Law needed to create fund for boxing injuries

New legislation needs to be passed to create a fund earmarked for catastrophic injuries to boxers and martial arts fighters, the executive director of Nevada Athletic Commission said Monday.

" The commission cannot do it on its own," Keith Kizer said at the Sawyer Building. "And we also have to decide just how big the fund needs to be."

Kizer said the commission believes more insurance for boxers and martial arts fighters is necessary in the wake of the Nov. 13 fight between boxer Z "The Dream" Gorres and Luis Melendez .

Gorres recently returned to his native Philippines after almost two months of intensive care for a severe brain injury. He ran up billable expenses of almost $600,000 at University Medical Center.

Health insurance that promoters provided to the 27-year-old father of four covered only $50,000 of the bill, the minimum required under Nevada law.

The Association of Boxing Commissions recommends only $10,000. Kizer pointed out that Nevada requires the most insurance for boxers in the country.

Frank Slaughter, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, boxing coach who spoke at the meeting, believes if Nevada increases insurance coverage for boxers, the rest of the nation will follow. Slaughter persuaded faculty, students and recent graduates of UNLV's Boyd School of Law to help prepare new legislation for catastrophic injuries to boxers and martial arts fighters.

Other sports that carry risk in Southern Nevada, such as NASCAR and the National Finals Rodeo, carry far more insurance. The auto racers have $1 million each, while the cowboys have $250,000 each in health insurance coverage.

Those at Monday's meeting discussed how much of Gorres' bill taxpayers will have to cover . Brian Brannman, UMC's chief operating officer, said after the meeting that the bottom line is simple: If the bill is not paid, it will be carried as an unpaid debt at Southern Nevada's only public hospital.

Kizer said it is unclear where money for the proposed fund would come from. He said the commission will study proposals before its next meeting in three months.

Pat Lundvall, the commission chairwoman, said earlier that she sees the monetary pool for catastrophic injuries being funded through a small percentage of both ticket sales and pay-per-view sales in Nevada.