Thursday, May 29, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Commission's test proposal helpful, costly

Boxers might soon be required to undergo MRI/MRA screenings to help prevent injuries

By KEVIN IOLE
REVIEW-JOURNAL

There were two boxing cards in Las Vegas on Friday, the regular monthly card at the Orleans and another at the Aladdin. Thirteen fighters on those cards earned a purse of $800 or less.

Yet on Friday, the Nevada Athletic Commission will debate a proposal that will require those fighters to pay an additional $425 in medical testing.

Commission doctors argue that the Magnetic Resonance Imaging/Magnetic Resonance Angiography testing they want to implement will save lives. Promoters, boxers and their representatives, who will be saddled with its costs, say it could drive them out of business. They question whether it will prevent any injuries or ring deaths.

The commission has worked out a deal with several centers in Las Vegas and Reno for the screenings to cost significantly less than they normally would. Doctors at the centers have agreed to make themselves available on off-hours and on short notice to conduct tests and examine the scans.

"I have committed that I will be happy to read them on short notice, late at night and including on weekends, because that is the only way this can work," said Dr. William Orrison, a neuroradiologist at Nevada Imaging Centers and an expert on head trauma injuries in sports. "If we don't accommodate these individuals, then the system won't work, and I believe so strongly that this is a good system that has the possibility to save lives that I'm willing to do that."

The commission originally planned to vote Friday on the proposal to add the MRI/MRA testing to the battery of tests a licensed boxer in Nevada is required to take. But commissioner Dr. Flip Homansky made a misstatement at last week's meeting, in which the commission was to hear public comment on the plan.

Homansky told Jeff Grmoja, Guilty Boxing's director of boxing operations, that the plan already had been voted on and adopted, which limited public comment. As a result, commission chairman Luther Mack plans to delay a vote for at least a week so the public can further comment.

"I plan to postpone the vote for several reasons," Mack said. "One, I know one of our commissioners, Skip Avansino, can't make it, and I want all the commissioners there to be able to hear the comments before they make their votes. And two, I think it's important that we allow the promoters to provide input on this. We've heard from all the doctors, who have been unanimous in their opinion that this is something we should do to look out for the safety of the fighters.

"But I'm a businessman, too, and I think we should respect the fact that boxing promoters are trying to run a business, and this is something that will impact them. I think we need to hear from them before we vote."

The testing is the brainchild of Homansky and Dr. Margaret Goodman, chairman of the commission's medical advisory board. They propose the tests be given once and not required again, except for cause, for five years. There is sentiment among some to grandfather fighters who are already licensed, but Homansky said it defeats the purpose of the proposal.

"The main purpose, as I see it, of the commission is to protect the health and safety of the fighters who fight here," Homansky said. "Second is collecting taxes and ensuring an even playing field and making sure all monies due to fighters are paid, but the primary role of this commission is to protect fighters in what is a truly dangerous sport.

"While there is no fail-safe test that will say, `This is trouble and this is not,' these tests are a huge step forward on two levels. It will be us setting a baseline so that if later in his career, a fighter has a problem, we have something to compare it to. It's building a database. But number two, it's a screening tool that will help us pick out some people who should not be in the ring."

Grmoja said it's easy to say everyone is in favor of boxer safety. But he said the commission has to live in the real world and that the proposal would make Nevada the most expensive state in which to get a license.

New York requires MRI testing, but the state pays for it. Commissioner Dr. Tony Alamo said he's working with other commissioners to create an endowment to help pay for all or part of the costs. Homansky suggested fines that are levied against boxers could be put into a fund to help defray the testing costs.

Grmoja, though, objects without what he said is a comprehensive plan for implementation. The gates at his monthly cards at the Orleans average about $25,000, he said, and the testing will add an additional expense of about $5,000 until everyone has been tested.

"Every person in this country is for universal health care, including every politician, but whenever it is brought up, the question becomes, `Who will pay for it?' " Grmoja said. "That's the issue here. Of course, we care about our fighters, and we want their working conditions to be as safe as possible.

"But I'm already in the middle of a contract with the Orleans. We're six months into the year, and now I'm being hit with this. We're already having a tough time, and now they're trying to dump this on us. At least if they grandfathered it in and the guys who are licensed now didn't have to be tested until next year, then it might make it easier for us on our budgets. But I have no idea how I'll be able to pay for this. I put on a lot more shows in Nevada than Don King Productions. An extra $5,000 or $6,000 may not mean a lot to King, but it sure does to us."

Orrison said he understands those who balk at the costs. But he said the reward of saving one person's life would make the costs worthwhile.

"I believe our athletes ought to be able to participate," Orrison said. "I'm not against participation, but I want them to participate safely. If people understood how potentially beneficial this could be, I can't imagine anyone being opposed."