Former Boxer Lennox Lewis Calls Olympic Professional Plan 'Preposterous'

Former world heavyweight champion and Olympic Gold Medalist Lennox Lewis said the plan to bring professional boxers into the Olympics is "preposterous," according to the BBC. Lewis "was victorious at the Seoul Olympics, representing Canada, before turning professional as a Briton." Lewis said, "I know they are doing it for other sports but I don't think it works with boxing." Int'l Boxing Association (AIBA) President Ching-Kuo Wu said on Wednesday that "he wanted to abolish rules stopping any fighter with 15 or more paid bouts from competing at the Olympics." Lewis, 50, believes that "the safety of inexperienced amateurs could be put in jeopardy by the move." Lewis: "All of a sudden you could have a scenario where someone like [former world heavyweight champion] Wladimir Klitschko, who won Olympic Gold in Atlanta and has so much experience, could go up against a kid of 18 who has had just 10 fights. I don't think it is fair" (BBC, 2/28).