Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act

For purposes of this chapter, key statutory definitions include:

• Boxer: An individual who fights in a professional boxing match.
• Boxing Commission: An entity authorized under State law to regulate professional boxing matches.
• Boxer Registry: An entity certified by the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) to maintain records and identification.
• Professional Boxing Match: A boxing contest held in the United States between individuals for financial compensation (excluding amateur contests).
• Promoter: The person primarily responsible for organizing, promoting, and producing a match (hotels/casinos are excluded unless no other person is primarily responsible).
• Boxing Service Provider: A promoter, manager, sanctioning body, licensee (trainer, second, cut-man), or matchmaker.
• Sanctioning Organization: An organization that sanctions matches between residents of different States or that are advertised/broadcast in interstate commerce.

The core purposes of this chapter are:

• To improve and expand the system of safety precautions that protects the welfare of professional boxers.
• To assist State boxing commissions in providing proper public oversight for the professional boxing industry in the United States.

No person may arrange, promote, organize, produce, or fight in a professional boxing match held in a State that does not have a boxing commission unless:

• The match is supervised by an active boxing commission from another State, and
• Is subject to the recommended regulatory guidelines published by the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) and requirements of such supervising State.
• If no State commission is available, it must be supervised by an association of boxing commissions to which a majority of States belong.

No professional boxing match may be held without meeting each of the following health and safety requirements:

• A physical examination of each boxer by a physician certifying fitness to safely compete, provided to the commission.
• An ambulance or medical personnel with appropriate resuscitation equipment continuously present on site.
• A physician continuously present at ringside.
• Health insurance for each boxer to cover medical costs for injuries sustained in the match.

Every professional boxer must register with the boxing commission of their home State (or another State if their home State lacks one). Under this registration:

• ID Card Issuance: The commission issues a boxer identification card containing a photograph, Social Security/National ID number, and a personal identification number from the registry.
• Renewal: The card must be renewed at least once every four (4) years.
• Presentation: Boxers must present their ID cards to the supervising boxing commission prior to the weigh-in.
• Health Disclosures: Commissions are encouraged to provide health disclosures regarding the risk and frequency of brain injuries.

Each commission must establish standard procedures to review records, evaluate certifications, and prevent boxers from competing while under suspension from any other state due to:

• Recent knockouts or consecutive losses.
• Unhealed injuries or failure of drug tests.
• Use of false aliases or document falsification.
• Unsportsmanlike conduct or behavior inconsistent with standard rules of boxing.

Strict reporting parameters enforce transparency across jurisdictions:

• Match Results: Supervising commissions must report bout results and medical suspensions to each certified boxer registry within 48 business hours.
• Minimum Contractual Provisions: The Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) is mandated to draft guidelines for minimum contractual terms in bout agreements.

To eliminate unfair restraints of trade in boxing, the act establishes the following contractual restrictions:

• 12-Month Restriction: Coercive contract provisions granting promotional rights between a boxer and promoter as a condition precedent to a match are considered in restraint of trade and unenforceable if they exceed 12 months.
• Mandatory Bouts: Promoters cannot require a boxer to surrender future promotional rights as a condition for competing in a mandatory bout under a sanctioning body's rules.
• Broadcasters: Coercive contract restrictions apply equally to commercial broadcasters requiring exclusive rights.

A central tenet of the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act is the creation of a firewall to prevent exploitability in business practices:

• Regulatory Personnel: Members/employees of boxing commissions or the ABC cannot belong to, contract with, or receive compensation from promoters, sanctioning bodies, or have financial interest in active boxers.
• Firewall Between Promoters & Managers:
  • It is unlawful for a promoter to have a direct or indirect financial interest in the management of a boxer.
  • It is unlawful for a manager to have a direct or indirect financial interest in the promotion of a boxer, or to receive compensation from a promoter (except as outlined in the boxer-manager contract).
• Exception: This firewall applies to matches scheduled for 10 rounds or more and does not prevent a boxer from acting as their own manager or promoter.

Violations of the act are subject to strict criminal and civil penalties:

• Criminal Penalties: Promoters, managers, matchmakers, or licensees who knowingly violate the act face up to 1 year in prison and/or a fine up to $20,000. Active boxers who violate provisions face fines up to $1,000.
• Attorney General Action: The U.S. Attorney General may file civil injunctions in federal court to stop matches or enforce compliance.
• Private Civil Action: Boxers suffering economic injury due to violations of this act may sue in federal court for damages, legal expenses, and attorney fees.
• Relationship to State Law: This act establishes a federal baseline; states may enforce supplemental or more stringent laws that are not inconsistent with these sections.