N.J. Governor, Cosell Seek Boxing Reform

Outraged over the James (Buster) Douglas-Mike Tyson controversy, Gov. Jim Florio is trying to persuade his former colleagues in the U.S. Congress to regulate boxing.

And the one-time Navy boxer has a big name in his corner as he takes on the boxing Establishment--Howard Cosell.

The former sportscaster and Florio sent jointly signed letters Wednesday to members of Congress who are interested in the sport. The letters ask them to revive old proposals by Florio to bring uniform, national regulations to a sport that sometimes seems to veer wildly out of control.

The letters were triggered by the handling of the long-count controversy after Douglas knocked out Tyson in Tokyo.

Douglas’ claim to the undisputed heavyweight title was in doubt for several days as two of boxing’s three governing bodies reviewed allegations that Douglas was given a long count after being knocked down in the eighth round. Douglas recovered and knocked out Tyson in the 10th round.

The World Boxing Council and the World Boxing Assn. finally agreed that Douglas is the champion.

“No governmental action could have kept Mike Tyson on his feet, but the aftermath of the fight sharply highlights the need for changes,” the letter by Florio and Cosell says.

The unlikely pair came together during Florio’s unsuccessful boxing reform efforts in the 1980s. Florio chaired a subcommittee with jurisdiction over the sport, and the former ABC announcer testified at hearings.

“There’s a need for more harmonizing, for a national, uniform certification process,” Florio said. “This is big business, and it’s in the hands of organizations no one knows anything about.”

Promoter Don King, a Tyson adviser, was accused of trying to use his considerable clout to overturn Douglas’ knockout.

Florio and Cosell said the incident showed the “undue influence” of promoters over the governing bodies.

King could not be reached for comment. But spokesman Al Braverman criticized Florio, saying politicians should be more interested in “reforming themselves” than in reforming boxing.