WASHINGTON – With the controversial outcome of this month’s welterweight prizefight in Las Vegas only the most recent black eye on boxing, key senators on Monday revived a bill to create a federal body to oversee the sport.
The proposed U.S. Boxing Commission would oversee all professional matches, license judges and referees, and appoint which ones to work championship fights. It would license boxers, promoters and managers, and would have the power to revoke licenses for unethical or illegal conduct, or to protect fighters.
“This bill would better protect professional boxing from the fraud, corruption, and ineffective regulation that has plagued the sport for too many years,” said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who joined with Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., to sponsor the bill.
McCain and Reid are longtime boxing fans who have sat side-by-side at some of the biggest fights in Las Vegas. Bills they have pushed to create a federal boxing body have advanced in the Senate in recent years but never completed passage.
McCain said in a speech Monday the disputed June 9 title fight between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley is propelling the new push for federal boxing legislation.
Bradley was declared the winner in a split decision at the MGM Grand Gardens to the astonishment of many who attended or watched it on pay per view.
“The Pacquiao-Bradley fight is the latest example of the legitimate distrust boxing fans have for the integrity of the sport,” McCain said. “After the Pacquiao-Bradley decision was announced, fans were clearly apoplectic and many commentators found the decision astonishing.”
Reid spokeswoman Kristen Orthman said Reid and McCain “have worked on this legislation for many years, and they will continue to do so.”
Reid last week endorsed calls by fight promoter Bob Arum for Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto to look into the fight scoring. Judges Duane Ford and C.J. Ross scored it 115-113 for Bradley while judge Jerry Roth had it 115-113 for Pacquiao.
Reid said he does not believe the Pacquiao-Bradley fight reflects poorly on the Nevada Athletic Commission, which he called “the best boxing organization in the country supervised by the state.” He said a federal boxing body could be modeled on Nevada’s regulations.
Reid, who is longtime friends with Duane Ford, told Fox News last week he did not believe there was anything nefarious in how the fight was judged. It was just “a bad day for a couple of judges.”
