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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Amateur boxing would be legal under a bill bobbing and weaving its way through the Utah Legislature.
Rep. Gregory Hughes, R-Draper, also wants to legalize sparring -- practice boxing with headgear.
"There isn't any purpose in making sparring illegal" and it happens "every day" at members-only gymnasiums, said Hughes, a boxing fan.
Because state law doesn't authorize sparring, it's assumed to be illegal, although nobody enforces it, he said. The state legalizes only professional boxing, making any other kind illegal.
His bill won't require amateur boxers to be licensed, get regular HIV virus screenings or be subject to myriad other rules for professionals, including medical inspections before and after a match.
They wouldn't need a referee or judges, either, for the so-called sport of white-collar boxing. And they wouldn't necessarily need a "reputation for good character" that's required of professionals. Hughes said the term was so subjective it was meaningless.
But Hughes bill wouldn't let amateurs duke it out for prizes worth more than $35, to keep them from "killing themselves" over something more valuable.
A House committee approved Hughes' bill Friday, 8-3, but members and state boxing commissioners say it still needs a lot of work.
One commissioner, Rene Deluca, testified Friday that Hughes' bill would leave amateur boxing without any safety standards.
Hughes said he wanted to keep government out of amateur boxing altogether so it wouldn't be liable for any injuries or problems. That's why private gyms have insurance, he said.
But Hughes promised to work with boxing commissioners and said he was open to amending the 878-line bill that surfaced only Thursday night. The bill goes next to the House floor, then the Senate.
Hughes wants to revamp not just boxing rules, but the Pete Suazo Athletic Commission, the panel that regulates professional boxing, kickboxing and martial arts in Utah.
One change commissioners oppose is reducing their numbers to three from five. Hughes said five commissioners was too many chefs stirring the pot.
But state law requires one commissioner at every sanctioned boxing or martial-arts fight, and three commissioners wouldn't be enough to run around the state attending as many as five events over the same weekend, Deluca said.
Deluca, however, applauded Hughes' goal of promoting boxing as an amateur sport.
"Boxing has become a fitness endeavor for many and a lot of gyms cater to them," Hughes said. "You'll see this sport grow mainstream."
Hughes sponsors a promising 28-year-old Utah boxer, Chris "Kidkayo" Fernandez (9-3), who will go up against a more seasoned professional, "Justo" Sanchez (16-19), Saturday night at Ogden's Eccles Conference Center.
"It's going to be a good fight, a six-rounder," Hughes said.
The event will feature half a dozen matches for boxers from the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
------ On the Net: http://www.le.state.ut.us/
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
