Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-12-19
LOCALIZED boxing for Virginia

" lRGlN1A, in the conservatism for which
II long has been noted. sometimes runs
to extremes. Its legislators, chary. OF the
States moral welfare and its reputation at
home and abroad, seeking TO protect it from
evils under which its sister States have suf-
fored at times have beep overzealoUs, and
instead OF searching for and adopting Il
golden mean have been conservative to ,he
point where they have enacted the bluest of
blue laws.
10: example. there is the law against box
ing. That sport today is perhaps the most
popular and certainly among the cleanest
if not the clcancst OF all Of Americas manly
pastimes. still. Virginia by virtue OF its
statute forbiddng the sport, is barred from
permitting the most innocent contest to be
staged within its borders. There perhaps
was Il large measure Of justification for this
most drastic law when It enacted. 1t
was in the Old days OF brutal prize fighting
when the ring had dcgcnerated to a marked
degree and dsgraccful %pectaclcs were or
common occurrence, that Virginia. TO prntec,
itself, wrote this law its statute books
No middle ground was taken Under the
law as it was written then and as II exists
today, boxing bouts, no matter how clean or
under what auspices they may be staged
are absolutely barred.
Fog several years there has been a grow
ing demand for the recognition of this sport
which has been freed from its old-time OBJ
jectionablc elements. That demand will take
concrete. form at the coming session OF the
General Assembly, and it may be hoped that
the lawmakers will consider il so favorubly
that they Will at least modify -the.Iaw to-
the eNtcnt OF legalzing properly conducted
boxing Followers Of the fstic game and
there are thousands of them in Richmond as
well as throughout the State do not ask
or desire that Virginia be thrown open as a
boxing ground for all corners That of itself
would defeat their purpose. What they de-
sire is that boxing, be cgalzed, but that it
be. hedged about with s:ch safeguards and
requirements as will insure its being main
tained OH high AID clean level That
should be an easy matter. Other States have
done it< and Virginia can do II If it will
or instance, let the number OF boxing
licenses issued be limited and granted only
10 Incorporated or responsible clubs or in
dlfiduals Let the licensee be required to
give bond for the maintenance of cleanly snort
under desirable. conditions, and let that bond
DC SO large that it will insure strict adher-
encc TO every legal requirement. In addi-
ton. let there be state boxing commission
when Will have general supervision over all
contests. and let it be clothed with final
authority: With these safeguards there
would seem to be no reasonable objection
TO- the legalization OF limited round bouts
me boxing game today, to say nothing
Oh the amateurs. including hundreds OF the
returned soldiers, who are devoted TO il
boasts many stars, who are doing much TO
restore it to deserved popular favor. They
are clean-living young athletes, who COM
pare :fayorably with leaders In any other
red-Dlooded sport, and they are far removed
from what an. Older generation properly
scorned as prize fighters. AT present these
desirable. professionals and amuteurs alike
are compelled to shun Virginia because OF
lis nltraconscrvatism. But the war has
done: much towards broadening the popular
vision i'll respect to boxing and the General
Assembly may be brought to view it in n
similar light s.--