Professional boxers will be able to compete against their amateur brethren at the Rio Olympics after a rule change submitted by the Amateur International Boxing Association was approved at a meeting in Lausanne.

Professional boxers will have the opportunity to compete for an Olympic gold medal after 95% of people during a meeting of Olympic minds voted for the Amateur International Boxing Association’s (AIBA) requested merger of the two divisions.

It’s a decision that hasn’t gone down too well in the professional boxing community. Former world champion Mike Tyson-branded the decision as ‘ridiculous’ and ‘foolish.’ Oscar De La Hoya, who won the top Olympic prize in 1992 calling it his ‘greatest prize’ of his career, said he would never have done so had pros competed in the event. Former world champion Carl Frampton told BBC Sport that the two divisions were different sports stating it would be like ‘badminton versus tennis’.

Not every pro thought it was a bad idea. Former Olympic silver medallist, Amir Khan, told the press from an event in Karachi that he would love to represent Pakistan in a bid to turn his silver medal into gold. And former world champion and partypoker Ambassador Carl Froch believes the playing field will be a level one: ‘I’ve trained and sparred with many top amateurs: honestly they hold their own, all of them.’ Said Froch.