Pennsylvania Athletic Commissioner Greg Sirb Sets New Rules as of January 2014
By Robert Brizel, Head RCM Boxing Correspondent
In an exclusive email sent to Real Combat Media, Pennsylvania Athletic Commissioner Gregory Sirb has changed the professional boxing and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) rules in the State of Pennsylvania, effective January 1, 2014. One rule has been changed and has gone into effect immediately, with another rules change under consideration. Real Combat Media has examined the intent of Commissioner Sirb, and has analyzed the effectiveness of the intended proposals.
For Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts Events
Rule Change Number One (in Effect): For both boxing and MMA bouts, the working referee inside the ring will no longer be required to pick up the judge’s scorecards after each round. This duty will now be done by either the alternate referee or the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission inspector at ringside. The Pennsylvania Athletic Commission feels the 10 to 15 seconds a referee spent collecting the cards can be much better utilized, for example using this time to go to the corners of each fighter (if necessary) to check on the condition of the boxers between rounds during the bout.
Rule Change Number Two (Under Consideration): This rule applies to fighters who are found to be in violation of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission’s illegal substance policy. There is a great need to change the way fighters are listed who have been guilty of failing a drug test. Currently if the guilty fighter wins the bout, this bout is then changed to ‘No-Decision’ on both sides. To the commissioner, this outcome is just a slap on the wrist to the fighter who fails the drug tests.). The commissioner feels any fighter who wins a bout but subsequently fails the post fight drug test should have the bout result changed to ‘Loss by Disqualification’. The losing fighter’s result would still be listed as a ‘No-Decision’.
Sports Analysis
For rule change number one to be most effective, it should be mandatory for the referee in the ring to NOT pick up the ring cards. Not making it required does not go far enough. The concept by Sirb of keeping the referee focused on the fighters in the corner, if effected for all 60 seconds, offers the referee the best chance of saving a fighter’s life by keeping him focused on the fighters and their corners for the entire minute between rounds.
For rule change number two to be enacted, Sirb still has to make the result in harmony with policy in the United States established by other commissions. If a fighter is to incur a loss by disqualification by failing a drug test (after winning a bout), then the fighter who did not violate the drug policy should receive a ‘Win by Disqualification’. This is because it has never before occurred in BoxRec or in The Ring record book whereby two fighters had two different categorical outcomes. Also, failing a drug test involves cheating. The fighter who obeyed commission rules lost because he or she did not have an unfair advantage. If one fighter loses by disqualification, then the other fighter should receive a win for that reason.
However, there is a grey area to do with medicine Mr. Sirb does not address in his logic. Some drug test infractions could be regarded as major, such as using steroids, Human Growth Hormone or Ephedra. Other drug infractions, such as a prescription for medical reasons taken by doctor’s instructions and not an intentional violation of policy, could be considered minor. In this case, Mr. Sirb’s dual interpretation might apply.
Controversial outcomes can occur in this grey area at the highest level.
One such example was the April 30, 2005, WBA World Heavyweight title fight between James Toney and John Ruiz. Toney defeated John Ruiz by 12 round unanimous decision in a 12-round match to win the world championship. However, Toney failed the post-fight drug test, testing positive for the anabolic steroid Stanozolol. This led to the New York Athletic Commission changing the bout’s official outcome to ‘No-contest’, removing the win from Toney’s career record and banning him from boxing for three months. The WBA ordered Ruiz be reinstated as its champion and Toney ineligible for another WBA Heavyweight title shot for two years. Toney defended himself, claiming that the steroids were given to him by a doctor to treat an injured arm that occurred during his victory over Rydell Bookerin his previous fight. Toney was also subject to a civil lawsuit by Ruiz claiming that Toney’s illegal use of steroids gave him an edge in the fight. The commission needed to be able to determine the source, purpose, timeline and extent of the infraction.
A second example was Amir Khan’s 12 round split decision loss to Lamont Peterson on December 11, 2011. Despite the loss, Peterson’s later failed the post-fight drug test by testing positive for steroids, Khan’s WBA World Light Welterweight title was reinstated. The IBF World Light Welterweight title still went to Peterson, and the fight outcome was not reversed. The District of Columbia, where the bout was held, is not a state, and did not have stringent written policy regulations on the books at that time to overturn the outcome of the fight despite the illegal use of steroids by a fighter.
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