The Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) has opened its door to professional boxers.
Al Morris, secretary of the IABA, confirmed that pro boxers can return to the amateur ranks as long as they’ve had only five or fewer pro fights and are registered with an IABA affiliated club.
Welcoming the move, Pat Ryan, President of the IABA, said it was important that Irish amateur boxing allowed pro boxers a way back if the paid game was not for them.
It remains to be seen if any professionals register for the National Elite Men’s and Women’s Championships, which begin on Friday at Dublin’s National Stadium.
The deadline for entries is today, February 1, at 5pm.
Paid fighters were previously banned from amateur boxing.
However, a number of professionals, including ex-WBO World middleweight champion Hassan N’Jikam, qualified for Rio 2016 after the International Boxing Association (AIBA) removed rule 13 J from its constitution in a historic vote at an AIBA Congress in Switzerland last summer.
