Men's boxing to take place without headgear in Rio de Janeiro Olympics

For the first time since 1984, male boxers in the upcoming Olympics will compete without headgear, as the International Olympic Committee has officially followed the AIBA's recommendations. Male amateur boxers have competed as such for the past three years.

This rule will not apply to female competitors due to "a relative lack of data on head injuries in the comparatively young sport of female boxing."

Amateur boxing has experienced a considerable overhaul since 2012's disastrous and highly controversial Games, bringing it more in line with the professional game. In addition to the headgear, there's been a move towards the ten-point-must scoring system, which we all know is still ripe for abuse but is infinitely superior to scoring punch-by-punch.

In addition, there have been rumblings of the Games opening their doors to professional fighters, although the nature of the qualifiers mean such a change would likely have little effect on the '16 Olympics.

The Olympics may be a hideously corrupt and economically-devastating crapshoot, but these are steps in the right direction. Hopefully we'll get to see Evaldas Petrauskas smash some fools in a proper fight.