Congress has recognized that boxing is the only major professional sport in
the United States without a central regulatory authority that establishes
and enforces uniform rules, business practices, and ethical standards.
There is no other major professional sport in which the rules and
regulations—and their enforcement—vary so widely. As a result, the sport
has been plagued with reports of permanent and sometimes fatal injuries,
the economic exploitation of boxers, and corruption. The Association of
Boxing Commissions, a 15-year-old nonprofit organization representing 46
state and 8 tribal boxing commissions located throughout the United
States,1
promotes uniform health and safety provisions for professional
boxing, but has no enforcement authority over its members, and its
effectiveness in regulating boxing depends on mutual cooperation.
In 1996, because the states and tribes, which are primarily responsible for
establishing provisions to regulate professional boxing, were not uniformly
protecting the health and safety of professional boxers, Congress enacted
the Professional Boxing Safety Act of 1996. This act established minimum
health and safety standards and licensing provisions, along with
enforcement responsibilities and penalties for violations. In 2000, Congress
amended the 1996 act by passing the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act,
which established provisions to protect boxers from economic exploitation
and to enhance the integrity of the sport.