(1)
General Responsibilities and
Provisions. During the performance of any promotion it shall be the
promoter's responsibility to ensure the compliance with all laws and rules
governing professional boxing in Georgia. Such responsibilities shall include,
but will not be limited to the following:
(a)
Medical Insurance. The promoter shall provide for the participants
insurance covering ambulance services, medical, surgical and hospital care with
a minimum limit of $20,000 for injuries sustained while participating in said
program and for a $20,000 death benefit awarded to the estate of any Contestant
should death occur from injuries received will participating in said
contest.
(b)
Ambulance
Service. The promoter shall provide continuous ambulance service with a
state-certified EMT attendant, who shall then provide a resuscitator,
stretcher, backboard, oxygen and such other medical equipment reasonably
expected for an immediate trauma care, and who shall be present before the
start of each contest and shall remain on site until the close of the program.
1. For the purposes of this section, a
program of boxing begins with the commencement of the first bout and ends when
the last Contestant leaves the site of the program.
2. The chief referee and/or the commission
appointed supervisor shall meet with the EMT prior to the beginning of the
show. During such meeting the commission supervisor will instruct the EMT
concerning the show, placement of the stretcher and any other information
necessary to ensure prompt and appropriate immediate care should such care be
needed.
3. Such ambulance shall be
able and available to immediately transport any severely injured Contestant to
an appropriate medical facility.
4.
If the ambulance or EMT is required to leave the site of the show for any
reason, no boxing will be allowed to continue until another ambulance or
replacement EMT returns to the site.
(c)
General Safety. It shall be
the promoter's responsibility to insure safety for the Contestants, officials
and fans and to comply with all safety standards required by the
commission.
(d)
Arena
Security. Arena security is the responsibility of the promoter and such
security measures provided by the promoter shall be sufficient to maintain
order. At a minimum, 2 sworn off duty law enforcement officers shall be
retained for security.
(e)
Obtain Ring. The promoter will provide a ring for the show and
that ring must pass the certification requirements established the
commission.
(f)
Extra
Gloves. Each promoter must have an extra set of gloves of the
appropriate weight available to be used in case a glove is broken or otherwise
damaged during the course of the contest or exhibition.
(g)
Ring & Glove
Certification. It is the promoter's responsibility to ensure that the
ring and gloves selected for use during each show meet the commission's rules
and regulations concerning proper certification should be resolved no less than
ten (10) days prior to the date of the show.
(h)
Advanced Advertising. In
addition to the requirements in this Chapter, no contestant or celebrity shall
be advertised by any promoter before said promoter has in his or her possession
a written commitment from said contestant or celebrity and before said promoter
has filed a copy of such written commitment with the commission.
(i)
Suggesting Benefits for Charitable
Organization. No promoter may advertise, hold out, or suggest in any
fashion that a portion of the proceeds of any proposed show will be donated to
a charitable organization without first complying with the commission's rules
governing "programs for charity."
(j)
Main Event Start Time. The
final bout for all events sanctioned by the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment
Commission shall start by 11:59pm on the date for which the event permit is
approved.
(2)
Ringside Physician.
(a)
Providing a physician. It shall be the responsibility of the
commission representative to assign one or more physicians at ringside during
the contest.
1. The physicians assigned must
be on the roster of physicians authorized to conduct pre-fight physicals and
serve as ringside physicians created by the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment
Commission.
2. At least one
ringside physician must have in his or her possession any medical supplies and
equipment reasonably anticipated to provide first-aid medical assistance for
the type of injuries reasonably anticipated to occur in professional boxing
matches.
3. The promoter shall
compensate assigned ringside physicians in an amount to be mutually agreed
upon.
(3)
Arena.
(a)
Drinks.
No boxing match will be allowed to commence or continue, without specific
authorization from the commission, in any arena where concessionaires dispense
or serve beverages in containers other than plastic or paper cups.
(b)
Arena safety. No boxing
match will be allowed to commence or continue in any arena which appears to the
commission appointed supervisor to be unsafe or where the commission appointed
supervisor has reason to believe that such building or location does not
conform to any applicable laws, ordinances and regulations in the city or
unincorporated county area.
(c)
Dressing rooms. The only people allowed in the Contestant's
dressing room are the Contestant, manager, seconds, commission representatives
including appointed commissioners, approved physician(s), news media
representatives, and promoters.
1. Promoters
may be required by the commission appointed supervisor to post a guard at the
entrance to the dressing rooms to aid in enforcement of dressing room
security.
2. If requested by the
commission, a separate dressing area should be provided for all referees and
judges.
(4)
Show.
(a)
Marketing
Prohibited Without Prior Commission Approval. Commission approval or
authorization must be obtained prior to selling tickets, making announcements,
or distributing advertisements concerning any show, show date, contestants, or
matches.
(b)
Rounds
scheduled.
1. Unless otherwise approved
by the commission, promoters shall schedule no less than twenty four (24)
rounds of boxing on one (1) program. For a mixed martial arts program,
promoters shall schedule twenty-four (24) rounds total, or at least seven (7)
bouts that comprise a minimum of twenty-one (21) rounds total. The rounds must
be scheduled and approved by the Commission three (3) days prior to the event.
An emergency bout must be provided in case any of the scheduled bouts are not
held.
2. No boxing match shall have
any rounds lasting longer than three (3) minutes.
(i) All contests or exhibitions in
professional boxing featuring male boxers will be required to have 3 minute
rounds with 1 minute rest periods between rounds.
(ii) All contests or exhibitions in
professional boxing featuring female boxers will be required to have 2 minute
rounds with 1 minute rest periods between rounds.
3. No boxing or exhibition shall be permitted
for more than 10 rounds duration, except in a championship match, which shall
not exceed 12 rounds.
(c)
Card Approval. Requests for
preliminary approval of cards should be received by the commission no less than
ten days prior to the date of the contest. The Final card must be received by
the commission no less than three days prior to the date of the contest.
1. Substitutions to the final card will only
be allowed after sufficient evidence documenting a medical reason why such
substitution is required.
a. Substitutions can
occur if the promoter is actively working to search for a replacement. The
Executive Director and the Chairman or Vice Chairman of the Commission must
approve the proposed bout.
2. No substitution will be allowed during the
final seven hours prior to the beginning of the show.
(5)
Purse.
(a)
Method of Payment. Except as
otherwise stated below, purses shall be paid by certified or cashiers check
immediately after the contest. Payments of percentage contracts shall be made
as soon as the amount can be determined. If requested by the commission or by
any Contestant, all purse payments shall be made in the presence of the
authorized commission representative.
1. After
notification and approval by the commission, arrangement for the payment of any
purse greater than $50,000.00 shall be mutually agreed to by the promoter and
the Contestant.
2. Should a
promoter default on payments to Contestants, only that amount disclosed on the
contract or bout agreement filed with the commission and in advance of the bout
will be covered by any bond on file with the commission.
(b)
Minimum Payment per Contracted
Round. All contestants shall be guaranteed a purse equal to or exceeding
$50.00 per contracted round.
(c)
Authorized Purse Deductions. Promoters may deduct from any
contestant's purse, the total amount of fees or fines owed to the commission by
said Contestant, including but not limited to fees required to issue to such
contestant a federal identification card and/or state license, where such fees
or fines have not previously been paid by said contestant. Any such deduction
shall immediately be remitted to the commission.
(6)
Contracts.
Contract or Bout Agreement: Unless agreed upon in advance
by the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission, all bout agreements must
be on the form approved by the commission.
1. The amount of guarantee or percentage
promised; the number and time limit of rounds; when and where the official
weigh-in will be conducted; when and where the Contestants are scheduled to
appear; weight; and all other reasonably expected to be an issue of agreement
within professional boxing contracts and agreements.
(i) Weights expressed on bout agreements for
all four and six round bouts shall allow no less than a +/-2 pounds variance of
the contracted weight.
(ii) Weights
expressed on bout agreements for all championship (12 rounds) matches shall be
absolute and shall not allow for any variance.
2. Signature of the promoter or his or her
designated representative, and the Contestant or his or her designated
representative.
3. All bout
agreements will state the following in bold type: Each Contestant applying for
a license is required to obtain on their own a Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C
blood test and must present to the commission representative no later than at
the weigh-in the results of such test conducted within 180 days of the proposed
match.
(b)
Contract or Bout Agreement:
Required Form for Submission. All information appearing on any written
agreements or contracts shall be typed or printed clearly.
(c)
Contract or Bout Agreement: File
with Commission. One copy of each signed written agreement or contract,
once executed by both parties and within three calendar days of such execution,
shall be filed with the commission.
1. No
boxing match shall be allowed to commence prior to execution of a signed
contact or bout agreement by both parties or before said contract or bout
agreement is submitted to the commission.
(e)
Violations: Grounds for
Suspension. Violation by either party of any written bout agreement or
contract may be grounds for suspension of any license issued by the commission
and may in addition to such suspension result in a fine imposed by the
commission.
(7)
Failure to Perform.
(a)
Promoter Failure to Perform.
The failure of a promoter to perform according to the terms of the contract; to
produce contestants or special added attractions as advertised; to pay the
contestants their contractual guarantee, or percentage; or the failure of a
promoter to live up to his or her agreement with his or her contestants or
performers who did perform as scheduled is prohibited.
(b)
Contestant Failure to
Perform. The failure of a contestant under contract with a licensed
promoter to perform according to the terms of said contract; or the failure of
a contestant to live up to his or her agreement with an person to which the
contestant is under contractual agreement is prohibited.
(c)
Violation: Penalties.
(i) Violation of either paragraph (a) or (b)
within this subsection shall, for the first offense, be grounds for
administrative suspension of not less than 90 days and a fine of not more than
the contracted purse amount disclosed on the bout agreement or
contract.
(ii) The second and/or
any subsequent violation by any person of either paragraph (a) or paragraph (b)
within this subsection may, in addition to any suspension by the commission,
subject the violator to a fine of not more than the contracted purse amount as
disclosed on the bout agreement or contract plus not more than an additional
$10,000. Said fine to be imposed by the commission.
(iii) Any person or license holder violating
on three or more occasions either sub-paragraph (a) or sub-paragraph (b) within
this subsection shall have his or her license suspended indefinitely. Provided
however that any action by the commission to enforce or attempt to enforce the
provisions of this sub-paragraph will be taken only after notice and hearing
according to the "Georgia Administrative Procedure Act," Title 50, Chapter 13
of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated.