§ 23 — Regulation of conduct of matches or exhibitions

* § 23. Regulation of conduct of matches or exhibitions. 1. No boxing\nor sparring match or exhibition shall be of more than twelve rounds in\nlength, such rounds to be not more than three minutes each; and no boxer\nshall be allowed to participate in more than twelve rounds within\nseventy-two consecutive hours. The commission may in respect to any bout\nor in respect to any class of contestants limit the number of rounds of\na bout within the maximum of twelve rounds. At each boxing or sparring\nmatch or exhibition except where the exhibitions are held solely for\ntraining purposes, there shall be in attendance a duly licensed referee\nwho shall direct and control the same. Before starting such contest the\nreferee shall ascertain from each contestant the name of his chief\nsecond, and shall hold such chief second responsible for the conduct of\nhis assistant seconds during the progress of the contest. The commission\nshall have power in its discretion to declare forfeited any prize,\nremuneration or purse, or any part thereof, belonging to the contestants\nor one of them, or the share thereof of any manager if in its judgment,\nsuch contestant or contestants are not honestly competing or the\ncontestant or manager of a contestant, as the case may be, has committed\nan act in the premises in violation of any rule, order or regulation of\nthe commission. The amount so forfeited shall be paid within forty-eight\nhours to the commission. There shall also be in attendance, except where\nthe exhibitions are held solely for training purposes, three duly\nlicensed judges who shall at the termination of each such boxing or\nsparring match or exhibition render their decision. The winner shall be\ndetermined in accordance with a scoring system prescribed by the\ncommission. Each contestant shall wear, during such contest, gloves\nweighing not less than eight ounces, unless otherwise directed by the\ncommission. Thumbless boxing gloves (or gloves with the thumb section\nlocked, fastened, tied or immovably set to the balance of the glove) of\na type approved by the commission shall be used in all boxing matches or\nexhibitions, provided, however, that this requirement may be waived at\nthe discretion of the commission for championship matches of at least\ntwelve scheduled rounds.\n 2. The commission may by rule, regulation or order, require the\npresence of any medical equipment and personnel at each boxing or\nsparring match or exhibition as is necessary or beneficial for the\nsafety and protection of the contestants; and may also require the\npresence of an ambulance or other apparatus at the site of any such\nmatch or exhibition or the promulgation of an emergency medical plan in\nlieu thereof.\n 3. The commission shall prescribe by rule or regulation the\nresponsibilities of managers, trainers and seconds prior to, during and\nafter a boxing or sparring match or exhibition in order to promote the\nsafety of the contestants at all times.\n 4. The commission shall require by rule or regulation that any\nprofessional boxer licensed under this chapter present to a designated\ncommission official, before each match or exhibition in which he fights\nin this state, a license which shall include but not be limited to the\nfollowing information: (a) the boxer's name, photograph, social security\nnumber, date of birth, and other identifying information; (b) the\nboxer's prior fight history including the dates, location, and decision\nof such fights; (c) the boxer's medical history, relating to any\nphysical condition, medical test or procedure which relates to his\nability to fight, and a record of all medical suspensions.\n 5. The commission shall prescribe by rule or regulation the\nunsportsmanlike practices prohibited in all boxing or sparring matches\nor exhibitions, which shall include the practice of biting.\n * NB Repealed September 1, 2016\n