Baby steps

Association of Boxing Commissions attempts reform

What a novel bit of news. Pro fighters actually have some outspoken advocates who want to protect the pugs from themselves, not to mention cold-hearted promoters and countless others willing to put them at risk.

Down in Miami, where the Association of Boxing Commissions is holding its annual conference this weekend, a vocal faction is pushing the safety envelope. They want ABC delegates to return home to their state and tribal commissions with a handful of recommendations, ranging from a requirement that all fighters submit to an MRI of the brain before being licensed to annual physicals and eye examination.

"We have to develop a conscience, have compassion for these individuals and look beyond what the sport brings in as far as tax money," says Dr. Margaret Goodman, chair of the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s medical advisory board. "We are all responsible for what happens to these kids. And if we turn a blind eye, we are no better than the promoters that are trying to push them in front of us."

Goodman and Dr. Flip Homansky, a Nevada athletic commissioner and former chair of the medical advisory board, are two of the more prominent reform leaders, largely because the sport remains so highly visible along The Strip in Las Vegas.

Probably no commission tries harder to protect fighters. Nor is any group more willing to take up the challenge of pulling a fighter’s license, like with junior featherweight Augie Sanchez, who has struggled with amnesia and prolonged loss of consciousness after recent KOs.

ABC Recommendations A baseline EKG along with a MRI of the brain as requirements for an initial pro license. An annual general physical as well as an exam by an ophthalmologist. Hepatitis screening every six months and HIV screening yearly. Pregnancy test within month of a fight for female boxers.

Yet even such a well-intended act has the potential to turn dicey, not to mention meaningless, because Sanchez remains free to shop for another state to license him. That’s the route former world champion Meldrick Taylor took after Nevada and others put out word he couldn’t fight in their states. In June, he trekked to Birmingham, Ala., where there is no state boxing commission (and won a controversial split-decision), and then last month to an Indian reservation in Mahnomen, Minn., (where he lost a unanimous decision).

Neurology isn’t my specialty, but after sitting across from Taylor for a 15-minute TV interview it’s obvious he isn’t lucid and engaging as when he won his first title in 1988. The guy is a sad sight, actually. His words are garbled and slurred. When he took a hit of bottled water, most of it ended up rolling down his chin and onto his shirt.

The Nevada duo plans to show the Taylor footage to the ABC crowd. And discuss another ex-champ who’s quietly angling for a comeback, Riddick "Big Daddy" Bowe.

Word circulated earlier this year that Bowe, whose speech is slurred at times, might have an interest in rejoining the heavyweight wars. On at least two occasions his representative has contacted Nevada officials to check on odds of his securing a license.

Sorry, big fella, not a chance.

"In the state of Nevada, it would not even be considered," Goodman offers. "This was brought up to the state on two occasions, most recently about three weeks ago. We were contacted unofficially by a promoter that was saying 'Hey, what do you think about this?' You can look at fight films and see this individual has had changes that are more than just natural aging changes."

Point is, washed up old champs like Bowe, Taylor and Terry Norris -- terrific as they were in their heyday -- don’t need to be climbing in the ring. They can live without another vicious shot to the head. It’s not healthy for them or the sport.

These are the fighters a lot of us know and recognize. We can tell if something is odd or different from what we remember. But what about the obscure boxers few are familiar with? Or those from foreign countries, who are difficult for commissions to track and, because of language differences, may not be easy to understand?

"For every Meldrick Taylor and Riddick Bowe, there are probably 20 or 30 others wandering around that we’re not even aware of," says Goodman, a neurologist. "It is much easier to identify the high-profile guys, but those are also harder to stop."

OK, pro golf can do nicely with a senior circuit. Not boxing.

Rather, what boxing cries for is some uniformity among state commissions, acceptance of some basic baseline tests to better protect those who make a hard living in the ring. It shouldn’t be much of a chore to standardize the medical requirements for fighters from state-to-state?

Yet the hodgepodge we have now is a joke. The same Tennessee commission that sanctioned the recent Lennox Lewis-Mike Tyson title fight is also the licensing body for motor sports. The group in Washington state also handles chauffeur licenses.

Some states require a fighter to pass a general physical exam to be licensed, others don’t. Some require HIV and hepatitis screening, others don’t.

So with the federal government keeping a more watchful eye on the sport, it might behoove the ABC to take a stand on safety -- even if the most it can do is offer recommendations.

Mike Fish is a senior writer for CNNSI.com.

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