Boxers Must Now Pass Neurological Test

A new state law that went into effect Tuesday means all professional boxers in California must now pass neurological examinations once a year and the state’s boxing promoters must pay for them.

The measure was sponsored by Assemblyman Art Agnos (D-San Francisco) and backed by the eight-member State Athletic Commission. The $75 to $125 exams will be paid for by a $1 fee added to all professional boxing tickets sold in the state.

“The promoters are still kicking and screaming about this because they don’t want to support anything that’s going to cost them money,” Agnos said. “I don’t think the average boxing fan is going to mind paying another $1 for a ticket.”

Two Southland boxing promoters, Don Chargin and Don Fraser, said they objected to the logistics involved with the tests, not the $1.

“I got a special delivery from the commission today that tells me the tests will be administered at a location in West Los Angeles and another in Paramount,” said Fraser, who was a commission member from 1981 to 1983.

“The added dollar isn’t going to hurt us--it’s the difficulty getting an out-of-state or a foreign fighter to one of two test locations shortly before he’s supposed to fight. Let’s face it: You’re dealing with athletes who may have a language difficulty and who are not college educated guys to begin with. I’ve had fighters get lost on their way to the fights.”

Chargin said: “If this will help raise the level of injury detection, I’m all for it. It’s hard to oppose anything that provides added safety for the boxer.

“But there has to be more places to get the test. And California, Nevada, Texas, New Jersey and New York should get together and employ the same test, to make the whole system run smoother.”

State law already required a yearly complete physical exam and an eye exam, together costing about $65. Now, when boxers receive their license renewal forms, they’ll also receive a notice telling them where and when to go for the neurological tests. Failing the test means denial of a license.

The tests will be conducted by neurological groups in San Francisco and Los Angeles that bid for the contracts with the commission. Dr. Frederick Flynn of Letterman Army Medical Center in San Francisco, who helped design the tests, said great care was used to make sure the tests don’t discriminate against boxers with little education or who speak little English. He said the test will check for damage to cranial nerves, motor function and coordination, and sensory perception.

“The tests will show any tendency toward slurred speech and impaired motor skills,” Flynn said.