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Association

Boxing Commissions

World Title Fight Manual

Est. July 2004

ASSOCIATION OF BOXING COMMISSIONS

WORLD TITLE FIGHT MANUAL

(July, 2004)

I. OFFICIALS

A. Selection

1. The boxing commission in whose jurisdiction a title fight is to take place (“host commission”) shall select the referee and the judges to work a title fight from a list of ring officials who have successfully completed the Officials Certification Course of the Association of Boxing Commissions.

2. In selecting the ring officials for a title fight from the list referenced in ¶1, the host commission may consider selecting those ring officials:

(a) recommended by a sanctioning organization; or

(b) from the same geographic area over which the boxing commission has jurisdiction.

B. Prior to participating in a bout, each referee shall present to the host commission, in a timely manner:

1. the report of a complete physical which has been performed within 60 days of the event in which the referee is to participate; and

2. a letter from the physician who performed the physical stating that the person is physically fit to participate in a bout as a referee.

C. Each official scheduled to participate in a bout shall supply to the host commission, in a timely manner, the official’s:

1. full name;

2. telephone number(s);

3. facsimile number, if any; and

4. e-mail address.

D. If a public announcement is to be made of the officials selected to participate in a bout, such announcement shall be made at the time of the weigh-in.

E. An official scheduled to participate in a bout (including the referee, judges, timekeeper and scorekeeper) shall not ingest any alcoholic beverage, or any other intoxicant, for a 24 hour period prior to the bout.

F. Based upon medical advice, the host commission may direct that each official who will participate in a bout, including those who will be sitting at ringside, receive a gamma globulin booster shot prior to the bout.

II. REIMBURSEMENT OF OFFICIAL’S EXPENSES

A. An official shall make his/her own arrangements for travel to a boxing event.

B. The following expenses of an official shall be the responsibility of the promoter:

1. hotel;^[1]

2. transportation to and from the boxing event;

3. meals [recommended amounts: $11.00-breakfast; $15.00-lunch; $30.00- dinner]; and

4. incidentals directly related to the official performing his/her assignment.

C. An official shall keep accurate records, including original receipts, for all expenses related to the event in which he/she will participate.

D. An official shall present the records of all of his/her expenses related to the event to the host commission.

E. Upon making a copy of the records of expenses submitted by an official, the host commission shall present the same to the promoter for payment.

F. Upon the receipt of the expense records of the official from the host commission, the promoter of the event shall promptly remit a check to the host commission in satisfaction of these expenses; and the host commission, in turn, shall promptly reimburse the official.

III. BOUT AGREEMENTS

A. At a minimum, all bout agreements shall contain:

1. the name of the boxer and the name of his/her opponent;

2. the name of the promoter;

3. the name of the sanctioning organization;

4. the title being contested (using both the weight class and the name of the division);

5. the date, location and time of the event;

6. the date, location and time of the weigh-in;

7. the full amount of compensation that is to be paid to the boxer and the full amount of compensation that is to be paid to his/her opponent (including cash, a percentage of ticket sales, a percentage of pay-per-view receipts, and any other compensation the boxer is to receive in exchange for his/her participation in the bout);

8. the expenses, and the dollar amounts of each, which the promoter will pay on behalf of the boxer in addition to the compensation referenced in No. 8, above; and

9. all charges, fees, and expenses, including the specific dollar amounts of each, which will be deducted from the amount of compensation referenced in No. 7, above.

B. A copy of the bout agreement between the boxer and the promoter, together with a copy of the bout agreement between the boxer’s opponent and the promoter, shall be provided to the host commission, as well as to the boxer and his opponent prior to the weigh-in.

IV. WEIGH-IN PROCEDURE

A. The host commission shall establish the time and place for the weigh-in.

B. Except for exceptional circumstances as determined by the host commission, the time for the weigh-in shall be not more than 24, nor less than 12, hours prior to the start of the event.

C. Both of the boxers participating in the bout shall:

1. arrive at the weigh-in on time; and

2. be prepared to weigh-in.

D. The scale used for the weigh-in shall be:

1. certified by a weights and measure company approved by the host commission;

2. in an isolated and secured area; and

3. under the control of the host commission.

E. All individuals shall remain at least 10 feet outside the perimeter of the weigh-in scale except:

1. the boxers and their trainers;

2. officials of the host commission; and

3. the sanctioning organization’s supervisor.

F. The selection of being the first or second boxer to be weighed at the weigh-in shall be made by:

1. the current champion of the sanctioning organization;

2. the highest ranked boxer of the sanctioning organization if the title is vacant;

3. a coin flip if the bout is between two champions from different sanctioning organizations for a unified title (the first in alphabetical order shall have the option of “calling” the coin flip).

G. At the weigh-in, if a boxer is found to be over the weight limit for the bout, the boxer shall be allowed up to 2 hours to lose up to 3 pounds.

V. OFFICIAL RULES MEETING

(See Attachment A - Uniform Championship Rules)

A. An official rules meeting shall take place shortly after the official weigh-in.

B. The host commission shall properly notify each of the boxers and the boxers’ trainers of the date, time and precise location that the official rules meeting will take place.

C. Each boxer or his/her representative shall be present for the official rules meeting. The failure of a boxer or his/her representative to be present for the official rules meeting shall result in a fine in an amount equal to 1% of the purse monies to be earned by the offending boxer for that bout; and the fine shall be donated to the Professional Boxers’ Assistant Fund.

D. The official rules meeting shall be conducted by the executive director of the host commission, or an appropriate person designated by the executive director, with input from the sanctioning organization supervisor.

E. During the official rules meeting, the executive director or the host commission, or his/her designated representative shall:

1. explain the Unified Championship Rules and answer any questions regarding an interpretation of these Rules;

2. remind each boxer or his/her representative that only four (4) cornermen are allowed in the corner, and only one (1) cornerman is allowed inside the ropes, between rounds;

3. Remind each boxer or his/her representative of the time they are required to report to the venue prior to their bout.

VI. SELECTION OF GLOVES

A. The promoter of the event shall provide new gloves for each boxer in the bout.

B. Each boxer shall use the same brand and color of gloves during the bout.

C. Boxers who weigh 147 pounds or less shall use eight (8) ounce gloves; and boxers who weigh more than 147 pounds shall use ten (10) ounce gloves.

D. Prior to the Official Rules Meeting, each boxer, or his/her representative, shall inform the executive director of the host commission as to the boxer’s preferred brand and color of gloves.

E. If the two boxers cannot agree on the brand and color of gloves, the executive director of the host commission shall make the determination.

F. At the conclusion of the official rules meeting, the executive director of the host commission, or his/her representative, shall announce the brand and color of the gloves to be worn by the boxers during the bout.

G. Upon the determination of the brand and color of gloves to be used by the boxers during the bout, the selection of the actual gloves to be worn during the bout shall first be made by:

1. the current champion of the sanctioning organization;

2. the highest ranked boxer of the sanctioning organization if the title is vacant; and

H. Following the completion of the selection of gloves as described in §VI (G), the same process shall be used in the selection of alternative gloves to be used in the event of damage to the originally selected gloves.

I. Upon the selection of the gloves, the executive director of the host commission shall impound the gloves and keep them in a secure location until the gloves are put on by the boxers.

VII. CREDENTIALS

A. All credentials shall be color coded to designate the:

1. contestants;

2. seconds;

3. promoter and his/her representatives;

4. sanctioning organization representatives;

5. members of the host commission and their representatives;

6. ring officials (judges, referees, inspectors, timekeeper, scorekeeper, ring-side physicians, medical personnel);

7. television production personnel;

8. media - television

9. media - newspaper

10. media - radio

11. security personnel (as identified by the Chief of Security).

B. Credentials for entering the ring.

1. Specially coded credentials shall be provided to those who are authorized to enter the ring.

2. No one shall be allowed to enter the ring in the absence of the specially coded credentials.

3. A person entering the ring in the absence of the specially coded credentials shall be subject to arrest and prosecution in the discretion of the host commission.

C. The promoter shall provide the host commission with a list of those individuals who are to receive credentials and the role of each.

D. Issuance of Credentials

1. For those attending the weigh-in, credentials may be issued at that time.

2. For those not attending the weigh-in, credentials may be obtained at the venue on the day of the bout at a time and location determined by the promoter and/or the venue management.

3. Each person who is to receive credentials shall personally obtain the credentials, and, at the time of issuance, produce a picture identification verifying that person’s identity.

4. A person found to have transferred his/her credentials to another immediately shall be removed from the venue and is subject to arrest and prosecution in the discretion of the host commission.

E. No person is authorized to enter the dressing room of either boxer in the absence of the proper credentials.

VIII. ENTERING THE RING

A. The boxers shall enter the ring in the order selected by:

1. the current champion of the sanctioning organization;

2. the highest ranked boxer of the sanctioning organization if the title is vacant;

B. A boxer shall enter the ring within five minutes from the time he/she leaves the dressing room (inclusive of music, pyrotechnics or any other fanfare attendant to the boxer’s entry into the ring).

IX. SEATING OF OFFICIALS AT RINGSIDE

A. There shall be a barricade between the ringside tables at which officials and others are seated and the seated area for the general public which shall consist of rope, a see-through fence or other objects which function in a similar manner.

B. There shall be security personnel at each corner of the barricade.

C. All persons entering the ringside area shall have proper credentials.

D. The host commission shall have sole authority over the ringside area.

E. The host commission shall provide seating at the ringside tables for:

1. members of the host commission and appropriate representatives;

2. physicians;

3. judges (including a “knock-down” judge);

4. timekeeper;

5. scorekeeper;

6. sanctioning organization officials (as room is available).

F. Physicians shall be seated as close as possible to the corners where the boxers sit between rounds.

G. Although emergency personnel do not have to be seated at ringside, the host commission shall ensure that emergency personnel have a clear path to the ring.

H. Judges shall be seated:

1. half way between the ring posts on three (3) sides of the ring;

2. with an unobstructed view; and

3. if possible, in an elevated chair.

I. No one seated at ringside shall possess or consume any alcoholic beverage.

X. PRIOR TO, AND DURING, THE BOUT

A. Meeting with the supervisor of the security staff.

1. Not less than two (2) hours before the first bout of a boxing show of which a world title bout is a part, the host commission or its executive director shall meet with the supervisor of security to fully discuss all matters of security attendant to the world title bout including:

a. ringside security;

b. dressing room security;

c. security from the dressing room to ringside;

d. credentials; and

e. post-bout security in the ring and in the dressing rooms.

2. The host commission and its executive director shall make themselves known to the supervisor of security.

B. Prior to the bout, the referee, the host commissioner-in-charge (or a representative of the host commission) and the sanctioning organization supervisor should report to each boxer’s dressing room for any final instructions and to resolve any final questions.

C. At all times, the referee shall be aware of the ringside location of the:

1. physicians;

2. timekeeper; and

3. knock-down judge.

D. Title belt.

1. Prior to the bout, the referee shall take possession of the sanctioning organization’s title belt and present it to the sanctioning organization supervisor in charge.

2. At the conclusion of the bout, following the announcement of the result by the ring announcer, the sanctioning organization supervisor in charge shall award the belt to the winner.

E. Scorecards.

1. Between rounds, the referee shall collect the scorecards from each of the three (3) judges and present these scorecards to the host commissioner in charge or the official scorekeeper.

2. The host commissioner in charge or the official scorekeeper shall tally the score by rounds on a score sheet approved by the host commission.

3. The sanctioning organization supervisor may keep score on a separate score by:

a. being seated next to the host commissioner in charge or the official scorekeeper; and

b. observing the scorecards upon their presentation to the host commissioner in charge or the official scorekeeper by the referee.

F. The scorecards and the score sheet shall be maintained by host commission following the bout.

XI. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES

(See Attachment B - sample financial disclosure forms)

The following financial disclosures shall be made in a timely manner:

A. The sanctioning organization to the host commission, as required by 15 USC §6307d.;

3. the chief law enforcement officer for the jurisdiction in which the bout is held, if requested, as required by 15 USC §6307e.(c); and

C. The judges and the referee to the host commission, as required by 15 USC §6307f.

1. Each Championship contest will be scheduled for twelve (12) rounds, of three (3)

2. Referee is the sole arbiter of a bout and is the only individual authorized to stop a contest.

5. Mandatory Eight (8) Count after knockdowns will be standard procedure in all bouts.

6. All professional boxers are required to wear a mouthpiece during competition. The round cannot begin without the mouthpiece. If the mouthpiece is dislodged during competition, the referee will call time and have the mouthpiece replaced at the first opportune moment, without interfering with the immediate action. Points may be deducted by the referee if he feels the mouthpiece is being purposely spit out.

9. A boxer shall receive a twenty (20) second count if boxer is knocked out of the ring and onto the floor. The boxer is to be unassisted by his seconds. If assisted by his seconds, boxer shall be disqualified by the referee.

10. A boxer who has been knocked down cannot be saved by the bell in any round.

11. If a boxer sustains an injury from a fair blow and the injury is severe enough to terminate the bout, the injured boxer will lose by TKO.

1. If an intentional foul causes an injury, and the injury is severe enough to terminate the bout immediately, the boxer causing the injury shall lose by disqualification.

2. If an intentional foul causes an injury and the bout is allowed to continue, the referee will notify the authorities and deduct (2) points from the boxer who caused the foul. Point deductions for intentional fouls will be mandatory.

3. If an intentional foul causes an injury and the injury results in the bout being stopped in a latter round, the injured boxer will win by TECHNICAL DECISION if he is ahead on the score cards or the bout will result in a TECHNICAL DRAW if the injured boxer is behind or even on the score cards.

4. If boxer injures himself while attempting to intentionally foul his opponent, the referee will not take any action in his favor, and this injury will be the same as one produced by a fair blow.

5. If the referee feels that a boxer has conducted himself in an unsportsman-like manner he may stop the bout and disqualify the boxer.

1. If an accidental foul causes an injury severe enough for the referee to stop the bout immediately, the bout will result in a NO DECISION if stopped before four (4) completed rounds. Four (4) rounds are complete when the bell rings signifying the end of the fourth round.

2. If an accidental foul causes an injury severe for the referee to stop the bout immediately, after four (4) rounds have occurred, the bout will result in a TECHNICAL DECISION, awarded to the boxer who is ahead on the score cards at the time the bout is stopped.

a. Partial or incomplete rounds will be scored. If no action has occurred, the round should be scored as an even round. This is at the discretion of the judges.

13. A fighter who is hit with an accidental low blow must continue after a reasonable amount of time but no more than five (5) minutes or he will lose the fight.

Required Disclosures by a Sanctioning Organization to the (name of boxing commission)

As a representative of the above named Sanctioning Organization I here by affirm that the following represents all charges, fees and costs that our sanctioning organization will assess on the following boxers:

I also hereby affirm that the following monies represent all payments, benefits, complimentary benefits, and fees that the above named Sanctioning Organization received for its affiliation with the above event from the Promoter, host of the event and all other sources.

The undersigned hereby affirms that the statements made herein are true and correct to the best of my information, knowledge and belief.

As the promoter of the above event I hereby affirm that the following has been provided to the Host Commission in charge of regulating the above event:

A copy of any and all agreements in writing that I as the promoter have with any boxer participating in the match, and that there are no other agreements, written or oral between myself or the boxer with respect to the above named event. This shall include any reduction in a boxer’s purse that is contrary to any previous agreement between the boxer and myself.

As the promoter of the above event I also hereby affirm that the following represents all charges, fees and expenses that I will assess, including any training expenses, on the following boxers and any portion of the boxers purse that I will receive:

I also hereby affirm that the following monies represent all payments, gifts, or benefits that I as the promoter am providing to any sanctioning organization affiliated with the above named event.

The undersigned hereby affirms that the statements made herein are true and correct to the best of my information, knowledge and belief and are made subject to the penalties prescribed for perjury.

This is disclosed only to boxers that the promoter has a promotional contract with – this does not have to be disclosed to the (name of commission). Each boxer would only see his own disclosure. Also you as the promoter would only disclose the dollar figure to those boxers “primarily” responsible for generating the income. For example, if boxer A and B are the main event and this is the only bout being shown of TV then you would only disclose to Boxers A and B your TV revenues. For advertising revenue if only Boxer A is required to wear that particular advertisement then disclosure of this revenue would only be to Boxer A. If all boxers were required to wear this then disclosure would be required to all the boxers. Gate receipts should be disclosed to all boxers. For site fees, if your contract states that the site fee is only for the main event(s), then this revenue would be disclosed only to he boxers involved.

As the promoter of the above named event I have received the following compensation or considerations resulting from your match.

** Because you as the promoter may not have exact figures, the figures should be your best estimates at the time of disclosure. For example if you as the promoter are receiving 35% of the PPV buys at $29.95 per buy you would list in the column 35% per buy at $29.95 per buy. For gate receipts list 100% (or a percentage you are receiving) of ticket sales, for TV revenue list the amount this is on the TV contract, for advertising list the amount that is being given to you by the advertiser pertaining to this particular match.

Pursuant to the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act all referees and judges who have been appointed to a title bout must make the following disclosures:

Except as provided herein, I hereby affirm that I DO NOT have any direct or indirect financial or pecuniary interest in any boxer, manager, second, promoter or with any ratings or sanctioning body in regard to the bout between,

I also hereby affirm that I have received $_________________ as payment for my services and

received $_________________ for travel expenses for the professional boxing event held on

I also hereby affirm that I have received no other payments for my services in association with the above stated event.

The undersigned hereby affirms that the statements made herein are true and correct.

(This is a sample of a signature page that the contestants or their representative must sign acknowledging that they attended the Rules Meeting.)

Contestant “A” or Representative_______________________________Date__________

Contestant “B” or Representative_______________________________Date__________

^[1] It is recommended that officials who live more than 100 miles from the venue for the event arrive in the area of the event on the day preceding the event. In such instances, the promoter would be responsible for two nights of lodging.

	NAME OF BOXER	ALL COSTS THAT WILL BE ASSESSED ON THIS BOXER	PROMOTER’S SHARE OF THIS PURSE
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	NAME OF SANCTIONING ORGANIZATION	AMOUNT OF PAYMENT AND/OR TYPE OF GIFT OR BENEFIT THAT WAS PROVIDED
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