Amir Khan Reveals Desire to Fight for Olympic Boxing Gold Medal

Amir Khan has expressed his desire to fight in the Olympics once again in the wake of the International Boxing Association's (AIBA) decision to allow professional fighters to qualify for the Olympic boxing tournament.

Khan became the youngest British Olympic boxing medalist in 2004, winning the silver medal at the Games in Athens, Greece. When speaking to the Statesman (h/t Edward Chaykovsky of Boxing Scene) he made it clear he would love the idea of having another crack at the Olympics:

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The AIBA wants professional boxers to work with AIBA and they will allow them to go to Olympics. So imagine, I may have a second chance at the Olympics. That will be amazing and massive because everybody wants to go to Olympics.

I have heard that they are changing the rules and this would a great thing because pro boxers want to compete in the Olympics. I think it's very good that they are (thinking of) bringing amateur and professional boxers together because end of the day it's boxing and people want to watch good fights.

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Khan isn't the only professional fighter who is reportedly excited with the rule change, with the likes of Wladimir Klitschko also embracing the idea, per Chaykovsky.

Allowing professional boxers to compete at the Olympics is a decision that could change the sport forever, as the previous system had been in place for decades and had generally worked quite well.

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Young fighters were allowed the opportunity to work their way up and establish themselves as amateurs in the major tournaments, and it's no wonder many of the top fighters today have an Olympic background, including Klitschko, Khan and Gennady Golovkin.

If professional fighters are allowed to compete within AIBA, it could lead to situations where young, inexperienced boxers find themselves in the ring with seasoned veterans, which could be a disaster for their development.

Per Yuri Tarantin of Boxing Scene, Roy Jones Jr. is no fan:

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I don't think this is a good idea. After all, the road to the Olympics is for the young. As a teenager, I wanted to represent my country at the Olympics. When I moved to professional boxing, it became my job. Everything comes in good time. Imagine your 19-year-old son gets sent to the Olympic games, and now he has to fight Wladimir Klitschko. My honest opinion, no [it shouldn't happen].

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On the other hand, adding the best fighters in the world to the pool of talent going to the Olympics could only increase the popularity of the sport, and the politics between different promoters or TV networks that often determine which fighters avoid each other for years would have little to no bearing on the draw for the Olympic tournament, where anyone could face anyone.

Someone like Guillermo Rigondeaux would have the chance to greatly strengthen his resume knowing the likes of Scott Quigg and Carl Frampton don't have any excuse not to fight him should the draw go that way. Right now, that's not the case, per Boxing News 24.

As of now, it's unclear exactly how many professionals will have the opportunity to qualify for the Olympics in 2016. Klitschko is still waiting to learn whether or not he's even eligible to qualify, via NBC Sports' Nick Zaccardi.

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