CHAPTER 173
PROFESSIONAL BOXING
[Prior to 9/24/86, Athletics Commissioner[110] Ch 2]
[Prior to 10/21/98, see 347—Ch 97]
[Prior to 8/16/06, see 875—Ch 97]
875—173.1(90A) Limitation of rounds. Ten rounds shall be the maximum number of rounds for a boxing bout, except for a championship match which may not exceed 15 rounds. Three minutes of boxing will constitute a round, or by special permission of the commissioner, two minutes. There shall be a rest period of one minute between rounds.
875—173.2(90A) Weight restrictions. Permission must be received from the commissioner before a contestant will be permitted to box an opponent 18 pounds heavier than the boxer in the welterweight or middleweight classes, or 6 pounds heavier than the boxer in or under the lightweight class.
875—173.3(90A) Age restrictions. No contestant under the age of 18 years shall be permitted to participate in any event except by special permission of the commissioner. If permission is granted, a boxer under the age of 18 years shall not be permitted to box more than four rounds. No contestant under the age of 21 shall be permitted to box more than six rounds until the boxer has participated in ten or more professional bouts. However, if in the judgment of the commissioner the boxer has had sufficient experience, the boxer may be allowed to participate in bouts of longer duration.
875—173.4(90A) Injury. If a contestant claims to be injured during the bout, the referee shall stop the bout and request the attending physician to make an examination. If the physician decides that the contestant has been injured as the result of a foul, the physician shall advise the referee of the injury. If the physician is of the opinion that the injured contestant may be able to continue, the physician shall order a five-minute intermission, after which the physician shall make another examination and again advise the referee of the injured contestant’s condition. It shall be the duty of the promoter to have an approved physician in attendance during the entire duration of all bouts.
875—173.5(90A) Knockdown. If a contestant falls due to fatigue or is knocked down by the opponent, the contestant shall be allowed ten seconds in which to rise unassisted. When a contestant falls, the opponent shall go to the farthest neutral corner and remain there during the ten-second count. The referee shall stop counting should the opponent fail to go to a neutral corner.
875—173.6(90A) Limitation on number of bouts. Any boxing contestant who has agreed to take part in a bout of five rounds or more shall not be permitted to participate in any other bout in Iowa or elsewhere five days prior to the date of the bout unless given permission by the commissioner.
875—173.7(90A) Contestants’ arrival. All main event contestants shall be in the city or locale at least 24 hours before the scheduled time of the bout or contest. The promoter shall advise the commissioner of the arrival time. Any exception to this rule shall be approved by the commissioner.
875—173.8(90A) Persons allowed in the ring. No person other than the contestants and the referee shall enter the ring during the bout, excepting the seconds between the rounds or the attending physician if asked by the referee to examine an injury to a contestant.
875—173.9(90A) Protection of hands. Only one roll of cotton gauze surgical bandage, not to exceed 2 inches in width and 10 yards in length, shall be used for the protection of each hand. Only one winding of surgeons’ adhesive tape not more than 1½ inches in width may be placed directly on the hand to protect that part of the hand near the wrist. Said tape may cross the back of the hand twice, but shall not extend within 1 inch of the knuckles when the hand is clenched to make a fist.
875—173.10(90A) Scoring. Twenty points shall be the maximum number to be scored in any round. The contestant winning the round shall receive ten points and the opponent proportionately less. If the round is even, each contestant shall receive ten points.
875—173.11(90A) Gloves. The gloves must not be twisted or manipulated in any way by the contestants or their handlers. If a glove breaks or a string becomes untied during the bout, the referee will instruct the timekeeper to take time out while the glove is being adjusted.
875—173.12(90A) Proper attire. Contestants must wear proper athletic attire. Athletic attire of opposing contestants shall be of contrasting colors. Male contestants shall wear a foul proof protective cup. Female contestants shall wear foul proof pelvic area protection and breast protection.
875—173.13(90A) Use of substances. Excessive use of cocoa butter, petroleum jelly, grease, ointments or strong-smelling liniment by a contestant during the progress of a bout will not be permitted.
875—173.14(90A) “Down.” A boxer will be deemed down when:
	1.	Any part of the boxer’s body other than the boxer’s feet is on the ring floor or while rising from a down position.
	2.	The boxer is hanging helplessly over the ring ropes, but then is not officially down until so pronounced by the referee, who may count the boxer out either on the ropes or on the floor.
875—173.15(90A) Foul. The following activities will be deemed a foul:
	1.	Hitting below the belt or after the bell has terminated the round.
	2.	Hitting an opponent who is down or who is getting up after being down.
	3.	Holding an opponent or deliberately maintaining a clinch.
	4.	Holding an opponent with one hand and hitting with the other hand.
	5.	Butting with head or shoulders or using the knee.
	6.	Hitting with inside or butt of the hand, the wrist or the elbow and all backhand blows.
	7.	Hitting or “flicking” with the open glove or thumbing.
	8.	Wrestling or roughing at the ropes.
	9.	Purposely going down without being hit.
	10.	Striking deliberately at that part of the body over the kidneys.
	11.	Use of the pivot blow or rabbit punch.
	12.	Use of abusive or profane language.
	13.	Failure to obey the referee, or any physical actions which may injure a contestant, except by fair sportsmanlike boxing.
875—173.16(90A) Penalties. The referee will penalize a contestant guilty of committing any foul by deducting points from the contestant’s score for the round in which the foul is committed. If, in the referee’s judgment, the foul is of a serious nature or intentionally inflicted, the referee may award the bout to the contestant who was fouled.
875—173.17(90A) Weight classes. Scale of weights:

 	[Pounds]	
Flyweight	112	
Bantamweight	118	
Featherweight	126	
Lightweight	135	
Welterweight	147	
Middleweight	160	
Light heavyweight	175	
Heavyweight	Over 175	
875—173.18(90A) Attendance of commissioner. At each boxing card, the commissioner or the commissioner’s designee shall be in attendance.
875—173.19(90A) Weighing of contestants. Contestants shall be weighed and examined on the day of the scheduled match by the attending ring physician, at a time and place to be determined by the commissioner. Preliminary boxers may be allowed to weigh in and be examined not later than one hour before the scheduled time of the first match on the card. All weigh-ins will be conducted with the boxer stripped. Accurate scales shall be furnished by the promoter.
875—173.20(90A) Officials. Officials will consist of the referee, physician, timekeeper and three judges. These officials and the contestants, seconds and managers are subject to approval by the commissioner.
875—173.21(90A) General requirements. The commissioner shall not approve bout permits for bouts on Christmas Day. “Battles royal” or bouts in which more than two boxing contestants are to appear in the ring at the same time shall not be approved. In programs where both amateur and professional contestants appear on the same card, there shall be no more than four amateur bouts of three rounds each. The amateur contests shall be under the complete control and supervision of the United States of America Amateur Boxing Federation authority. On each card containing amateur and professional contests, there shall be at least an equal or greater number of bouts of professional boxing. The amateur section of the card shall be held first with at least a 15-minute intermission between the amateur and professional events.
875—173.22(90A) Public safety. Promoters are held responsible to ensure that adequate public safety is maintained at all bouts. At least one law enforcement officer, furnished by the promoter, must be in attendance with additional law enforcement officers as required by the need to maintain adequate public safety. Failure to provide may result in the cancellation of the matches and the revocation of the promoters’ licenses.
875—173.23(90A) Excessive coaching. Excessive coaching and other detracting activities by seconds, managers or trainers while the bouts are in progress are prohibited. Offenders will be warned and if the violation continues, the offending contestant may be charged with a foul and a loss of points.
875—173.24(90A) Abusive language. The use of foul or abusive language or mannerisms by any person associated with any bout shall not be tolerated.
875—173.25(90A) Locker rooms. Admission to locker rooms shall be restricted to the commissioner or designee, officials, contestants, their managers and seconds. Locker rooms shall be kept neat and clean.
875—173.26(90A) Contracts. All contracts between promoters and contestants shall be written on official forms furnished by the commissioner. One copy of each contract shall be filed with the commissioner at least seven days prior to the date of the bout, unless a specific individual delay is approved by the commissioner. Telegrams or letters indicating acceptance of terms will be considered an agreement between a contestant, the contestant’s manager and the promoter pending the actual signing of the contract.
875—173.27(90A) Ring requirements. The ring shall not be less than 16 nor more than 22 feet square within the ropes and must be elevated 3½ feet above the floor. Suitable steps for the use of contestants shall be provided.
875—173.28(90A) Ring posts. The ring posts shall be constructed of metal not more than 4 inches in diameter. The posts shall extend from the floor of the building to the height of 58 inches above the ring floor and shall be fastened securely to the floor or to the other posts.
875—173.29(90A) Ropes. The ropes shall be a minimum of three in number, extending in a triple line 18 inches, 35 inches and 52 inches from the floor of the ring; at least 1 inch in diameter; and wrapped in soft materials. The ropes may not be closer to the ring posts than 18 inches. If four ropes are used, they will be proportionately spaced.
875—173.30(90A) Ring floor. The ring floor shall extend beyond the lower rope for a distance of not less than 18 inches. The entire floor shall be padded to the thickness of at least 1 inch with felt, corrugated paper, matting or other soft materials to be approved by the commissioner. A canvas covering stretched tightly and laced to the ring platform shall cover the padding.
875—173.31(90A) Bell. A suitable bell or gong shall be provided and used.
875—173.32(90A) Gloves. Gloves shall not weigh less than 8 ounces for professional bouts and must be new for all main events and bouts of ten rounds or greater. All gloves shall be furnished by the promoter.
875—173.33(90A) Referee’s duties. The referee is charged with the enforcement of all rules of the commissioner which apply to the performance and conduct of contestants and their seconds while in the ring.
875—173.34(90A) Chief second. Before starting each bout the referee shall ascertain the name of the chief second in each corner and will hold the chief second responsible for all conduct in the corner.
875—173.35(90A) Naming referee. The promoters shall be permitted to name a referee subject to approval by the commissioner.
875—173.36(90A) Reasons for stopping bout. The referee shall stop a bout when the referee deems it advisable because of the physical condition of one or both of the contestants, when one of the contestants is clearly outclassed by an opponent, when the referee decides that the best effort is not being made by a contestant, or for any other reason the referee deems sufficient.
875—173.37(90A) Forfeit of purse. The referee has the power to declare forfeited all or any part of a contestant’s purse whenever in the referee’s judgment the contestant is not performing in good faith.
875—173.38(90A) Inspection for foreign substances. The referee shall inspect the gloves, bandages, and bodies of the contestants in all main events and make sure that no foreign substances have been applied to the gloves, bandages, or bodies of the contestants that might be detrimental to an opponent. In bouts preliminary to the main event when the gloves are adjusted in the dressing rooms, the referee shall inspect the gloves and bodies of the contestants.
875—173.39(90A) Shaking hands. The contestants in all boxing bouts shall be instructed by the referee to shake hands after the referee’s final instructions and not to do so again until the start of the last scheduled round.
875—173.40(90A) Assessing fouls. The referee shall instruct the judges to mark their scorecards accordingly when the referee has assessed a foul and deduct a point from one of the contestants.
875—173.41(90A) Delaying prohibited. The referee shall ensure that a bout move to its proper completion. Except in cases of damaging fouls, a bout shall not be delayed. Delaying and avoiding tactics shall be avoided and the contestant who employs such tactics shall be penalized in the scoring.
875—173.42(90A) Count. When a fallen contestant rises and falls again, without being hit again, the referee shall continue the original count rather than starting a new count.
875—173.43(90A) Intentional foul. In assessing fouls, the referee shall weigh the cause as well as the act. When a foul is unintentionally inflicted but intentionally received, it should be applied to the recipient who deliberately receives the foul.
875—173.44(90A) Use of the ropes. The referee shall penalize a contestant who uses the ropes to gain advantage. The penalty shall be the deduction of points, and a warning to the contestant against continued use of the ropes to gain advantage.
875—173.45(90A) Attending ring physician. When a boxer has been injured seriously, knocked out or technically knocked out, the referee shall immediately summon the attending ring physician to aid the stricken boxer. Managers, handlers and seconds shall not attend to the stricken boxer, except at the request of the physician.
875—173.46(90A) Technical knockout. Except for championship fights of national recognition, the referee shall stop the fight after a fighter is knocked down three times in one round and declare the opponent a winner on a technical knockout (TKO).
875—173.47(90A) Timekeeper. The timekeeper shall provide a stopwatch and shall maintain an accurate time of all bouts. The timekeeper shall keep an exact record of time taken out at the request of a referee for an examination of a contestant by the physician, replacing a glove or adjusting any equipment during a round. The timekeeper shall provide a whistle and shall sound the whistle ten seconds before the start of each round of boxing bouts. The timekeeper shall be impartial and shall not signal interested parties at any time during a bout.
875—173.48(90A) Seconds. Unless special permission is given by the commissioner, there shall not be more than two seconds. Before the start of the bout, each corner shall notify the referee the name of the chief second.
875—173.49(90A) Requirements for seconds. Seconds shall not enter the ring until the timekeeper indicates the termination of the round and they must leave at the sound of the timekeeper’s whistle before the beginning of each round. If the chief second or anyone for whom the promoter is responsible, such as a manager, enters the ring before the bell ending the round has sounded, the fight shall be terminated and the decision shall be awarded to the opponent. Seconds shall not smoke in the ring or corners and shall not wear a hat or cap while working in the corner.
875—173.50(90A) Use of water. Seconds shall not throw or splash water upon a contestant. A wet sponge may be used between rounds to refresh the contestant. Excess water on the floor of the ring shall be wiped up immediately by the seconds. Water discharged from the mouth of a contestant shall be caught in a bucket.
875—173.51(90A) Stopping the fight. The throwing of a towel into the ring to indicate the defeat of a contestant shall not be recognized by the referee. The fight will be stopped when the second or manager appears on the ring apron.
875—173.52(90A) Removing objects from ring. Before leaving the ring at the start of each round the seconds shall remove all obstructions, buckets, stools, bottles, towels and robes from the ring floor and ropes.
875—173.53(90A) Decision. Each judge shall reach a decision without conferring in any manner with any other official or person. Each judge shall make out a scorecard to the best of the judge’s ability and in accordance with the provisions of the rules governing boxing. At the end of the bout the decision shall be written on the scorecard and the card shall be given to the commissioner or designee for verification who shall then hand the cards to the referee who will then announce the decision. The winner shall be determined on the majority vote of the three judges and each judge shall select a choice based on the highest number of points.
875—173.54(90A) Blood-borne disease testing. At least one week before each event, the promoter shall submit to the labor commissioner and to the ringside physician test results showing that each contestant scheduled for the event tested negative for the human immunodeficiency, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C viruses within the six-month period prior to the event. The contestant shall not participate and the physician shall notify the promoter that the contestant is prohibited from participating for medical reasons if any of the following occurs:
	1.	The promoter does not produce timely proof of testing;
	2.	The test results are positive;
	3.	The laboratory is not properly certified in accordance with the federal Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act;
	4.	The test was performed more than six months prior to the event; or
	5.	The test results are otherwise deficient.
875—173.55(90A) Boxer registration. The commissioner participates in the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) national boxer registration system which allows authorities from different states to share information concerning boxers. The issuance of a registration card to a boxer does not guarantee the right to participate in a match.
	173.55(1) Application. A boxer shall apply for registration in the state where the boxer resides, unless the state where the boxer resides does not participate in the ABC registration system. A person applying for a new or renewal boxer registration shall complete, sign, and submit to the division the ABC Boxer’s Federal Identification Card Application. With the application, the applicant shall submit a $25 fee; two 1″ × 1.5″ color photographs of the applicant’s head; and a copy of a photo identification issued to the applicant by a governmental entity and containing the applicant’s photograph and social security number or similar foreign identification number. The applicant must be recognizable in the photographs.
	173.55(2) Expiration. The registration shall expire two years from the date of issuance.
	173.55(3) Changes. The boxer shall notify the division at the time any of the information on the form changes.
	173.55(4) Denials. The labor commissioner may refuse to issue or renew a boxer registration for failure to complete an application package properly.
[ARC 8916B, IAB 6/30/10, effective 8/4/10]
These rules are intended to implement Iowa Code chapter 90A.
[Filed 2/10/71]
[Filed emergency 6/1/84—published 6/20/84, effective 6/1/84]
[Filed emergency 9/5/86—published 9/24/86, effective 9/24/86]
[Filed emergency 4/29/91—published 5/29/91, effective 5/1/91]
[Filed 7/26/06, Notice 5/10/06—published 8/16/06, effective 9/20/06]
[Filed 1/12/07, Notice 12/6/06—published 1/31/07, effective 3/7/07]
[Filed 5/16/07, Notice 4/11/07—published 6/6/07, effective 7/11/07]

[Filed ARC 8916B (Notice ARC 8752B, IAB 5/5/10), IAB 6/30/10, effective 8/4/10]