[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 157 (Sunday, November 9, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S12419]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page S12419]]
                PROFESSIONAL BOXING SAFETY ACT AMENDMENT

  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the consideration of S. 1506, introduced earlier today by 
Senators McCain and Bryan.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 1506) to amend the Professional Boxing Safety 
     Act.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the immediate 
consideration of the bill?
  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, this legislation, on behalf of myself and 
Senator Bryan of Nevada, would add a small but important amendment to 
the Professional Boxing Safety Act (P.L. 104-272), that was signed into 
law last year. This proposal would add language to the act to prevent 
promoters from exploiting professional boxers with respect to a certain 
unethical contracting practice. It would prohibit promoters from 
forcing a boxer, as a pre-condition to signing a contract for a bout, 
to hire a relative or associate of the promoter as their manager.
  Testimony at the Commerce Committee's May 22nd 1997 hearing on the 
professional boxing industry detailed this practice, and prominent 
state commissioners have further advised Senator Bryan and I that the 
``forced hiring'' of a promoter's relative does indeed occur. The most 
offensive result of this coercive practice is that boxers are forced to 
turn over at least one-third of their earnings to an individual with 
whom they have no business or personal relationship whatsoever. If the 
boxer refuses, they are effectively blacklisted from being able to 
compete in the lucrative bouts they have fairly earned. Their career 
may be over.
  This practice is simply indefensible, and it clearly takes advantage 
of the fact that most professional boxers have little leverage in an 
industry dominated by a handful of powerful promoters. This legislative 
would end it. This amendment would add a provision to the new federal 
boxing safety and ethics law (P.L. 104-272) which was enacted with 
bipartisan support in the Senate and House of Representatives last 
year. Senator Bryan played a tremendously vital role as cosponsor of 
the Professional Boxing Safety Act, and he recently joined me in 
developing this proposal.
  If enacted, this modest proposal will provide further assistance to a 
group of athletes who have had few advocates for too long. I know this 
legislation will be strongly welcomed by the courageous athletes who 
sustain the professional boxing industry, as well as the state 
commissioners who have the responsibility to regulate professional 
boxing events.
  For a promoter to force a boxer to turn over one-third or one-half of 
his earnings, by threatening to deny them the chance to compete in a 
major bout, is extremely offensive and unethical. This practice would 
never be tolerated in any other sport or profession in the U.S. Indeed, 
it would probably result in the promoter being kicked out of a 
professional sports league or be the subject of a law enforcement 
proceeding. The only reason that it has occurred in professional boxing 
is because the overwhelming majority of boxers in America are 
completely powerless when it comes to their own financial futures. They 
are often at the whim of the powerful business interests who dominate 
the sport. Furthermore, with no union or private industry association 
to help advocate their causes and interests, boxers are routinely 
ignored by business entities in the sport.
  I am sure that every Member of the Senate would join senator Bryan 
and I in ending this egregious practice if they were aware of it. This 
modest legislative proposal will achieve this goal, and stop one form 
of exploitation against a group of athletes who have been subject to 
fraudulent and coercive business practices for decades. I hope my 
colleagues will support the swift passage of this proposal.
  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be 
deemed read a third time and passed; that the motion to reconsider be 
laid upon the table; and that any statements relating to the bill 
appear at the appropriate place in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (S. 1506) was deemed read the third time and passed.
  The text of the bill will be printed in a future edition of the 
Record.

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