BOXING

Considered just a child in the sport boxing, 27-year-old Nigel Paul returned home on Sunday to a rousing applause by all including Minister of Sports Darryl Smith, president of the T&TOC Brian Lewis, family members and other well wishers at the VIP Lounge of the Piarco International Airport, after sealing a place at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro Brazil later this year.

As several leading boxing personalities have stated recently on insidethegames, to consider the likes of Manny Pacquiao being drawn in the Olympics against an up-and-coming youngster - should fully-fledged professionals be allowed in the Games - simply does not make sense.

T&T boxer Nigel Paul received a silver medal after he was beaten in the Super heavyweight final of the AIBA Americas Olympic Boxing Qualifiers in Argentina by Cuba’s Lenier Pero 3-0 yesterday.

Male boxers competing at this year's Olympic Games will not wear headguards for the first time in 36 years after a proposal by the International Boxing Association (AIBA) was approved here today.

Plans to roll-out Olympic boxing to all professional fighters are in line with the sporting spirit of inclusivity, International Boxing Association (AIBA) President CK Wu told insidethegames here today and claimed the risk of injury is not as great as has been claimed by former top fighters like Lennox Lewis.

Lennox Lewis, himself a former Olympic boxing gold medallist, calls it "preposterous". Barry McGuigan, another distinguished ex-Olympian who also became a world champion, condemns it as "crazy".