Ex-champ Muhammad Ali calls for creation of boxing oversight agency

WASHINGTON, Sept 9 (AFP) - Boxing legend Muhammad Ali called Thursday for greater federal oversight of his sport, which he said was riddled with "unsavory elements" who prey on young talent.
At a hearing of the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection, Ali said that, at its best, professional boxing provides a way out of poverty and obscurity for talented young athletes.
"Armed with the discipline they learned from boxing, many go on to achieve success or even greatness in other professions and raise children who do," Ali testified in a statement read by his wife, Lonnie.
"The courage instilled from boxing allows them to endure great hardship and become great leaders," he said.
But too often, young boxers fall victim to unscrupulous promoters and business associates, said Ali, who called for the creation of a US Boxing Administration "with authority to oversee a sport that still attracts a disproportionate number of unsavory elements that prey upon the hopes and dreams of young athletes," he said.
"The work of improving boxing is not yet done," said Ali, who appeared on a panel of boxing experts and industry officials.
"Federal, state and tribal enforcement of boxing laws has been spotty, and in some respects, non-existent," he said.
Over the past decade, Congress has enacted two boxing-related reforms, including the Professional Boxing Safety Act, which addresses medical and safety issues faced by boxers, in 1996.
In 2000, lawmakers passed the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, requiring broad financial disclosures to boxers by promoters and rating organizations.
Still, lawmakers agreed that there is more work to be done.
"There has to be some accountability if the credibility of the sport is to be restored," said Representative Joe Barton, the Republican chairman of the full House Energy and Commerce Committee.
"The question really is whether the states are up to the job and we need to simply enforce current law, or whether any federal law will ever remedy some of the problems that seem to be inherent in boxing," he said.