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104TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 1186

To provide for the safety of journeymen boxers, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MARCH 9, 1995

Mr. OXLEY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee

on Economic and Educational Opportunities, and in addition to the Committee on Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the

Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within

the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

A BILL

To provide for the safety of journeymen boxers, and for

other purposes.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Professional Boxing

5 Safety Act’’.

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

7 For purposes of this Act—

8 (1) the term ‘‘boxer’’ means a person who par9 ticipates in a professional boxing match;
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1 (2) the term ‘‘licensee’’ means an individual

2 who serves as a trainer, second, or cut man for a

3 professional boxer;

4 (3) the term ‘‘manager’’ means a person or

5 business who helps arrange professional boxing

6 matches for a boxer, and who serves as an advisor

7 or representative of a boxer in a professional capac8 ity;

9 (4) the term ‘‘matchmaker’’ means a person or

10 business that proposes, selects, and arranges the

11 boxers to participate in a professional boxing event;

12 (5) the term ‘‘professional boxing match’’

13 means a boxing contest held in the United States be14 tween individuals for compensation or a prize, and

15 does not include any amateur boxing match;

16 (6) the term ‘‘promoter’’ means a person or

17 business that organizes, holds, advertises, or other18 wise conducts a professional boxing match; and

19 (7) the term ‘‘State boxing commission’’ means

20 a State agency with authority to regulate profes21 sional boxing.

22 SEC. 3. PURPOSE.

23 The purposes of this Act are—
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1 (1) to improve and expand the system of safety

2 precautions that protects the welfare of professional

3 boxers; and

4 (2) to assist State boxing commissions to pro5 vide proper oversight for the professional boxing in6 dustry in the United States.

7 SEC. 4. PROFESSIONAL BOXING MATCHES.

8 A professional boxing match may be held in the

9 United States only if—

10 (1)(A) the State where the professional boxing

11 match is to be held has a State boxing commission;

12 or

13 (B) the promoter who seeks to put on a boxing

14 event in a State that does not have a boxing com15 mission has entered into an agreement with the chief

16 administrative officer of a State that has a boxing

17 commission to oversee the match; and

18 (2) the State boxing commission has established

19 procedures to carry out sections 5, 6, and 7.

20 SEC. 5. REGISTRATION.

21 (a) REQUIREMENT.—Each professional boxer shall

22 register with—

23 (1) the State boxing commission of the State in

24 which such boxer resides; or
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1 (2) in the case of a boxer who is a resident of

2 a foreign country, or a State in which there is no

3 State boxing commission, the State boxing commis4 sion of any State that has such a commission.

5 (b) IDENTIFICATION CARD.—

6 (1) ISSUANCE.—A State boxing commission

7 shall issue to each professional boxer who registers

8 in accordance with subsection (a), an identification

9 card that contains—

10 (A) a recent photograph of the boxer;

11 (B) the social security number of the boxer

12 (or, in the case of a foreign boxer, any similar

13 citizen identification number or professional

14 boxer number from the country of residence of

15 the boxer); and

16 (C) the personal identification numbers as17 signed to the boxer by the boxing registries cer18 tified by the Association of Boxing Commis19 sioners.

20 (2) RENEWAL.—Each professional boxer shall

21 renew his or her identification card at least once

22 every 3 years.

23 (3) PRESENTATION.—Each professional boxer

24 shall present his or her identification card to the
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1 State boxing commission not later than the time of

2 the weigh-in for a professional boxing match.

3 (c) RELATION TO STATE LAW.—Nothing in this sec4 tion shall be construed as preventing a State from apply5 ing additional registration requirements.

6 SEC. 6. REVIEW.

7 Each State boxing commission shall establish proce8 dures—

9 (1) to evaluate the professional records of each

10 boxer participating in a boxing match in the State;

11 (2) to ensure that no boxer is permitted to box

12 while under suspension from any State boxing com13 mission due to injury or other medical-related rea14 son, including—

15 (A) a recent knockout, injury, or require16 ment for a medical procedure;

17 (B) failure of a drug test;

18 (C) poor boxing skills, or the inability to

19 safely compete; and

20 (D) the use of false aliases, or falsifying,

21 or attempts to falsify, official identification

22 cards or documents; and

23 (3) to ensure that if such commission is consid24 ering permitting a boxer, promoter, manager, or

25 other licensee to participate in a boxing event while
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1 the individual is under suspension from any State

2 for reasons other than the reasons listed in para3 graph (2), such commission shall notify and consult

4 with the chief administrative officer of the State that

5 ordered the suspension prior to the grant of ap6 proval for such individual to participate in such box7 ing event.

8 SEC. 7. REPORTING.

9 (a) BOXING MATCH RESULTS.—Not later than 48

10 business hours (excluding Saturdays and Sundays) after

11 the conclusion of a professional boxing match, the results

12 of such match shall be reported to the professional boxing

13 registries certified by the Association of Boxing Commis14 sions (ABC) and to the Florida State Athletic Commis15 sion.

16 (b) SUSPENSIONS.—Not later than 48 business hours

17 (excluding Saturdays and Sundays) after a State boxing

18 commission orders the suspension of a boxer, promoter,

19 or manager, such suspension shall be reported to the pro20 fessional boxing registries certified by the Association of

21 Boxing Commissions (ABC) and to the Florida State Ath22 letic Commission.

23 (c) ALTERNATE REPORTING ENTITY.—If the State

24 of Florida ceases, for any reason, to publish and circulate

25 a national suspension list at no cost to other States on
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1 a frequent basis, the Association of Boxing Commissions

2 (ABC) shall select a different public or private entity to

3 voluntarily undertake to compile and circulate a suspen4 sion list to all State commissions at no cost.

5 SEC. 8. ENFORCEMENT.

6 (a) INJUNCTIONS.—Whenever the United States At7 torney in a State has reasonable cause to believe that a

8 person or entity is engaged in a violation of this Act in

9 such State, the United States Attorney may bring a civil

10 action in the appropriate district court of the United

11 States requesting such relief, including a permanent or

12 temporary injunction, restraining order, or other order,

13 against the person or entity, as the United States Attor14 ney determines necessary to restrain the person or entity

15 from continuing to engage in, or to sanction, a profes16 sional boxing match in violation of this Act.

17 (b) CRIMINAL PENALTIES.—

18 (1) MANAGERS, PROMOTERS, MATCHMAKERS,

19 AND LICENSEES.—Each manager, promoter, match20 maker, and licensee who knowingly and willfully vio21 lates any provision of this Act shall be imprisoned

22 for not more than 1 year or fined more than

23 $20,000, or both.
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1 (2) BOXERS.—Any professional boxer who

2 knowingly and willfully violates any provision of this

3 Act shall be fined not more than $1,000.

4 SEC. 9. STUDY.

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Labor shall con6 duct a study on the feasibility and cost of a national pen7 sion system for professional boxers, including potential

8 funding sources.

9 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date

10 of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Labor shall sub11 mit a report to the Congress on the findings of the study

12 conducted pursuant to subsection (a).

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