Why professional fighters like Amir Khan should never be allowed to box at the Olympics

The sport's governing body, the International Boxing Association (AIBA), voted on Wednesday to make a rule change allowing professionals to compete in this summer's Games.

However, wildcards would not be handed out to any interested pro boxers and they would have to pursue qualification at a tournament scheduled for Venezuela in July.

This is one of the factors Harrison claims will deter a lot of the big names of the boxing world.

Amir Khan has already stated he is keen to represent Pakistan at the Rio Olympics 12 years after winning a silver medal for GB as a lightweight in Athens at the age of 17.

"It will help boxers and if I am permitted as per rules and from my promoter then I would love to compete for Pakistan," said Khan.

"I will be very happy if I can compete in the Olympics. I want to serve Pakistan."

Harrison, who won gold at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, told BBC Radio 5 live: "When you look at amateur boxing now, the line has been blurred to some degree because you now have amateur boxers boxing without head guards, basically punching for pay with the world sports programme that they are doing.

"So you have this already moving towards the professionals - they are doing five-minute (five three-minute) rounds, the head guards are gone and they are being paid, so what you've got to think about is (the) two sports are very different sports.

"Professional boxing and how you train for a professional boxing contest, 12 rounds, three minutes, and the Olympic cycle where you are fighting maybe four times over 10 days is a totally different sport.

"I think it's more smoke and mirrors from Dr (AIBA president CK) Wu in terms of announcing they can do it because you have to go through a qualifying process to qualify for the Olympics - all of the amateur bodies are a part of that - and it's only two more tournaments.

"One's coming up on June 16 until the 25th and the other one is July 3rd until the 8th, so I just don't think it's plausible that a professional boxer is going to be able to change his training dynamic to go and try and qualify for that tournament.

"They've already said that no boxer is going to be allowed in on a wildcard, like Manny Pacquiao or some of the most high-profile professionals, so how are they really going to train for those tournaments coming up?

"I think it's set the cat amongst the pigeons, we're all talking about it, but the reality is, from an infrastructure point of view it can't be done, it can't be done."

It sounds unlikely in the extreme. You can understand why there has been talk of professionals fighting at the Olympic Games when professional tennis players and golfers are allowed to be in Rio, but boxing is governed by a different set of rules than the fight game. Namely the risk that could be involved in allowing hardened professionals to engage in combat with unheralded amateurs. Unlike tennis or golf, you don't play boxing. it is a serious health risk in the wrong conditions.

This is a wise piece of advice by Britain's latest world champion Tony Bellew, WBC cruiserweight holder, who was scathing in his criticism of the proposal. "I completely disagree with it. It's outlandish and I think it is actually dangerous. Imagine GGG, Gennady Golovkin, the triple middleweight champion, fighting an unknown amateur. That would be dangerous and I disagree with it very, very highly." Golfers and tennis players only suffer battered pride in defeat, not battered bodies.