Amir Khan has joined Wladimir Klitschko in voicing his eagerness to go to Rio next summer if plans are approved for professional boxers to compete in the Olympics.

Perish the thought.

There is something ghoulish about this plot thickening during Halloween weekend.

Amir Khan and Wladimir Klitschko are both keen for professional fighters to box at the Olympics

I say this despite my deep respect for both men and my understanding of how dearly Khan would love to improve on the silver medal he won so valiantly at the Athens Games in 2004.

'There may soon be a decision to admit pros to the Olympics,' says Khan. 'That would be amazing, massive.'

'The chance to win a second gold medal 20 years after the first would be a dream come true,' says Klitschko.

Now listen to the voice of reason.

It belongs to Roy Jones Jnr, who says: 'Imagine your 19-year-old son going to Rio and finding himself in the ring with Wladimir. I say no.'

Jones makes that declaration even though he was blatantly robbed of the gold medal in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul . He landed almost three times as many punches in the final as South Korean local boxer Park Si-hun – 86-32 - but still lost a disgraceful decision.

Roy Jones Jnr 9right) was blatantly robbed of the gold medal in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul

Jones (right) has spoken out against the idea of allowing professional fighters to face amateur ones

He speaks out even though he, like Klitschko, is a veteran still fighting at world championship level.

'The Olympics are for the young and ambitious but once you turn professional boxing becomes your job,' said Jones in Moscow where Vladimir Putin has just granted him Russian citizenship and where will be fighting Enzo Maccarinelli next month, perhaps for the WBA world cruiserweight title.

The prospect of the Khans and Klitschkos of the ring beating up Olympic kids has been raised by the once-amateur International Boxing Association – AIBA – encouraging famous prize-fighters to work with them as they try to expand their role in the sport.

The basis for this rationale is that the professional stars of other sports – the likes of Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic , Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods – are already eligible for the Olympics.

The glaring difference is that in games like tennis and golf they are hitting small balls instead of the heads of opponents and no-one is in danger of being killed.

Jones speaks common sense, even as he pushes his own career beyond the normal age limits in the hope of becoming the first in boxing history to win world titles in every division from middleweight to heavyweight. But the decision to try to complete that set with a cruiserweight belt is his mature decision to make at the age of 46.

Khan (left) has said he would relish the chance to improve on the silver medal he won in 2004

Klitschko (left) has gone on to become the unified heavyweight champion of the world since winning gold

Fully grown world champions battering inexperienced youths is a more dangerous matter altogether.

Yet it could happen, despite the complexities of Olympic qualification.

The Ukraine boxing federation originally indicated it would be unlikely to offer Rio nomination to Klitschko, who won his gold medal at Atlanta 1996.

Now it has told US Olympics TV broadcaster NBC that no decision has been made, as has AIBA.

Klitschko's country of birth has yet to secure a heavyweight spot next summer but will have a last chance to do so at a European tournament at the end of April.

Whether Klitschko might make a pit-stop there after defending all his world heavyweight belts against our own Tyson Fury in Dusseldorf this month, or take over the qualification by a fellow countryman, is unclear.

As is much concerning AIBA's move, including Khan's position despite the enthusiasm he expressed to the Statesman while attending the wedding of Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh to Bollywood star Geeta Basra in Delhi on Sunday.

Khan went on to become a multiple world champion after turning professional

Klitschko takes on Tyson Fury later this month but has backed professionals to be allowed at the Olympics

But Khan and Klitschko were guests at AIBA's world championships in Doha last week, where both are understood to have discussed how they might qualify for Rio.

In Khan's case that would provide significant consolation if he fails to land his spring mega-fight with Manny Pacquiao, for which he says negotiations are still advancing despite the delays and frustrations which had him threatening to pull out of the talks recently.

However, the advent of pros to this particular Olympic ring would change the face of boxing completely and risk discouraging the youngsters who are the future of this hard old game.

Even so, the substantial modern funding of Olympic boxers raises the awkward grounds of prejudice against the full-time professionals if they continue to be excluded.

The majority of nominees for Rio are due to be submitted by all nations on December 4.

Boxing stands at a perilous moment.

Liam Smith is alleged to have forfeited the chance of maybe a lifetime to make a huge impact on global boxing by complicating a deal to fight veteran American legend Sugar Shane Mosley.

As I reported in this column last week, agreement had been reached in principle for Smith to defend his WBO light-middleweight title against former three-division world champion Mosley as the co-feature to Andy Lee's defence of his middleweight belt against Billy Joe Saunders in Manchester on December 19.

Liam Smith won the WBO light-middleweight title by stopping American John Thompson last month

Smith had been in talks to defend his title against Shane Mosley but negotiations broke down

Mosley has pulled out, rightly or wrongly claiming various sudden snags with the contract, notably Smith's demand for an instant rematch in the event of defeat.

Sugar Shane says he agreed to fight in Britain for the first time, for less than his normal purse, because he is already contracted to another bout in the new year.

Smith will go ahead with the first defence of his title against another challenger.

But it is unlikely to be against an opponent who like Mosley can bring him to the attention of the rest of the world, least of all the vital US market.

Callum Smith, widely predicted to become the best of Liverpool's four fighting brothers despite older sibling Liam beating him to a world title, can go some way to fulfilling that expectation this Saturday.

Smith takes on arch-rival Rocky Fielding for the British super-middleweight title.

The Liverpool Echo Arena is likely to ring to its rafters with the roars for a feisty domestic dust-up.

Expect Smith to prevail and move on to greater things – but not without a mighty argument from Fielding.

Smith vs Fielding will be televised live on Sky Sports this Saturday night

Callum Smith takes on Rocky Fielding in a Liverpool derby for the British super-middleweight title