the pro circuit going.

If you wanna say Pac is at a disadvantage because of his age and is accustomed to different fighting rules, that's a valid argument. I still don't think it's worth it given what could potentially happen to the overall future of the sport though.

Michael Phelps isn’t a professional swimmer? The NBA athletes playing for the USA aren’t professionals?

I think most, if not all, athletes that compete in the Olympics are professionals, meaning they get paid to do what they do, and make a living doing it.

As for safety and fairness, that went out the window the minute they started pushing for men with cocks and balls to compete against women.

I’m never gonna get onboard with the idea that poor Mike Tyson would’ve really gotten hurt if they’d allowed professionals to fight him at the Olympics. (Just an example, as he never competed.)

The Olympics are supposed to be the best athletes in the world competing against each other. Let anyone and everyone have a shot, and then let the best rise to the top.

[lloyd mayflower]

It's just a bit odd because in some sports, like track and field or as you mentioned, swimming, the Olympics IS the peak. I know the top athletes in various sports will make a bit of scratch, especially from sponsors etc, but if you are a swimmer, your entire career is aimed at the Olympic cycle. For a pro boxer/golfer/footballer etc it's utterly irrelevant really. It's a complete sideshow as it pertains to ironing out who is the best at your sport.

I suppose that's just a product of there being somw sports where people will pay wages and prize money to sign people for their teams, or on to their pro circuits and some where thaymt doesn't really exist in the same way, and so for those sports the Olympics acts as the lightning rod for proving best of the best.

The waters have been so muddied in recent decades by the relentless expansion of the Olympics though... Perhaps we ought to get back to a short sprint, a spear throw and lots and lots of naked wrestling?

[Warlord]

I’d just open it up to all comers and let the cream rise to the top.