PANEL REVIEWS H.R. 1065, THE UNITED STATES BOXING COMMISSION ACT

Washington, Mar 3, 2005 -

 "Last year, this subcommittee was honored by a visit from Muhammad Ali, who testified on the need for additional federal reforms in the sport of boxing and better protections for its athletes," stated Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL), Chairman of the Commerce, Trade & Consumer Protection Subcommittee.  "He told us in no uncertain terms that without further federal reforms, the sport of boxing would be in great danger of becoming irrelevant in the eyes of the public and permanently scarred by years of scandal and corruption."

Continued Stearns, "Past reforms have been relatively successful in policing boxing at the state and tribal level, particularly regarding the health and safety of boxers.  However, the enforcement of these requirements is left to the states and tribal organization creating a patchwork of spotty enforcement and ample opportunity to beat the system and evade regulation."  In response, Stearns has introduced H.R. 1065 to create a new Federal Commission, the United States Boxing Commission (USBC), under the Department of Commerce.

The legislation specifies the following:

* Requires the USBC to promulgate uniform standards for professional boxing, in consultation with the Association of Boxing Commissioners.

* Requires the USBC to oversee all professional boxing matches, except as otherwise determined.

* Requires the USBC to work with the states and tribal organizations to improve the state of professional boxing in the Unites States, including creating new standards.

* Requires that boxers be licensed every four years, and also requires that all managers, promoters, and sanctioning organizations be licensed by the USBC every two years.  This includes giving the USBC the authority to revoke or suspend a license for cause after the opportunity for a hearing.

* Requires the USBC to maintain a unified national computerized registry for collecting, storing, and retrieving information related to professional boxing.

Ron Scott Stevens, Chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission, testified, "A federal bill to protect the general welfare of boxers and to ensure nationwide fairness in the sport of professional boxing is a noble idea whose time has come."  Linda Torres, testifying on behalf of the International Boxing Federation and the World Boxing Association, noted the opposition of the two groups to a new federal agency regulating boxing.  She noted, however, "if Congress does intend to comprehensively regulate the sport of boxing at the federal level, the United States Boxing Commission Act is the best model for accomplishing this task."

"This is a tough bill for a tough sport.  It is also a bill that strikes the right balance between the rights of local authorities to regulate sports activity in their communities and the clear need for uniform federal standards and enforcement for a dangerous and problem-plagued sport," concluded Stearns.