The Need for a National Boxing Commission

For as long as boxing has been popular, there has been a “flip side,” with people saying that the sport is dying, or that it should be outlawed. Yet, when one looks at the amount of money that fights such as Mayweather vs de la Hoya, or Pacquiao vs Hatton make, it is obvious that the sport is in no danger of a sudden death. And when a proposed fight, such as Mayweather vs Pacquiao could set financial records for a sporting event, it is unlikely that boxing will be outlawed in the near future.

However, the majority of people in the boxing community in the United States recognize that there is room for improvement in the sport. There are four general topics that come to mind: (1) The need for a high-quality, national boxing commission; (2) The reduced number and quality of boxing magazines, and writers in the sports' sections of newspapers; (3) The diminishing number of boxing gyms/training camps available for young fighters; and (4) The issues relating to weight classes, including the lack of quality and interest in American heavyweight boxers.

We thought it might be interesting to get a discussion going on Fight News Unlimited, about each of these issues. We will start this series by examining some of the potential advantages of having a national boxing commission. In a sense, the idea of a national commission can be viewed as similar to the commissions for sports such as baseball, basketball, and football. The idea of having fifty different state commissions enforcing fifty different sets of rules is ludicrous. Likewise, it would be confusing if there were six or seven “alphabet” commissions holding their own “World Series” or “Super Bowl.”

Neither fighters nor fans benefit from the current state of affairs in boxing that could be addressed by a national commission. Only one interest group does: those who make money off the sport without entering the ring. Now, this does not mean that all promoters and managers are “bad” for the sport. They have a job, and they can not be expected to do it for free, or at a financial loss. But there are a number of high-profile promoters, alphabet commissioners, and managers who are parasites. A national commission could help to put them in check, and by doing so, make boxing a far better sport for fighters and fans alike.

The controversy over drug testing that derailed the proposed Mayweather vs Pacquiao fight is an example of how a national commission could be beneficial. Not only should there be one standard in the United States for this, but the bar should be set high. The Olympic-style testing makes the most sense, for insuring that no individual has an unfair, illegal advantage over another. Because of the incentive to find new and improved ways to cheat, by way of new substances that are intended to go undetected, those standards must be flexible, in order to keep up with advances in pharmacology.

Likewise, the “loaded hand wraps” controversy from the Margarito vs Mosley fight illustrates another area a national commission could be of value. A fighter who is suspended in one state, say California, should not be even considered for a license in another state, such as Texas. One set of rules, where the high standards are respected, is going to discourage those who are prone to cheating.

A single, high standard could also be helpful in reducing the number of mismatches that are all too common in the sport. For example, much in the manner of the current amateur policy, a standardized license could be useful in keeping traveling knockout victims from going state-to-state, to pick up meager pay checks for serving as human punching bags. A fighter who has actually been knocked unconscious should not be allowed to travel to a distant state to fight so soon that it increases the risks to their long-term health.

A national boxing commission should also be large enough to include individuals who can play a central role in assisting retired fighters transition into their new lives outside the ring. There are numerous private, non-profit groups who are involved in this type of work. The national commission should help coordinate these efforts. Recent advances in science have shown, for example, that not only are retired boxers more prone, due to brain chemistry, to substance abuse than the general population, but that the risk of organic brain damage is geometrically increased. In the “Good Old Days,” retired pugs were often called “punch-drunk.” In today's world, alcohol is far from the only drug that is readily available to abuse. The combination of damage from the impact of punches, along with the abuse of a toxic substance such as cocaine, will definitely lead to neurological impairments. Even the casual boxing fan can easily identify some of the tragic results that we have seen as a result of this dynamic. But it is not limited to former high-profile fighters: far too many men who never achieved great success in the ring are suffering today. The boxing community needs to be able to work in a coordinated, unified way to take care of its own.

One of the biggest problems in the sport is incompetent officials. In general, referees tend to do an adequate job. Judges, however, are a different story. Scoring a round in a competitive fight is, of course, largely subjective. No one would want to move towards the nonsense that is the current standard in judging Olympic boxing. And in relatively close fights, there will always be people who view the outcome differently. That alone is not a problem.

However, there are an unfortunate number of judges who are too biased to be allowed to score any boxing matches. Again, even casual boxing fans are aware of this, and it is one reason that our sport has lost the respect of many of these fans. Promoters obviously play a role. At a professional boxing card in upstate New York last summer, not a single fighter from the “home town” corner lost a fight. At least not on the judges' cards. In one fight, a person from the state commission had to immediately over-rule a referee's stopping a fight, and attempting to give the home town favorite a TKO victory after the fighter committed an obvious foul. Officiating will never be perfect, but it should not be disgraceful.

Despite the very real problems associated with boxing, it remains the greatest sport. The anticipation for a Mayweather vs Pacquaio fight provides evidence of this. And while there are no “super fights” on the horizon in the heavyweight division, the sport will provide a large number of very interesting fights in 2010. One of the highlights is definitely the “Super Six” round-robin tournament in the Super Middleweight division. A national commission would attempt to schedule similar events in many of the other weight classes, in order to identify the true champion. Any fighter wanting to be recognized as the real champion would welcome such an opportunity. And what fight fan wouldn't love to see this?

The need is real. The benefits are within reach. And, equally important, the talent is available. Who do we think could be potential commissioners? Several highly qualified people come to mind, among them Oscar de la Hoya, Teddy Atlas, and Thomas Hauser. In regards to individuals who could serve in fighter-advocacy roles, Gerry Cooney and Margaret Goodman stand out. Certainly, other people will be able to identify other highly qualified individuals.

The only people who would be opposed to having the sport address the problems associated with boxing, are those who are presently making large amounts of money by exploiting the fighters and fans. But it's time that they are retired from the sport.

What do you think?

{This article was co-authored by my younger son and I.)

Pumped-up records, "traveling knockout victims", managerial misconduct (Don King....), Brain injury/mental health/substance abuse issues - all these need addressing for sure, and a national commision would be a great start. Could this be broadened somewhat, to include Mixed Martial Arts, as well as professional football and wrestling? Similar issues, if for different reasons.
National Combat Sports Comission has a nice ring to it.
Some other sports need to address similar issues as well. We had to pass the helmet too many times for Ollie Silva and Jan Opperman, who certainly deserved better lives than they ended up with. As well as Lee Roy Yarborough, Wally Pankrantz, and Tim Steele.

and his son did severe damage to the sport. He prefered to promote mismatches -- safe for his fighters -- rather than quality fights. Bob Arum was far more likely to put on serious competative cards. Arum, of course, used to work for US Attorney General Robert Kennedy, and learned a lot about mob control of much of the sport, even in the post-Norris era.

It's almost impossible to click around most nights and not see MMA. But boxing? You've got your Friday Night Fights, a few minor cards on the various sports channels -- and that's about it. All the big-time fights are on pay channels or pay-per-view.

both feature quality boxing. Each has two focuses: the big attractions, and also the young contenders (HBO:Boxing After Dark; Showtime: Shobox). But long gone are the days of Ali on ABC's Wide World of Sports, etc.

In more recent times, USA had Tuesday Night Fights, with Sean O'Grady. That, along with the ESPN FNFs, was good.

Today, one of the things that is too often lacjing is good commentators. Teddy Atlas is, in my opinion, by far the best. But there are more that aren't that good, and a few who are terrible.

Add to that the lack of quality writers, and I believe you have some of the reasons that only "super fights" get much attention among the general sports fans.

the casual boxing fan (i.e. me) isn't going to shell out the big bucks to get them.

They are. I have them because I love the sport. But it makes it difficult for many people, who aren't able or interested in the sport in the way I am. Usually, a few times per month, I have a house-load of friends over to watch the fights.

I've pretty much stopped ordering the PPV cards. With a few people putting in on them, it would be easy enough to get them. But on principle, I prefer not to.

A damn shame. I'm with Kama. Don King really hurt the sport. The demise of US Olympic Boxing sure hasn't helped. Yeah. You may get the must-see championship. But it's rare. Even the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight, if it ever comes to pass, comes with severe baggage now.

that medical tests indicated Ali had neurological damage, but he still pressured The Champ into his last two fights (Holmes & Berbick). He is the very definition of a parasite, a sociopathic one at that.

I think that, if you take away the strong negative feelings that many boxing fans have for Floyd, the vast majority would agree in principle that there should be a level playing field. No performance-enhancing substances, just like no loaded hand wraps. So I think that should he meet Pacquiao, it would be less baggage, and more emotion/controversy. I doubt that anyone who would have bought a ticket, or PPV, in March, would decide to ignore a fight between them in the fall.

The International Olympic Committee worked to destroy international amateur boxing, because so many countries had a strong dislike for the US teams. And it has damaged domestic amateur boxing, as well. Also, the lack of gyms available for young men interested in amateur boxing has done serious damage. Without plenty of good amateur programs, there is not going to be the depth of competition needed to "grow" the professional ranks. Without those amateur programs, we'll continue to see the eastern European fighters filling up the top ranks in the professional divisions.

Sean O'Grady had a knack (like Buddy Baker as a race commentator) of explaining an inside view of the sport neatly, without talking down to the viewer - such as explaining the role of a journeyman like Bigfoot Martin.

I wish that he had stayed with real boxing, rather than hooking up with "toughman" nonsense. I suppose that everyone has to make a living.

I'd think he could be a potential commissioner. My son disagrees, due to the toughman bit.

long time. McCain's relationship with Ali is what opened his eyes.

Great post. I'm all for it.

:thumbsup:

come to mind. As for a commission, which is certainly needed, how do you address the international community? I am assuming most of the major paydays are in Vegas or Atlantic City so most fighters dream about fighting on the big stage in the states but with that said if we have a U.S. based commission does it lose momentum when fights are scheduled outside of U.S. soil? For example the fight that almost took place between Botha/Holyfield. Would it make sense to have individual commissions globally that in turn meet under one global umbrella or is that already part of the problem? I am not sure this is coming out the way I would like it to, does this make sense though? WE can do all we want in the U.S. but why should a pugilist from Britain follows the rules for example. I agree with you I just think that boxing unlike most professional sports has the unique problem and blessing of showcasing the worlds best.

As for the judges if there were a commission how about the idea that they are under review the same way umps in baseball are? With the ability to record games the umps go back and have their calls reviewed and have to have a certain percentage correct. So as you said scoring a close fight is open to debate but if it is close in the ring but outrageous on the cards how about a review of the fight on film and a possible suspension if they are incompetent? Accountability on their end in other words.

In regards to the super fights in the heavyweight division I may be beating a dead horse but I really think it has something to do with superheavys being in the same weight class as a heavyweight. Obviously throughout history there as always been the occasionally freakishly large heavyweight but now days it is the norm, Lewis, the Klitschko's, Valuev to name a few should not be in the ring with a fighter barely over 200 pounds. There is a wide range of conversation available concerning Tyson but one thing I wonder is how different his career would have ended had he not been fighting super heavyweights? They need their own division. I think it would produce more quality in two separate divisions than it ever will as one. With that said let me make the ethnocentric comment that American Heavys are simply more exciting to watch, they are a bit more aggressive in their approach, would you agree? Giant men hiding behind a jab does little to excite the average fan.

Just some thoughts. Great article though, this would be a really great piece for a series in a local newspapers sports section....don't you think?

A US commission couldn't control Europe, Mexico, etc. But it could influence them. The biggest money is still made in the US, and for better or for worse, that is important.

Fights like Botha v Holyfield would still happen in other places. But we should cut down on the circus matches here. And, just as Margarito didn't fight in Mexico while suspended here -- because it would have reduced the possibility to getting a license in the US -- a commission could restrict those who engage in the unacceptable elsewhere from fighting here.

Regarding the weight classes: there are far too many today, except in the heavy weights. There is a need for junior middleweight, and a few others. But some are only a few pounds. Make them "unofficial" weight classes. Something like regional titles .... with that region being those 3 pounds, instead of the NE, and as opposed to an actual world title.

In his day, Iron Mike fought and beat some very big, talented opponents. In his post-prime, he was victimized by being matched with others, including a few not-so-talented fellows. Likewise, a guy like Joe Louis fought huge guys, and in my opinion, would have defeated most/all of today's giants. However, the divisions aren't based upon what the very great fighters would do. Or else, in Henry Armstrong's day, there would have only been 5 weight classes.

It makes sense to have heavyweights be from 205 to 230, and anything more be a new division. If there were lots of quality heavyweights today, it would happen. But the shallow pool has promoters wanting to keep it as it is.