Earlier this month, the International Boxing Association (AIBA) unanimously passed a historic ruling at their Congress in Lausanne, opening the door for professionals to compete at Rio 2016.

The decision has caused controversy in the sport, with critics arguing that it poses possible safety risks due to mismatches between professional and less experienced fighters.

Femebox has said it "doesn’t support the idea of having professional fighters competing in the amateur Olympics".

It marks notable opposition to AIBA’s ruling given that Mexico has produced more amateur and professional world champions than any other nation.

The country's current star names include Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, the current Ring Magazine and lineal middleweight champion, and Gilberto Ramírez, the current undefeated World Boxing Organization super middleweight champion.

"This is a great step towards the main goal of many people to take great care and to protect boxers's well-being," the World Boxing Council (WBC) said in a statement.

Earlier this month, Femebox President Ricardo Contreras opened the process to allow professional boxers to sign up for the World Series of Boxing/AIBA Pro Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament, scheduled to take place in Vargas in Venezuela from July 3 to 8.

Contreras told ESPN there were only two requests received with just one of the fighters, Marco "Dorado" Reyes, fulfilling the requirements.

Middleweight Reyes then decided to retire his petition at the end of the process, citing the threat of being banned for two years by the WBC as his reason.

On the back of AIBA’s ruling, the WBC warned professional fighters ranked in the top 15 of its ratings face a 24-month suspension.

Contreras supports the idea of allowing professionals to compete in the Olympics, but believes the decision was taken too hastily.

"The announcement was too soon and with just scant time, I am sure that was fundamental in the decision of fighters who were considering participating," he said.

The International Boxing Federation announced earlier this week that they will strip boxers of their titles should they compete at the Games and they could also be removed from their rankings.

Professionals from the United States will not be given the opportunity to compete at Rio 2016 with USA Boxing having already confirmed they would not change its already-selected team.

It is expected that other bodies will adopt the same policy, with GB Boxing having turned down a request from British professional boxer Chris Eubank Jr to compete at the Games earlier this month.