Boxing fights for reputation at Tokyo Games after Rio controversies

Russia's Vladimir Nikitin was a controversial winner in Rio over Ireland's Michael Conlan

Boxing's credibility is on the line at the Tokyo Olympics after a series of scandals saw its governing body given the boot and judging controversies marred the Rio 2016 Games.

Boxing first featured at the ancient Olympics and later launched the careers of legends such as Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier and Floyd Mayweather, and modern-day champions including Anthony Joshua and Gennady Golovkin.

The IOC subsequently stripped the AIBA of the right to run the event in the Japanese capital after an investigation into alleged serious mismanagement at boxing's badly tainted governing body. A special task force has taken charge instead.

"The task force has done as much as possible to protect the integrity of the sport and to ensure the athletes have a fair field of play to compete in," Morinari Watanabe, its chairman, said on Friday.

Boxing scoring has always aroused controversy at the Olympics, and in Rio it burst to the fore once more when judges surprisingly condemned Irish amateur world champion Michael Conlan to defeat to Russia's badly bloodied Vladimir Nikitin.

In Tokyo, to ensure more transparency, judges' scoring will be shown after each round instead of just at the end of the fight.

"It's one of those things that we should not have to worry about as athletes," he said.

As part of moves to make Olympic boxing more similar to the professional fight game, at Rio pros were allowed to compete for the first time. Only three actually did and they failed to shine.

Britain were also up there with three medals, one of them gold, and the country has big expectations to do even better this time.

"The whole world's good at boxing now," McCracken, who also trains world heavyweight champion Joshua, told BBC podcast "5 Live Boxing with Costello & Bunce".

"Now everybody's good, everyone's full time now, everyone takes it deadly serious and the world's really competitive at boxing."

Kom is a six-time world champion and won bronze at London 2012, but is desperate to sign off with gold.

Bouts take place in the heart of the Japanese capital at the Kokugikan Arena, known as the home of sumo wrestling.

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