Title 5, ATHLETICS AND SPORTS

The executive director shall supervise the administrative work of the commission. The executive director shall have the power and duty: (1) To attend the meetings of the commission. (2) To recommend to the commission suspension or revocation of any license or permit issued pursua…

No provision of this part nor any rule or regulation promulgated under this part shall apply to any boxing contest or exhibition or wrestling contest or exhibition conducted or sponsored by any university, college, secondary school or group of universities, colleges or secondary …

This subpart shall be known and may be cited as the Boxing Act.

Subject to additional definitions contained in subsequent provisions of this subpart which are applicable to specific provisions of this subpart, the following words and phrases when used in this subpart shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the context cle…

The commission shall appoint five physicians to serve on a Medical Advisory Board for a term of four years. The Governor shall designate a member with experience in sports medicine as chairman of the board. Each member shall be paid a per diem rate to be established by the secret…

(a) General rule.--Professional contests or exhibitions, including kick boxing, shall be held within this Commonwealth only in accordance with the provisions of this subpart and the rules and regulations promulgated under this subpart. (b) Events on Sunday.--Contests or exhibitio…

(a) General rule.--No person under 18 years of age shall be a participant in any contest or exhibition. (b) Exception.-- (1) Any person between 12 and 17 years of age may participate in amateur contests or exhibitions under such rules and regulations as the commission shall presc…

No person shall participate in any amateur contest or exhibition under a fictitious or assumed name unless the fictitious or assumed name has first been registered with the commission.

A physician shall be assigned to every contest or exhibition by the executive director. The physician shall observe at all times the physical condition of the participants and may stop any contest or exhibition at any time to examine a participant and to terminate a bout when, in…

The commission shall conduct mandatory medical training seminars at least twice a year for all ring personnel, commission personnel and other designated persons employed by the secretary.

The executive director shall establish and maintain a register for all professional boxers licensed in this Commonwealth. The register shall include a photograph of the boxer. In the register, the executive director shall record the results of each contest or exhibition the boxer…

No professional contest or exhibition shall be started unless there is on the premises: (1) An ambulance, together with emergency equipment. (2) A portable resuscitator with oxygen and appropriate endotracheal tubes and a qualified operator.

(a) General rule.--For sound medical reasons and to protect the individual boxers, the commission shall establish mandatory license suspensions of those persons who sustain certain injuries. (b) Particular suspension periods.--The commission may suspend a boxer's license for up t…

(a) Prefight examination.--In addition to any other examination required by this subpart or the rules and regulations promulgated under this subpart, each boxer shall be examined by the attending physician within two hours before he enters the ring. If, in the opinion of the phys…

The commission shall promulgate rules and regulations establishing classes of boxers, which classes shall be based upon weights. All contests or exhibitions shall take place only between boxers who are within the same weight class as defined by the commission unless otherwise app…

No contest or exhibition shall take place in which the difference in weight of the participants exceeds ten pounds. This section shall not apply to contests or exhibitions between participants in the light-heavyweight, cruiserweight or heavyweight classes, as defined by the commi…

(a) General rule.--All boxers licensed under this subpart shall be required to use thumbless or thumb-attached gloves. The appropriate weight boxing gloves shall be worn by boxers as follows: (1) One hundred sixty pounds or under, boxing gloves weighing not less than eight ounces…

All ring padding shall be subject to approval of the commission. All padding shall be of soft felt, foam rubber or similar material and shall be at least two inches thick.

(a) Length of contest.--No contest or exhibition shall be more than 12 rounds in length, except for championship contests sanctioned by recognized international or national authorities, which may be up to 15 rounds in length. (b) Duration of round.--No round shall be more than th…

(a) Referee.--At each professional contest or exhibition, except an exhibition held solely for training purposes, there shall be in attendance, at the expense of the promoter, a duly licensed referee designated by the executive director, who shall direct and control the contest o…

Before the start of any contest or exhibition, the referee shall ascertain from each participant the name of the chief second. The chief second shall be held responsible for the conduct of his assistants during the contest or exhibition.

Whenever a boxer is knocked down, the boxer shall be required to take a count of eight. The referee shall not permit the contest or exhibition to be resumed until the count of eight has been reached, except in professional championship contests and exhibitions.

(a) Count by referee.--When a boxer is knocked out, the referee shall count to ten unless, in the judgment of the referee, the boxer is in immediate physical danger, in which case the referee may stop the count earlier. If the boxer has not risen from the ring floor before the re…

Every licensee shall, immediately after learning thereof, disclose to the executive director or his designee, or to the official in charge or the attending physician or referee if one of these persons is in attendance at any contest or exhibition, all knowledge or information in …

(a) General rule.--No licensee or other person shall knowingly conduct, give, participate in or be in any way connected with any sham or collusive boxing contest. (b) Reports.--Any licensee who knows or has reason to suspect that a boxing contest is, was or is going to be a sham …

The commission is hereby granted sole control, authority and jurisdiction to issue, withhold, suspend or revoke any license or permit provided for under this subpart.

No promoter shall directly or indirectly conduct, hold or promote any professional contest or exhibition unless he has first procured a promoter's license from the commission. The commission may issue an order prohibiting a promoter from acting in violation of this section. If it…

(a) General rule.--Before acting as such, every representative manager shall procure a manager's license. He shall file with the department the name of each boxer whom he represents, together with a written consent from each boxer and his manager authorizing him to transact busin…

(a) General rule.--No foreign copromoter shall directly or indirectly participate in the promotion of or receive any remuneration from or render any services in connection with any professional contest or exhibition held within this Commonwealth unless he has first been granted a…

(a) General rule.--A professional boxer, manager, second, trainer, matchmaker, timekeeper, referee, judge, announcer, physician, booking agent or agency or representative of a booking agent or agency shall not directly or indirectly act in such capacity in connection with any pro…

In addition to the promoter's license, each promoter shall be required to procure a permit from the commission for each program of contests or exhibitions before presenting that program. Each application for a permit shall specify the premises where and time when the program is t…

(a) General rule.--Except as otherwise provided in this subpart, no amateur contest or exhibition shall be held without a permit having been first secured by the sponsor from the commission for the event. Subject to subsection (d), amateur contests or exhibitions shall be held in…

An officer, director, stockholder or employee of a licensed promoter shall not have any other interest in any professional boxer or professional contests or exhibitions except as a matchmaker.

No permit shall be issued for the holding of any boxing contest or exhibition within any political subdivision of this Commonwealth which has adopted any local ordinance or resolution prohibiting such contests or exhibitions within its limits.

(a) General rule.--In determining whether to issue or renew any license or permit, the commission shall consider the best interest and welfare of the public, the preservation of the safety and health of participants and the best interests of boxing generally. (b) Prerequisites.--…

Each license issued under this subpart shall expire on December 31 next following the date on which it was issued.

Every application for a license or a permit shall: (1) Be in writing on a form supplied by the commission. (2) Be verified by the applicant. (3) Set forth such information and have attached thereto such photographs and other exhibits as are required by this subpart, the rules and…

The commission may require any applicant for a license or permit or, in the case of a corporate applicant, any officer, director, employee or stockholder thereof to appear before the commission for an oral examination, under oath, as to qualifications of the applicant before taki…

The annual license fees which shall accompany each application for a license or the renewal of a license shall be fixed by commission regulation.

(a) General rule.--The required fees, based upon the seating capacity of the premises where the program is to be presented, shall accompany each application for a permit to present a program of contests or exhibitions. The amount of the fee shall be fixed by commission regulation…

(a) Gate receipts.--In addition to the payment of any other fees and moneys due under this subpart, a promoter or sponsor shall pay a tax of 5% of the gross receipts of every contest or exhibition held in this Commonwealth. (b) Broadcast rights.--The gross price paid to the promo…

An application for a permit or license shall be verified and shall be accompanied by a nonrefundable application fee in an amount established by the commission by regulation, which fee shall be subject to review in accordance with the act of June 25, 1982 (P.L.633, No.181), known…

The commission, with the approval of the department, shall promulgate rules and regulations governing the form and content of all contracts entered into between or among promoters and foreign copromoters and professional boxers and managers and all contracts between managers and …

Every contract subject to the provisions of this subpart shall contain the following clause: This agreement is subject to the provisions of the Boxing Act of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and to the rules and regulations of the State Athletic Commission of Pennsylvania and to …

(a) General provisions.--Every contract between a manager and a professional boxer shall contain provisions governing its duration, division of the boxer's purses and the minimum sum to be guaranteed annually to the boxer by the manager. (b) Termination of contract.--Each contrac…

No contract between a manager and a professional boxer shall be legally valid until both parties to the contract appear before the commission and have received its approval, which shall be endorsed on the contract.