Photo: Chris Farina/Top Rank Promotions

Bob Arum blasted amateur boxing officials on Friday for potentially allowing seasoned professionals to face rank amateurs in the Olympics this summer. “The idea that you’ll allow professionals into the Olympics at this short notice is absolutely insane,” Arum said on a conference call. “I mean the idea that Manny Pacquiao would face off against some 17 or 18-year-old kid who has no professional experience is not only stupid, it’s dangerous. These people ought to have their heads examined.”

AIBA president Dr. Ching-Kuo Wu set off a firestorm last month when he said the sport’s governing body plans to allow professional boxers a chance to qualify for the 2016 Games in Rio by implementing rule changes.

Boxers such as Pacquiao and light heavyweight Andre Ward, the last U.S. boxer to win Olympic gold, have expressed interest in exploring the process of fighting in the Olympics.

“I am thinking about it,” Pacquiao said on the conference call on Friday to hype his third fight with Timothy Bradley on April 9 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on HBO PPV. “I’m not saying I’m going to fight and I’m not saying I’m not. I’m not closing the door. I’m thinking about it.”

Professionals in other sports such as basketball are already allowed to compete in the Olympics. But Arum used a version of the argument “you don’t play boxing” to explain why the idea is ridiculous in his mind.

“People say, ‘Well, professionals play basketball in the Olympics,'” said Arum, who celebrated the 50th anniversary of his first boxing promotion on Tuesday in Muhammad Ali’s heavyweight clash with George Chuvalo. “Yeah, that’s true. But basketball- you can dunk over somebody but it’s not a hurt game. In boxing, if you put experienced pros in with rank amateurs, there will be serious health consequences and I don’t understand why this AIBA group is now raising this issue. It makes no sense to me.”

Arum also said on the conference call that Pacquiao’s torn rotator cuff that he said inhibited him in his loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. last May was healed and his right shoulder was at “full strength.” Arum also said there were “approximately 2,000 tickets left” and that he expected a lot of those to be sold the week before the fight.

“So if we don’t sellout we’ll still have at least 14,000 people in the arena on April 9,” he said. “But I’m still optimistic it will all be bought by fight night.” Arum also projected the PPV numbers to exceed 700,000, which may have struck some as being overly optimistic. “I really think we have a shot to go over (700,000),” Arum said.