Florida Statutes 548.041 – Age, condition, and suspension of participants
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(1) A person may not be licensed as a participant, and the license of a participant shall be suspended or revoked, if such person:
(a) Is under the age of 18;
Terms Used In Florida Statutes 548.041
- Amateur: means a person who has never received nor competed for any purse or other article of value, either for the expenses of training or for participating in a match, other than a prize of $50 or less in value. See Florida Statutes 548.002
- Boxing: means the unarmed combat sport of fighting by striking with fists. See Florida Statutes 548.002
- Commission: means the Florida Athletic Commission. See Florida Statutes 548.002
- Exhibition: means a boxing, kickboxing, or mixed martial arts engagement in which persons participating show or display their skill without necessarily striving to win using strikes and blows to the head or other full-contact maneuvers. See Florida Statutes 548.002
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Manager: means a person who, directly or indirectly, controls or administers the boxing, kickboxing, or mixed martial arts affairs of a participant. See Florida Statutes 548.002
- Match: means a contest or exhibition. See Florida Statutes 548.002
- Mixed martial arts: means the unarmed combat sport involving the use of a combination of techniques, including, but not limited to, grappling, kicking, striking, and using techniques from different disciplines of the martial arts, including, but not limited to, boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, jujitsu, and wrestling. See Florida Statutes 548.002
- Participant: means a professional competing in a boxing, kickboxing, or mixed martial arts match. See Florida Statutes 548.002
- person: includes individuals, children, firms, associations, joint adventures, partnerships, estates, trusts, business trusts, syndicates, fiduciaries, corporations, and all other groups or combinations. See Florida Statutes 1.01
- Physician: means a person who is approved by the commission, who has a license to practice medicine issued pursuant to chapter 458 or chapter 459, and whose license to practice medicine is unencumbered and in good standing. See Florida Statutes 548.002
(b) Has participated in a match in this state which was not sanctioned by the commission or by a Native American commission properly constituted under federal law;
(c) Does not meet certain health and medical examination conditions as required by rule of the commission;
(d) Has not competed in a minimum number of amateur boxing events as determined by commission rule prior to licensure; or
(e) Has not participated in a minimum number of amateur mixed martial arts events as determined by commission rule prior to licensure.
(2)(a) A participant losing by knockout as a result of being counted out in any jurisdiction shall be automatically suspended for a period of time as determined by the attending physician or commission representative, or 60 calendar days after the date of the knockout, whichever is longer. A participant shall not engage in any match, contact exhibition, or contact sparring for training purposes during the suspension period. After the suspension period and before engaging in any match, contact exhibition, or contact sparring for training purposes, the participant shall be examined by a physician. The participant shall advise the physician of the previous knockout or technical draw and shall provide medical records or his or her permission for the physician to consult with the physician who was the treating physician at the time of the previous knockout or technical draw. The results of this examination shall be filed with the commission before any further matches are approved for the participant.
(b) A participant losing by technical knockout, technical draw, or disqualification shall be automatically suspended for a period of time to be determined by the physician or commission representative, or 30 calendar days after the date of the technical knockout, technical draw, or disqualification, whichever is longer. A participant shall not engage in any match, contact exhibition, or contact sparring for training purposes during the suspension period without the approval of the physician. After the suspension period and before engaging in any match, contact exhibition, or contact sparring for training purposes, the participant shall be examined by a physician. The participant shall advise the physician of the previous knockout or technical draw and shall provide medical records or his or her permission for the physician to consult with the physician who was the treating physician at the time of the previous knockout or technical draw. The results of this examination shall be filed with the commission before any further matches are approved for the participant. In the case of a disqualification, the commission representative shall determine whether a medical clearance shall be required following suspension.
(c) Any participant who has been suspended by any state as a result of a recent knockout or series of consecutive losses, an injury, requirement for a medical procedure, physician denial of certification, failure of a drug test, the use of aliases, or the falsifying or attempting to falsify official identification cards or documents shall not be permitted to participate in this state until such time as the state in which the participant is suspended removes his or her name from the suspension list or until the requirements of such suspension have been fulfilled and proof of such has been provided to this state. If a participant has been suspended in another state for any reason other than those stated in this paragraph, the participant may be permitted to participate if the state in which the participant is suspended is notified and consulted with by this state before the granting of approval to participate or the participant appeals to the Association of Boxing Commissions and the association determines that the suspension of such participant was without sufficient grounds, for an improper purpose, or not related to the health and safety of the participant.
(d) Any participant who fails to appear at a match or fails to appear at a match at the designated time for which the participant or the participant’s manager has contracted and does not provide a valid reason or, in the case of physical disability, furnish a physician’s certificate shall be suspended for a period to be determined by the commission or shall be fined, or both, as determined by the commission.
(e) The license of any participant shall be revoked and shall not be reinstated if such participant intentionally strikes, strikes at, touches in any way, or threatens to touch in any way any official.