Manifesto 2001 Toward The Betterment of Boxing

The American Association for the Improvement of Boxing, Inc. Acknowledges the generous interest in this project demonstrated by New York State Senator Nicholas Spano

Published for the A.A.I.B. Inc.
By CINN WORLDWIDE, INC. Mt. Vernon, N.Y. 10552-001
All rights reserved
©Copyright retained by the AAIB, Inc. December, 2000

The American Association for the Improvement of Boxing, Inc. is a non-profit corporation co-founded in 1968 by the late, great undefeated Heavyweight Champion of the World Rocky Marciano and by the Dean of American Boxing Coaches and James J. Walker Award Winner, Stephen B. Acunto

TOWARD THE BETTERMENT OF BOXING MANIFESTO for the NEW MILLENNIUM (January 2001)

When former heavyweight world champion Rocky Marciano and the Dean of American boxing, Stephen B. Acunto, formed the American Association for the Improvement of Boxing, Inc. in 1969, they set out to promote better boxing on every level in every way available. Today, the AAIB serves as one of the leading voices in America for safety standards, matchmaking and ranking credibility, administrative competency and accountability in boxing regulation.

Since 1961, when then Senator Estes Kefauver introduced the first boxing reform bill, Steve Acunto has testified and presented AAIBís findings and views. In 1965 Rocky Marciano and Steve Acunto testified before the Interstate Commerce Commission for the establishment of a federal boxing bill. The House passed such a bill in 1968, but it moved no further until, on October 11, 1996, when Senator John McCainís Boxing Reform Bill was passed and signed subsequently into law. On May 26, 2000, the Muhammed Ali Boxing Reform Bill was passed. Over those 30 years, AAIB was singularly steadfast in its advocacy and was, ultimately, a major protagonist in the realization of Federal regulatory initiatives.

These laws represent a turning point for one of the worldís oldest and most dangerous sports. Today, a serious approach to boxersí financial and physical well-being is underway. The influence and role of the AAIB, other major advocates and, recently, the Task Force of Attorneys General have all made gains, but more remains to be done, much more. To that end, the AAIB issues this ìManifesto for a New Millenniumî in boxing, to be circulated as widely as possible for as long as is needed to realize its proposed standards.

The AAIB has supported the improvement of boxing by educating the public concerning the sport, promoting safety research, and carrying out political advocacy in legislative bodies across the United States. In continuing its involvement with this great sport, the Association has prepared its manifesto to make the sport better in terms of the overall well-being of the fighters and those who pay to see the fights-the two groups of people who have been shortchanged. The AAIB has developed this document because it believes that if boxing does not project an image of honesty, fairness, and equality, it will not attract the athletes, fans, and the confidence of the general public to remain in existence as a legitimate force in the sporting world. While the Association does not believe that this product of its experience and thinking contains all the answers to boxingís ills, the AAIB does believe that acceptance and implementation of the principles contained in its Manifesto can result in a more popular and equitable sport.

Copies of this Manifesto are being distributed to boxers, political leaders, governmental boxing commissions, managers, trainers, practitioners and researchers in the medical community, promoters, advisors, agents, announcers, commentators, the owners of gymnasiums, and writers throughout the world. Furthermore, magazines, newspapers, radio stations, internet sites, television networks/stations, and cable companies are receiving this document.

The AAIB asks you to read this Manifesto, think about its contents, discuss it with others, pass it along to others, and help to implement its provisions. Because the AAIB hopes that the readers of this document will utilize it as a means of improving this great sport, this can only happen if its contents are fully digested and acted upon by many organizations and individuals around the world. Keep in mind that another aim of the AAIB in doing this is to promote the passage and implementation of legislation, policies, and judicial decisions that enhance this sport. Feel free to send the AAIB your thought and ideas concerning this document that we hope will help revitalize and improve the boxing as we know it today. Below is the list of principles, which the AAIB believes must be adopted to improve this sport, and they constitute the basis of its Manifesto.

I. PRINCIPLES

• The content of both the Professional Boxing Act of 1996 and the Muhammed Ali Boxing must be expanded to further their impact upon the sport. Two important reasons for proposing and passing these laws was to improve boxing safety, the conduct of the bouts, the training of boxing officials, and to provide the boxers with better bargaining positions regarding their financial situation. With respect to ensuring the safety of the fighter and providing the boxers with better bargaining position, the AAIB believes that laws should be modified to include all of the laws approved by the New York State Athletic Commission as of October, 2000, as well as those recommendations made by the National Association of Attorney Generals in their Boxing Task Force Report as published in May, 2000. Not only do all of these laws and recommendations promote safety and fair business practices in the sport, but their implementation would also help boxing attract more young men who are good athletes to chose boxing as a career.
  
  
• Professional boxing is experiencing significant growth through the world, and thus it must be promoted and regulated as an international enterprise. Given the long time history of boxing being a international sport, and its growing reliance upon television as its main source of revenue, the sites of the bouts have become increasingly unimportant. Thus the only way to regulate and manage fighting properly is to develop and implement universal rules and regulation. This may mean utilizing international trade agreements and legal systems to create and enforce boxing safety regulations and contracts. This would also mean that the world boxing community would have to create an international association of boxing commissions. Boxing must operate in the manner of Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League, namely, that the teams playing in Canada do not regulate and control the games any differently from the squads who are playing in the United States. What this would mean is that all of the rules governing professional boxing would be uniform throughout the world.
  
  
• Given the litigious nature of boxing, fighters must have access to inexpensive and helpful legal expertise. If boxers could defend their legal interests more adequately, unscrupulous promoters, mangers, and advisors would be less inclined to defraud them of their monies.
  
  
• The findings and conclusions resulting from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Act, as written on 1 June 1998, should be made available to every trainer, handler, and physician who works in boxing. This document represents the finest compilation of research data ever prepared on the sport of boxing. The AAIB feels that its findings should be widely distributed and utilized.
  
  
• Universities, colleges, and other medical facilities should be encouraged to continue the research of various health issues concerning fighters. These should focus on the causes and results of boxing injuries, the development of protective equipment, and any other concerns addressed in the NIOSH study mentioned above.
  
  
• Boxing should continue to be regulated as locally as possible, i.e. by states. All state boxing commission workers, including the commissioners themselves, should be paid commensurate with their skills and responsibilities, and be given ongoing and pertinent training to maintain and enhance their skills in the form of continuing education credits. In other words, certification of all participants in the process should be mandated.
  
  
• The AAIB supports all current efforts to establish and maintain pension plans and charitable trusts for retired boxers. Also, all efforts should be made to support and establish an international pension plan, as well as an international charitable trust for the financial support of the boxers.
  
  
• The AAIB supports the other not-for-profit organizations that have for their purpose the goal of assisting active and retired fighters. Thus, the Association believes that such organizations as The Jerry Quarry Foundation for Pugilistica Dementia, FIST, the Retired Boxersí Foundation, the AAPRP, the proposed union for boxers, and the Ring Association Chapters together with the AAIB must be called upon to address the solution mentioned in this Manifesto.
  
  
• All fighters should be encouraged to pay their taxes and invest their earnings in various sources properly. Individuals managing fighters who do not properly carry out this responsibility should be punished by for their negligence and malfeasance.
  
  
• All fighters, active and retired, should have access to ongoing medical insurance covering physical and mental health and substance abuse problems which may befall them during their careers.
  
  
• All efforts should be made by the advisors or agents or managers of the fighters to ensure that the boxers attend school or complete on-the-job training classes to concurrently secure second career while boxing. The AAIB believes that such an approach can help fighters more adequately prepare for their future while helping them avoid problems.

II RAISING SPECIFIC STANDARDS

Uniform Rules:

The establishment of uniform rules and regulations for the states and entities that comprise the Association of Boxing Commissioners should include:

• Weight Classes:
  The establishment of 12 official weight divisions with one champion in each division: heavyweight, cruiserweight, light-heavyweight, junior light-heavyweight, middleweight, junior middleweight, welter-weight, junior welterweight, lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight, flyweight.
  
  
• Title Fights:
  Contests should be 10 rounds between all ranked (top 10) boxers; 12 rounds for elimination between contenders; 13 rounds for title bouts for championship. Only the #1 challenger is to meet the champion for the title of the particular weight class. The establishment of an impartial rating system in boxing, possibly the Association of Boxing Writers of America and/or the Association of Boxing Commissioners, would ensure greater integrity.
  
  
• Knockdowns:
  The three knockdown rule should be enforced; no contestant shall be saved by the bell in any round. The AAIB does not approve of the standing eight count.
  
  
• Fouls:
  The time period allowed for fouls should be at the discretion of the referee; the referee should ascertain true fouls; rules must be exact in all states as to what fouls are and how they relate to point reductions on the score cards, or loss of a round. We suggest fines and or suspension for repeaters or the loss of a round or disqualification. Fouls include butting, intentional hitting after the bell, low blow (below the beltline), hitting on the break, elbowing, flicking with an open glove, heeling with inside of the glove or butt of the hand, holding or gripping an opponentís hand or glove, kidney punching, rabbit punching (a sharp blow delivered to the back of the head or neck). We believe the following major fouls warrant permanent revocation of license of the boxer, second or manager involved: altering a glove by breaking the inside padding causing an opponent serious injury such as the Ayala-Collins fight or kicking or kneading an opponent in the groin, inciting a riot such as what occurred in the Galotta fight, or physically maiming an opponent like Holyfield vs. Tyson where an ear was bitten off.
  
  
• Scoring:
  Referees should not score fights; only three ringside judges should score; The sole objective of the referee should be to enforce the rules and to protect the contestants.
  
  
• Medical Standards:
  The standardization of medical examinations by State Athletic Commissions is crucial. At ringside, Certified Ringside Physicians should be in both fighter's corners; a stand-by ambulance should be mandatory at all shows. Seconds should only use medical kits with approved medical contents-the medical kits should contain special devices, such as Enswell and other medications necessary. Medical kits are only to be used by seconds. Certification of ringside physicians for all existing state athletic commissions is the key. Standardization of physical and all medical procedure for all state athletic commissions and determination as to when it is no longer medically feasible for a boxer to continue must be set.
  
  
• Following KO's:
  For boxers, there should be an automatic 90-day suspension, pending an EKG and Cat Scan or a 45 day suspension for serious eye lacerations and other injuries. As determined by commission doctors or whenever specific doctors deem it necessary, a mandatory EKG should be administered each year. The AAIB favors continued random testing by the commission of the medical condition of fighters who lose more than 60% of their contests. The AAIB favors special programs for boxers who need mental health and substance abuse help, with an available medical suspension mechanism for commission.
  
  
• Gear:
  Boxer's outfits should be uniform, with protective cups, double mouthpieces and standardized bandaging allowed. Highly stylized garb and related burlesque activity should be discouraged by regulators and promoters.
  
  
• Gloves:
  If the glove weight is identical, it does not matter what type or brand is used as long as the gloves are not illegal in any way; scrupulous checking of bandages and the initialing of same is necessary. Gloves must also be initialed by the attending Inspector; tips should be removed from the gloves laces. The AAIB prefers thumbless gloves to the attached thumb gloves and is in favor of any gloves that do not restrict the motion of the thumb in the glove in order to prevent injury.
  
  
• Head gears:
  While head gears do not deter the force of a blow and should be used in training to prevent lacerations of professionals, they should only be used by amateurs as vision and other risks are presented by the use of ill fitting headgear.
• Females:
  The AAIB finds many problems inherent in female boxing, nonetheless, participants must be protected by adherence to high standards of care. Women professional boxers should wear breast protection; it is imperative that boxing commissions doctors determine if a woman is pregnant to avoid miscarriage, etc. from abdomen blows. Women boxers are frequently hit in the breast and chest and must undergo mammography tests regularly.
  
  
• Rings, Ringside:
  All commissions must inspect and approve standard boxing rings for size, proper floor padding and the presence of four taut ropes, padded turnbuckles and proper corner padding, safe steps, plastic water buckets and non-glass bottles. Both seconds and referees should wear protective rubber gloves at all times.
  
  
• Tough Man:
  The AAIB totally opposes tough man contests, they should be banned by all commissions in all states. The integrity of the sport of boxing must never be confounded with brawling or street fighting.
  
  
• Financial Statements:
  Managers, promoters, corporations acting as promoters must give financial statements to state athletic commissions in the jurisdictions proposed fights takes place. Failure to do so would warrant a suspension or fine.
  
  
• Suspensions revocations permanent revocations:
  If a boxer's license is suspended or revoked for misconduct or for medical reasons, the suspension should be upheld by all other commissions of the Association of Boxing Commissioners. Any matchmaker, promoter or manager who is found to be depriving a fighter of the income or fees as agreed upon in contracts or stealing from a fighter in any way would warrant permanent suspension. Any boxing promoter allowing himself to be influenced by corrupt individuals would also warrant permanent revocation.
  
  
• Contracts:
  Three contracts should exist for a boxer with one copy for the fighter, one for the manager, and one to be on file at the state athletic commission where the contracts are executed.
  
  
• Promoters:
  While casinos are not promoters, corporations presenting boxing contests are promoters and should file reports to commissions, accordingly.
  
  
• Advisory:
  Fighters should be warned of the dangers of boxing and of their relative need for conditioning at the point of contract, with greater emphasis on defensive boxing techniques.
  
  
• Information:
  A national computer system should record every single fight and make information immediately available on the results of every pro bout that has taken place, from four rounders on up. The AAIB believes that certain fatal injuries could have been prevented or averted if the vital information had been communicated between states and foreign countries where fighters are injured in a boxing contest. A few of the deaths involved were: Benny Paret, who sustained a head injury from Gene Fullmer and brought undetected brain injury into the match with Emile Griffith; further back, Max Bear badly beat Emie Schaff who later succumbed in a bout with Carnera; Kim Koo vs. Ray Mancini succumbed; Jerry Quarry took a terrific beating versus Joe Frazier in a fight refereed by Joe Louis, a great champion but an incompetent referee (Frazier was asking Louis to stop the fight). Most recently, Stefan Johnson of Canada did not relay information timely about his condition to the United States, and died following a bout. Despite all this, boxing ranks 10th in injuries in major sports. Fatalities would be at a minimum and infrequent and injuries infrequent and minor through proper recording.
  
  
• Management Choices:
  If a boxer no longer wishes to stay with a manager, the commission should hold a special hearing with the parties to enable the fighter to compete during negotiations.
  
  
• Medical Trigger:
  The medical staff and a group of doctors on a state commission should establish criteria to determine when it is no longer feasible for a boxer to continue in boxing and approve his eligibility for a pension upon his retirement.
  
  
• Professional Boxing Gyms:
  Sites where professional boxers work out and spar, should be licensed; proprietors should keep record of fighter who have trained there. If a fighter sustains any injury, it should be reported immediately to the commission. All facilities should be required to carry insurance.
  
  
• Science:
  While it may not be as pleasing to unschooled fans, far greater emphasis should be placed on the art and science of boxing by trainers. Boxers should be thoroughly trained in the basics of boxing and be able to demonstrate some command before being able to call themselves or be called by promoters professionals. Colleges should study the feasibility of expanding athletic programs to include boxing at least on an intramural level. Because boxing is a dangerous sport, the fighters should reduce to an absolute minimum the number of blows that they assimilate in the course of any match or in their overall career. The public never grew tired of watching such masters as Gene Tunney, the original Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Benny Leonard, Maxie Rosenblum, the inimitable Willie Pep, and Muhammad Ali to mention a few. We offer the following statistical information to substantiate why the scientific fighters who have scored such a large majority of victories over sluggers and catchers compiled by Boxing Illustrated: The ten cleverest boxers of all time fought a total of 1,324 fights of which they won 1,150 and lost only 119 bouts.
  
  
• Governance:
  Only the State Athletic Commission in a state should govern and regulate any and every professional boxing contest in their jurisdiction-sanction officials, etc. using rules and the ABC. The ABC should have a pool of competent referees and judges that a State Athletic Commission could use if necessary. However, each State Athletic Commission should assign its own officials if possible. We also feel that ringside commentators should offer the public accurate, knowledgeable and true information about exactly what is going on in a boxing contest. We donít feel it is helpful to fans to hear dramatic, self-gratifying sensational comments and philosophy from those who, from their comments, do not have true boxing experience and background, just show business acumen. A greater public understanding of the sport would put different, less sensational standards to work for promoters. A few commentators we can think of who have been advantageous to the fans who view boxing on TV are Gil Clancy, Roy Jones, Jr., Teddy Atlas, Bobby Czyz. We can remember the accuracy of Don Dunphy in describing a bout before TV. Boxing is a dangerous sport; it is crucial that governors of states making appointments and the legislators that approve them appoint people to state athletic commissions in the right jobs for the right reasons, namely qualifications, experience and, above all, integrity and courage to enforce regulations
  
  
• Image:
  To preserve the sports image of boxing, boxers should be discouraged from adding or including names with ominous or sadistic implications.
  
  
• Curfew:
  Starting championship bouts at 10:00 to 10:30 p.m. so that fans having to arise early will not be deprived of viewing the important title matches. This will also make it possible to meet the 11:00 curfew time.
  
  
• National Anthem:
  Only in championship bouts between a champion and contender from another country should flags and the singing of the national anthem of both countries be permitted. In other non-title matches, etc. flags should be banned from the ring as this interferes with the function of getting bouts moving without delay.
  
  
• Standards of Taste:
  While we do not see the need for round card girls. per se, promoters should at least not permit round card girls to moon fans or degrade the commissioners or inspectors assigned to corners and other commission personnel. Promoters must stop seconds, managers, etc. from using gutter language in corners causing altercations or commotion in the ring whether a boxer is a winner or loser of a contest. Promoters should not use rap groups for intermissions if those groups who perform lewd gestures and sing degrading songs that include racist or hate filled language detrimental to youth in the audience or others who find it offensive.
  
  
• Tournament Format:
  After witnessing and researching boxing and living with all phases of boxing over a half-century, we have come to the conclusion that the oldest sport in existence needs to function like all other major sports to terminate meaningless matches, the buying of ratings, pseudo titles and pseudo ratings and dominated by self-appointed groups just to make money does not establish a sound foolproof manner in which the ring game should function. Therefore, we recommend that various states conduct professional boxing tournaments from the 4 to 10 round category, that there be a resumption with 12 divisions of boxing, that one or two annual tournaments be conducted which would afford the beginner or golden glove graduates a starting point. The elimination matches would be held at specific clubs assigned to handle the eliminations. For state titles sponsors and TV would give the tournament a means of being successful by giving the runner-up and champion of each weight class special money awards. While moving forward in this tournament they would be paid as they usually are for competing in each match. There will be digression of the conduct of these bouts as they will be strictly elimination bouts in 8 weight classes. Specific rules will be that four round matches would be open only to boxers who have never boxed 6 rounds. It would also be an avenue for golden glovers and others who are embarking on a professional career. Six round contests would feature boxers who never boxed 8 rounds and 8 round contests, 8 round boxers who have never boxed 10 rounds, 10 round boxers who have never boxed 12 rounds, etc. The participants would be paid the usual fees based on the pay scale of today. The finalist in each category, for instance, the finalist in a 4-round match, would box 6 for the title in their division. This would mean that they would automatically move up to the next division. The 6-round competitor would box 8 rounds for the 6-round title. The 8-round boxers would box 10 rounds and the 10-round boxers would box 12 rounds. All officials and doctors assigned by the athletic commission and anyone else would have to be licensed. The incentive for boxers to participate in tournaments would be to obtain sponsors who would be willing to give the victors and losing finalist in each weight class a reward. For instance, a boxer winning the 4-round championship might win $20,000 with the runner-up getting $10,000.00 In the next weight category the prize could be larger for the winner and runner-up as there would be more rounds. The assigned promoters designated to conduct these tournaments would promote as usual and receive such fees that are legitimate. These tournaments could be sponsored by each state at designated clubs throughout the State. This tournament will not in any way infringe on the regular professional boxing cards taking place throughout the state. We feel this would be a beginning to having all professional boxing function like all other major sports, with a beginning middle and ending.: We do not now, nor did we ever, approve of pseudo titles given out by self-appointed pseudo groups who are controlled by promoters and who collected large sanctioned fees from which the boxers receive nothing. Ratings have been bought with too many weight classes and meaningless bouts, and the game over the years has been kept in disarray. For instance, we do not acknowledge the Holyfield-Ruiz fight as a legitimate title contest for one of those pseudo titles lifted from Lennox Lewis, who is at this time the only undisputed world heaveyweight champion. Ruiz was rated #15 with a NABF title. Ruiz was not a justifiable #1 challenger. Incidentally, he was stopped in 19 seconds by David Tua in 1996. As for multimillionaire Evander Holyfield, he certainly should have gotten the message in this Ruiz encounter that he is finished and retire. If the mediocre Ruiz stood up the way he did vs. Holyfield, imagine what would have happened if Holyfield would have been in the ring with Lennox Lewis or David Tua or even Mike Tyson.

AAIB believes that if these rules do not better boxing, then there should be a federal boxing commission set up to enforce existing regulations working with the states or an authority such as Major League Baseball or the NBA to oversee the sport.