By . Matt Blake . Bizarre claims: Hal Adonis hugs Mikaela Mayer after her fight during the U.S. women's boxing Olympic trials in Febuary. Months later he said women boxers were either gay or molested as children . American amateur boxing has been flung into turmoil after the former chief of the sport said all female fighters had to be either child abuse victims or gay. In an interview with The New Yorker magazine over the summer, Hal Adonis, then president of Boxing USA, declared that being abused in early life provides the perfect . foundations for a successful boxing career. During the rant, he made a series of extraordinary claims about women's amateur boxing, including the words: 'Half of our girls have been molested, half of our girls are gay.' He also told the magazine: 'When kids call me up, I say: "Let me ask you an honest question: have . your parents ever hit you?" If they say no, I say: "I don't think you . belong in boxing."' The comments sent shockwaves around the American boxing community forcing the International Boxing Association (AIBA) to step in to demand his immediate dismissal. But while Boxing USA summarily sacked him as its president, a post he held since 2009, it refused the AIBA's request to remove him from its board of members. So in a decisive act of retribution on Wednesday, the AIBA suspended Boxing USA completely forcing the cancellation of all competitions and temporarily revoking the licences of amateur boxing gyms across the country. In a statement it branded his words 'defamatory to the reputation of AIBA, the sport of boxing, women's . boxing in particular, certain minority groups, and inappropriately . associating child abuse with the sport of boxing'. Fightback: USA's Claressa Shields, right, fights Kazakhstan's Marina Volnova, left, during their middleweight 75-kg semifinal boxing clash at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London . But today, the body made an unexpected U-turn and reinstated Boxing USA, stating: 'The athletes across the country were the biggest victims of this . suspension and we wanted to ensure that the mistakes of the . organization's past leadership have as little impact on them as . possible.' The two-year suspension from all amateur boxing activities AIBA placed on Adonis, however, remains in effect. But his comments have continued to . reverberate across the world of amateur boxing since he made them in . June, weeks before the Olympic Games were due to be held in London. Hard fight: American Quanitta Underwood, right, loses out to Great Britain's Natasha Jonas in the Round of 16 Women's Lightweight competition at the London Games 2012. Adonis' comments have continued to reverberate across the world of amateur boxing since he made them in June . He told the magazine's reporter that being his father 'invented child abuse' and used to beat him around the face with his belt. 'When I got on to the streets and got into boxing, I was so used to getting hit it was like, "hey, this is nothing!"' he said. When he trained young boxers, he said: 'Before a fight I'd start . smacking them real hard in the face. Because you feel, in boxing, the . first couple punches. After that, the endorphins kick in and it's like . someone gave you Novocain.'
Hal Adonis was sacked as Boxing USA's president when he said: 'Half of our girls have been molested, half of our girls are gay'
But Boxing USA refused to remove him from its board so International Boxing Association suspended the organisation for three months .
It meant all amateur .
boxing competitions were cancelled and amateur boxing gyms .
temporarily lost licences .
The suspension has now been lifted, 'for the sake of boxers across the U.S.', but Adonis remains banned from amateur boxing for two years .
Adonis: 'If kids tell me they haven't been abused, I say, "I don't think you .
belong in boxing"'
Adonis had been banned from all boxing activities for two years .
By . Matt Blake . Bizarre claims: Hal Adonis hugs Mikaela Mayer after her fight during the U.S. women's boxing Olympic trials in Febuary. Months later he said women boxers were either gay or molested as children . American amateur boxing has been flung into turmoil after the former chief of the sport said all female fighters had to be either child abuse victims or gay. In an interview with The New Yorker magazine over the summer, Hal Adonis, then president of Boxing USA, declared that being abused in early life provides the perfect . foundations for a successful boxing career. During the rant, he made a series of extraordinary claims about women's amateur boxing, including the words: 'Half of our girls have been molested, half of our girls are gay.' He also told the magazine: 'When kids call me up, I say: "Let me ask you an honest question: have . your parents ever hit you?" If they say no, I say: "I don't think you . belong in boxing."' The comments sent shockwaves around the American boxing community forcing the International Boxing Association (AIBA) to step in to demand his immediate dismissal. But while Boxing USA summarily sacked him as its president, a post he held since 2009, it refused the AIBA's request to remove him from its board of members. So in a decisive act of retribution on Wednesday, the AIBA suspended Boxing USA completely forcing the cancellation of all competitions and temporarily revoking the licences of amateur boxing gyms across the country. In a statement it branded his words 'defamatory to the reputation of AIBA, the sport of boxing, women's . boxing in particular, certain minority groups, and inappropriately . associating child abuse with the sport of boxing'. Fightback: USA's Claressa Shields, right, fights Kazakhstan's Marina Volnova, left, during their middleweight 75-kg semifinal boxing clash at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London . But today, the body made an unexpected U-turn and reinstated Boxing USA, stating: 'The athletes across the country were the biggest victims of this . suspension and we wanted to ensure that the mistakes of the . organization's past leadership have as little impact on them as . possible.' The two-year suspension from all amateur boxing activities AIBA placed on Adonis, however, remains in effect. But his comments have continued to . reverberate across the world of amateur boxing since he made them in . June, weeks before the Olympic Games were due to be held in London. Hard fight: American Quanitta Underwood, right, loses out to Great Britain's Natasha Jonas in the Round of 16 Women's Lightweight competition at the London Games 2012. Adonis' comments have continued to reverberate across the world of amateur boxing since he made them in June . He told the magazine's reporter that being his father 'invented child abuse' and used to beat him around the face with his belt. 'When I got on to the streets and got into boxing, I was so used to getting hit it was like, "hey, this is nothing!"' he said. When he trained young boxers, he said: 'Before a fight I'd start . smacking them real hard in the face. Because you feel, in boxing, the . first couple punches. After that, the endorphins kick in and it's like . someone gave you Novocain.'
later he said women boxers were either gay or summer, Hal Adonis, then president of Boxing USA, boxing, including the words: 'Half of our girls have been molested, half of our girls are gay.' say: "I don't think you . belong in boxing."' The boxing community forcing the International Boxing remove him from its board of members. So in a cancellation of all competitions and temporarily revoking the licences of amateur boxing gyms possible.' The two-year suspension from all continued to . reverberate across the world of