C K Wu: Get ready for a watershed moment in Boxing in London

From July 28 to August 13, 286 boxers from all four corners of the globe will be competing in the world's most historic and prestigious sporting competition – the Olympic Games.  This edition, the XXX Olympiad, will be a watershed moment in the history of the sport of boxing with 36 women boxers being able, for the very first time, to showcase their talent and skills as they battle it out for medals in London.  Boxing has been the last Olympic sport not to have both men and women represented and I am delighted that this will not be the case anymore. The London 2012 Olympic Games will be the culmination of an exciting year of qualifications.  Quota places were up for grabs at eight different tournaments worldwide, with the AIBA World Boxing Championships Baku 2011, five Continental Olympic qualifying events, the AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships Qinhuangdao 2012, without forgetting the gifted boxers who made their mark in the World Series of Boxing (WSB) inaugural season's Individual Championships.  In May 2011, five WSB boxers became the very first athletes to qualify for the London 2012 Olympic Games, a ground-breaking step in the development of AIBA's professional boxing initiatives.  And this is only the beginning.  In 2016, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, AIBA Professional Boxing (APB) boxers will join AIBA Olympic Boxing (AOB) and WSB boxers in competing at the Olympic Games.