W. Va. Code R. § 177-1-46a

Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 50, December 13, 2024

Section 177-1-46a - Rules for Single-Night Semi-Professional Events

46a.1. At his or her selection, a promoter may hold a single-night semi-professional event. A contest conducted under this Section and all involved and participating licensees and officials, shall comply with all rules and regulations under this Series and subsection 2 and 5 of Section 46 unless otherwise indicated under this Section. Under no circumstances shall contestants participating in single-night semi-professional events be considered professional boxers.

46a.2. The promoter may select to conduct a single-night semi-professional event or any portion of the contest under either the current rules of boxing as adopted by the Association of Boxing Commissions or the Kickboxing Rules as set forth in Section 47 of this Series and provided for under Section 46.6.

46a.3. A promoter selecting to hold a single-night semi-professional event shall utilize one of the following formats:

46a.3.a. A two bout, single elimination style tournament. Each bout held under this format will be scheduled for three (3) rounds of sixty (60) seconds each. There shall be one (1) minute rest period between each round. With the approval of the Commission, the promoter shall equally and uniformly establish the interval between each bout to allow adequate rest time for the contestants. The contestants shall be paired based on experience, height, weight, and conditioning. Each contestant who has not been eliminated after competing in two bouts shall be declared a winner.

46a.3.b. A three bout, single elimination style tournament. Each bout held under this format will be scheduled for a single round. A promoter holding a tournament under this style may obtain approval from the Commission to schedule the length of the bouts for any period between one (1) and two (2) minutes: Provided, That the Commission finds, in its discretion, the length of the bouts will not risk the health and safety of the contestants or undermine the fair conduct of the tournament: Provided, however, That the length of each bout within a tournament are set for uniform and equal lengths. The contestants shall be paired based on experience, height, weight, and conditioning. With the approval of the Commission, the promoter shall equally and uniformly establish the interval between each bout to allow adequate rest time for the contestants. Each contestant who has not been eliminated after competing in three bouts shall be declared a winner.

46a.3.c. A match style event. In an event held under this format, the contestants shall be paired based on experience, height, weight, and conditioning. Each contestant will fight in a single bout and upon its conclusion, one contestant in each bout shall be declared a winner. The bouts will be scheduled for three (3) rounds of sixty (60) seconds each. There will be a one (1) minute rest period between rounds. The Commission may also authorize promoters to hold a championship match-style contest. If authorized, the Commission may select the duration and number of rounds so long as the total duration of the match (excluding rest periods) does not exceed ten (10) minutes. No contestant shall be barred from participation in such a match-style contest based upon prior wins in semi-professional tournament style events.

46a.4. For any single-night semi-professional event held under subsection 46a of this Series, the promoter shall provide and pay for trainers, who have been licensed by the Commission under West Virginia Code § 29-5A-20, to serve as the corner person for each contestant in a match. The promoter shall not assign a trainer to work a match if the trainer has previously trained either contestant.

46a.5. For any single-night semi-professional event held under subsection 46a of this Series, three (3) knockdown and standing eight (8) count rules shall apply.

46a.6. For any single-night semi-professional event held under subsection 46a of this Series, the chief deputy may grant a contestant a bye if it is necessary to properly set matches within a round in which there are an uneven number of available and medically qualified contestants. The contestant who is given a bye will be selected randomly by a blind draw.

46a.7. For any single-night semi-professional event held under subsection 46a of this Series, under no circumstances may a contestant who has lost a match serve as a substitute for a medically or voluntarily disqualified contestant in the same tournament.

W. Va. Code R. § 177-1-46a