This year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro are the first in which professional boxers are allowed to compete.
Many had their doubts about which (if any) pros would take the plunge, but it seems at least one recognisable name has an eye on a gold medal.
Chris Eubank Jr is set to defend his British middleweight title against Tom Doran on June 25, but his next fight after that could be in Brazil, after he reportedly applied for a place on Team GB.
Chris Eubank Jr has applied to represent the Great Britain Boxing team at the #RioOlympics pic.twitter.com/vp9ajJZOgE
— William Hill (@WilliamHill) June 7, 2016
With talk of a potential meeting with Gennady Golovkin growing, some have suggested the 26-year-old is running from the Kazakh knockout merchant.
The timing of the revelation has surprised some, but plenty have offered theories.
https://twitter.com/JoshRWright1/status/740186504505495552
https://twitter.com/mrolawalek/status/740189818085314560
https://twitter.com/_LiamMcInerney/status/740189677576163328
Eubank Jr’s last fight ended with opponent Nick Blackwell suffering bleeding on the skull and being placed in an induced coma for several days.
As a result, many have questioned the wisdom in allowing the Hove-born fighter to potentially take on amateur opponents in Rio.
https://twitter.com/AshHext/status/740185542168547328
https://twitter.com/Agugrom/status/740186088313114624
It remains to be seen whether a significant number of professional boxers opt to take part in this summer’s Olympics, but former multiple world title holder Manny Pacquiao is among those said to be considering such a move.
The response of the wider boxing community to the changes to Olympic rules has been almost universally negative.
The likes of Carl Frampton and Ricky Hatton have spoken out about the changes, and what it could mean for amateur boxing.
