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Floyd Mayweather could avenge Olympic loss if rule change letting pros box is approved

Floyd Mayweather, right, battles Bulgarian Serafim Todorov during a semifinal bout at the 1996 Olympics.

Floyd Mayweather, right, battles Bulgarian Serafim Todorov during a semifinal bout at the 1996 Olympics.

(Paul Morse / Los Angeles Times)
By David Wharton
Staff WriterFollow
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Floyd Mayweather Jr. back in the Olympics? Manny Pacquiao going for the gold?

The head of the International Boxing Association said Wednesday that a new proposal could clear the way for professional boxers to compete in the upcoming 2016 Summer Games.

“We want the best boxers to come to the Olympic Games,” AIBA President Ching-Kuo Wu told the Press Association. “It is AIBA’s 70th birthday, and we want something to change — not after four years, but now.”

The AIBA will consider the move at a meeting in Britain this week. Any recommendations would have to be ratified by the federation’s executive commission.

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Wu believes the rules could be modified in time for national boxing federations to select teams for Rio de Janeiro this summer.

Mayweather lost a controversial decision in the semifinals of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. He retired last year.

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David Wharton

David Wharton has filled an array of roles – covering the courts, entertainment, sports and the second Persian Gulf War – since starting as a Los Angeles Times intern in 1982. His work has been honored by organizations such as the Society for Features Journalism and Associated Press Sports Editors and has been anthologized in “Best American Sports Writing.” He has also been nominated for an Emmy and has written two books, including “Conquest,” an inside look at USC football during the Pete Carroll era.

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