Boxing aims for calm, cool Olympics after years of drama

FILE - In this Friday, Aug. 31, 2018, file photo, Phillippines' Eumir Felix Marcial, left, and Uzbekistan's Israil Madrimov fight in their men's middleweight boxing semifinal at the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. The International Boxing Association (AIBA) allowed professional boxers into the Olympics for the first time in Rio, but just three competed, and none did well. The COVID-affected qualification process and a general disinterest among top pros means there won't be any household names fighting in Tokyo, either. There are several pros in the field, but most, like Filipino middleweight Eumir Marcial, kept a foot in each boxing world during the pandemic. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)

FILE - In this Monday, Aug. 15, 2016, file photo, Russia's Evgeny Tishchenko, right, fights Kazakhstan's Vassiliy Levit during a men's heavyweight 91-kg final boxing match at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. After a half-decade of turmoil and drama at the highest levels of Olympic boxing, the sport's trip to Tokyo looks as if it could be fairly smooth. At least as smooth as this notoriously chaotic sport ever gets.(AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)

FILE - In this Monday, June 7, 2021, file photo, USA Boxing head coach Billy Walsh takes part in drills during a media day for the team in a gym located in a converted Macy's Department store in Colorado Springs, Colo. After a half-decade of turmoil and drama at the highest levels of Olympic boxing, the sport's trip to Tokyo looks as if it could be fairly smooth. At least as smooth as this notoriously chaotic sport ever gets. “I hope it'll be a situation where we get to see the best boxers rewarded for the best performances,” Walsh said. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

FILE - In this Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2014, file photo, India's M.C. Mary Kom holds the Indian national flag and celebrates her gold medal in the women's flyweight (48-51kg) final boxing match at the 17th Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea. Kom, whose inspirational life story spawned films and books, qualified for a third Olympics. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)