Rule change means professional boxers can now compete at Rio Olympics

Jason Quigley, Spike Sullivan, Carl Frampton, Chris Eubank Jr., Willie 'Big Bang' Casey, your time has come.

The AIBA, this morning, announced that professional boxers will be able to throw down with amateurs at the Rio Olympics. The seismic announcement arrives just over two months out from Rio 2016 and with most of the amateur boxers already qualified. There will be some recheduling and serious shoe-horning required. The association revealed that 84 of 88 member federations approved of the change that could see the likes of Quigley, Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Gennady Golovkin mixing it with the cream of the amateur crop. Already, pro boxers such as Wladimir Klitschko and Billy Joe Saunders have expressed an interest in fighting at Rio 2016 but Manny Pacquaio recently declared he would skip the event to focus on his political career in The Philippines. The AIBA decision now means any professional can enter next month's qualifying event in Venezuela. There are a meagre 26 places up for grabs.