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104TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 4167

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

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SEPTEMBER 25, 1996

Mr. WILLIAMS (for himself, Mr. OXLEY, and Mr. MANTON) 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 of 1996’’.

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

7 For purposes of this Act:

8 (1) BOXER.—The term ‘‘boxer’’ means an indi9 vidual who fights in a professional boxing match.
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1 (2) BOXING COMMISSION.—(A) The term ‘‘box2 ing commission’’ means an entity authorized under

3 State law to regulate professional boxing matches.

4 (3) BOXER REGISTRY.—The term ‘‘boxer reg5 istry’’ means any entity certified by the Association

6 of Boxing Commissions for the purposes of main7 taining records and identification of boxers.

8 (4) LICENSEE.—The term ‘‘licensee’’ means an

9 individual who serves as a trainer, second, or cut

10 man for a boxer.

11 (5) MANAGER.—The term ‘‘manager’’ means a

12 person who receives compensation for service as an

13 agent or representative of a boxer.

14 (6) MATCHMAKER.—The term ‘‘matchmaker’’

15 means a person that proposes, selects, and arranges

16 the boxers to participate in a professional boxing

17 match.

18 (7) PHYSICIAN.—The term ‘‘physician’’ means

19 a doctor of medicine legally authorized to practice

20 medicine by the State in which the physician per21 forms such function or action.

22 (8) PROFESSIONAL BOXING MATCH.—The term

23 ‘‘professional boxing match’’ means a boxing contest

24 held in the United States between individuals for fi25 nancial compensation. Such term does not include a
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1 boxing contest that is regulated by an amateur

2 sports organization.

3 (9) PROMOTER.—The term ‘‘promoter’’ means

4 the person primarily responsible for organizing, pro5 moting, and producing a professional boxing match.

6 (10) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of

7 the 50 States, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia,

8 and any territory or possession of the United States.

9 SEC. 3. PURPOSES.

10 The purposes of this Act are—

11 (1) to improve and expand the system of safety

12 precautions that protects the welfare of professional

13 boxers; and

14 (2) to assist State boxing commissions to pro15 vide proper oversight for the professional boxing in16 dustry in the United States.

17 SEC. 4. BOXING MATCHES IN STATES WITHOUT BOXING

18 COMMISSIONS.

19 No person may arrange, promote, organize, produce,

20 or fight in a professional boxing match held in a State

21 that does not have a boxing commission unless the match

22 is supervised by a boxing commission from another State

23 and subject to the most recent version of the recommended

24 regulatory guidelines certified and published by the Asso25 ciation of Boxing Commissions as well as any additional
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1 relevant professional boxing regulations and requirements

2 of such other State.

3 SEC. 5. SAFETY STANDARDS.

4 No person may arrange, promote, organize, produce,

5 or fight in a professional boxing match without meeting

6 each of the following requirements or an alternative re7 quirement in effect under regulations of a boxing commis8 sion that provides equivalent protection of the health and

9 safety of boxers:

10 (1) A physical examination of each boxer by a

11 physician certifying whether or not the boxer is

12 physically fit to safely compete, copies of which must

13 be provided to the boxing commission.

14 (2) Except as otherwise expressly provided

15 under regulation of a boxing commission promul16 gated subsequent to the enactment of this Act, an

17 ambulance or medical personnel with appropriate re18 suscitation equipment continuously present on site.

19 (3) A physician continuously present at ring20 side.

21 (4) Health insurance for each boxer to provide

22 medical coverage for any injuries sustained in the

23 match.
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1 SEC. 6. REGISTRATION.

2 (a) REQUIREMENTS.—Each boxer shall register

3 with—

4 (1) the boxing commission of the State in which

5 such boxer resides; or

6 (2) in the case of a boxer who is a resident of

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

8 boxing commission, the boxing commission of any

9 State that has such a commission.

10 (b) IDENTIFICATION CARD.—

11 (1) ISSUANCE.—A boxing commission shall

12 issue to each professional boxer who registers in ac13 cordance with subsection (a), an identification card

14 that contains each of the following:

15 (A) A recent photograph of the boxer.

16 (B) The social security number of the

17 boxer (or, in the case of a foreign boxer, any

18 similar citizen identification number or profes19 sional boxer number from the country of resi20 dence of the boxer).

21 (C) A personal identification number as22 signed to the boxer by a boxing registry.

23 (2) RENEWAL.—Each professional boxer shall

24 renew his or her identification card at least once

25 every 2 years.
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1 (3) PRESENTATION.—Each professional boxer

2 shall present his or her identification card to the ap3 propriate boxing commission not later than the time

4 of the weigh-in for a professional boxing match.

5 SEC. 7. REVIEW.

6 (a) PROCEDURES.—Each boxing commission shall es7 tablish each of the following procedures:

8 (1) Procedures to evaluate the professional

9 records and physician’s certification of each boxer

10 participating in a professional boxing match in the

11 State, and to deny authorization for a boxer to fight

12 where appropriate.

13 (2) Procedures to ensure that, except as pro14 vided in subsection (b), no boxer is permitted to box

15 while under suspension from any boxing commission

16 due to—

17 (A) a recent knockout or series of consecu18 tive losses;

19 (B) an injury, requirement for a medical

20 procedure, or physician denial of certification;

21 (C) failure of a drug test; or

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

23 or attempting to falsify, official identification

24 cards or documents.
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1 (3) Procedures to review a suspension where

2 appealed by a boxer, including an opportunity for a

3 boxer to present contradictory evidence.

4 (4) Procedures to revoke a suspension where a

5 boxer—

6 (A) was suspended under subparagraph

7 (A) or (B) of paragraph (2) of this subsection,

8 and has furnished further proof of a sufficiently

9 improved medical or physical condition; or

10 (B) furnishes proof under subparagraph

11 (C) or (D) of paragraph (2) that a suspension

12 was not, or is no longer, merited by the facts.

13 (b) SUSPENSION IN ANOTHER STATE.—A boxing

14 commission may allow a boxer who is under suspension

15 in any State to participate in a professional boxing

16 match—

17 (1) for any reason other than those listed in

18 subsection (a) if such commission notifies in writing

19 and consults with the designated official of the sus20 pending State’s boxing commission prior to the

21 grant of approval for such individual to participate

22 in that professional boxing match; or

23 (2) if the boxer appeals to the Association of

24 Boxing Commissions, and the Association of Boxing

25 Commissions determines that the suspension of such
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1 boxer was without sufficient grounds, for an im2 proper purpose, or not related to the health and

3 safety of the boxer or the purposes of this Act.

4 SEC. 8. REPORTING.

5 Not later than 48 business hours after the conclusion

6 of a professional boxing match, the supervising boxing

7 commission shall report the results of such boxing match

8 and any related suspensions to each boxer registry.

9 SEC. 9. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST.

10 No member or employee of a boxing commission, no

11 person who administers or enforces State boxing laws, and

12 no member of the Association of Boxing Commissions may

13 belong to, contract with, or receive any compensation

14 from, any person who sanctions, arranges, or promotes

15 professional boxing matches or who otherwise has a finan16 cial interest in an active boxer currently registered with

17 a boxer registry. For purposes of this section, the term

18 ‘‘compensation’’ does not include funds held in escrow for

19 payment to another person in connection with a profes20 sional boxing match. The prohibition set forth in this sec21 tion shall not apply to any contract entered into, or any

22 reasonable compensation received, by a boxing commission

23 to supervise a professional boxing match in another State

24 as described in section 4.
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1 SEC. 10. ENFORCEMENT.

2 (a) INJUNCTIONS.—Whenever the Attorney General

3 of the United States has reasonable cause to believe that

4 a person is engaged in a violation of this Act, the Attorney

5 General may bring a civil action in the appropriate district

6 court of the United States requesting such relief, including

7 a permanent or temporary injunction, restraining order,

8 or other order, against the person, as the Attorney Gen9 eral determines to be necessary to restrain the person

10 from continuing to engage in, sanction, promote, or other11 wise participate in a professional boxing match in violation

12 of this Act.

13 (b) CRIMINAL PENALTIES.—

14 (1) MANAGERS, PROMOTERS, MATCHMAKERS,

15 AND LICENSEES.—Any manager, promoter, match16 maker, and licensee who knowingly violates, or co17 erces or causes any other person to violate, any pro18 vision of this Act shall, upon conviction, be impris19 oned for not more than 1 year or fined not more

20 than $20,000, or both.

21 (2) CONFLICT OF INTEREST.—Any member or

22 employee of a boxing commission, any person who

23 administers or enforces State boxing laws, and any

24 member of the Association of Boxing Commissions

25 who knowingly violates section 9 of this Act shall,
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1 upon conviction, be imprisoned for not more than 1

2 year or fined not more than $20,000, or both.

3 (3) BOXERS.—Any boxer who knowingly vio4 lates any provision of this Act shall, upon conviction,

5 be fined not more than $1,000.

6 SEC. 11. NOTIFICATION OF SUPERVISING BOXING COMMIS7 SION.

8 Each promoter who intends to hold a professional

9 boxing match in a State that does not have a boxing com10 mission shall, not later than 14 days before the intended

11 date of that match, provide written notification to the su12 pervising boxing commission designated under section 4.

13 Such notification shall contain each of the following:

14 (1) Assurances that, with respect to that pro15 fessional boxing match, all applicable requirements

16 of this Act will be met.

17 (2) The name of any person who, at the time

18 of the submission of the notification—

19 (A) is under suspension from a boxing

20 commission; and

21 (B) will be involved in organizing or par22 ticipating in the event.

23 (3) For any individual listed under paragraph

24 (2), the identity of the boxing commission that is25 sued the suspension described in paragraph (2)(A).
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1 SEC. 12. STUDIES.

2 (a) PENSION.—The Secretary of Labor shall conduct

3 a study on the feasibility and cost of a national pension

4 system for boxers, including potential funding sources.

5 (b) HEALTH, SAFETY, AND EQUIPMENT.—The Sec6 retary of Health and Human Services shall conduct a

7 study to develop recommendations for health, safety, and

8 equipment standards for boxers and for professional box9 ing matches.

10 (c) REPORTS.—Not later than one year after the date

11 of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Labor shall sub12 mit a report to the Congress on the findings of the study

13 conducted pursuant to subsection (a). Not later than 180

14 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary

15 of Health and Human Services shall submit a report to

16 the Congress on the findings of the study conducted pur17 suant to subsection (b).

18 SEC. 13. PROFESSIONAL BOXING MATCHES CONDUCTED ON

19 INDIAN RESERVATIONS.

20 (a) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section, the

21 following definitions shall apply:

22 (1) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian tribe’’

23 has the same meaning as in section 4(e) of the In24 dian Self-Determination and Education Assistance

25 Act (25 U.S.C. 450b(e)).
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1 (2) RESERVATION.—The term ‘‘reservation’’

2 means the geographically defined area over which a

3 tribal organization exercises governmental jurisdic4 tion.

5 (3) TRIBAL ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘‘tribal

6 organization’’ has the same meaning as in section

7 4(l) of the Indian Self-Determination and Education

8 Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b(l)).

9 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other

11 provision of law, a tribal organization of an Indian

12 tribe may, upon the initiative of the tribal organiza13 tion—

14 (A) regulate professional boxing matches

15 held within the reservation under the jurisdic16 tion of that tribal organization; and

17 (B) carry out that regulation or enter into

18 a contract with a boxing commission to carry

19 out that regulation.

20 (2) STANDARDS AND LICENSING.—If a tribal

21 organization regulates professional boxing matches

22 pursuant to paragraph (1), the tribal organization

23 shall, by tribal ordinance or resolution, establish and

24 provide for the implementation of health and safety

25 standards, licensing requirements, and other require-
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1 ments relating to the conduct of professional boxing

2 matches that are at least as restrictive as—

3 (A) the otherwise applicable standards and

4 requirements of a State in which the reserva5 tion is located; or

6 (B) the most recently published version of

7 the recommended regulatory guidelines certified

8 and published by the Association of Boxing

9 Commissions.

10 SEC. 14. RELATIONSHIP WITH STATE LAW.

11 Nothing in this Act shall prohibit a State from adopt12 ing or enforcing supplemental or more stringent laws or

13 regulations not inconsistent with this Act, or criminal,

14 civil, or administrative fines for violations of such laws or

15 regulations.

16 SEC. 15. EFFECTIVE DATE.

17 The provisions of this Act shall take effect on Janu18 ary 1, 1997, except as follows:

19 (1) Section 9 shall not apply to an otherwise

20 authorized boxing commission in the Commonwealth

21 of Virginia until July 1, 1998.

22 (2) Sections 5 through 9 shall take effect on

23 July 1, 1997.

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