International Amateur Boxing - Crossroads.

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Amateur Boxing - Croosroads

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For amateur boxing on an international level, it stands on the crossroads of history.  The decisions that have been made and that will or should be made in the next few years will make or break the sport.

On the positive side we have the case of the inclusion of Women's Boxing in the Olympic Games at London in 2012.  Before that recent announcement came down, there were many groups and individuals campaigning for this historical moment in the history of amateur sports.  England being the birthplace of modern boxing, it is a worthy and significant decision to have the first women boxers from around the globe perform in LONDON.

On the dark side of the amateur boxing tapestry is the officiating at the International level that was very clear at the 2008 Olympic Games with some of the  scoring.  The major problem is some types of blows are not  scored due in part to the computerized system that requires three of five officials to hit the "magic button" within seconds.  There was a time when boxing judges used their experience and eyes to make the necessary call to which boxer had won the round.  Each judge would act according to what he saw and deemed a valid score with the winner of the round getting 20 and the opponent getting 20 or less.  In those days, in a close round, defensive skills and ring movement could effect the round scoring.

However, this scoring system issue is not confined to Olympic action.  On a British boxing web site, there was a story on January 16, 2009 titled "Unfair Scoring System".  It is a story of an official connected to the "Wales Amateur Boxing Association" that threw in the towel at the Euro Championships held in Liverpool citing an "unfair scoring system".  

Although he announced his resignation from the European circuit, he is expected to continue as an official in "Wales Amateur Boxing Association".