Reid, McCain introduce boxing bill

Benjamin Grove

Thursday, May 24, 2001 | 10:15 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- The sport of boxing needs a national commission empowered to tackle corruption, curb fighter exploitation and set uniform rankings.

That's according to a bill introduced by Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and John McCain, R-Ariz., who yet again have stepped into the ring of boxing reform in Congress.

Their latest bill, introduced last week, is designed in part to create a governing body authorized to set minimum national standards for boxing and put some enforcement teeth into current boxing laws.

Boxing is the only major sport with no central association, McCain said in a written statement.

"There is no widely-established union of boxers, no collective body of promoters or managers, and no consistent level of state regulation among the state athletic commissions," said McCain, a boxing fan.

A national commission may be just one of a number of reforms needed to further improve the sport, McCain's aides said. He may push for others, they said. McCain and Reid argue that while states such as Nevada and New Jersey already have sophisticated laws governing the sport, others do not.

That's why the United States may need a five-member commission to write uniform national regulations, ensure fairness and return integrity to the sport, Reid said.