Boxing could be banned from 2020 Olympics due to worries over match-fixing

THE International Olympic Committee could axe boxing from the Tokyo Games over match-fixing concerns.

Its board has also frozen contracts with, and financial payments to, the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA).

The crisis-hit organisation's interim president has been named as a leading criminal by the US Treasury Department.

IOC bigwigs claimed they were "not satisfied" with a report by AIBA about its governance, refereeing and anti-doping issues - demanding a further inquest by April 30.

A statement said: "The IOC reserves the right to review the inclusion of boxing on the programme of the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 and the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020."

AIBA responded by claiming: "This decision is extremely disappointing for AIBA as it hoped the IOC Executive Board would have understood that the processes necessary to implement even more measures require more time."

IOC president Thomas Bach added: "We are still looking into this issue... we want them to [give] a satisfying explanation.

"We are extremely worried about the governance of AIBA."

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AIBA's interim president Gafur Rakhimov has been described as "one of Uzbekistan's leading criminals" by the US Treasury Department, which claims he has links to the heroin trade.

Rakhimov, 66, came to power last month following the abrupt resignation of Italy's Franco Falcinelli.

At the time, he said: "Our message to the IOC and to the world of boxing is that AIBA is turning over a new leaf and we intend to demonstrate our responsibility to all national federations and our commitment to the sport we all love."

Boxing has been contested at every edition of the Games apart from Stockholm in 1912 - because it was banned in Sweden at the time.