Taxes and municipal licensing requirements
- Section 2 requires an annual privilege tax of six hundred pesos (PHP 600) for each person, club, corporation, or organization engaged in promoting sparring or boxing exhibitions.
- Section 2 requires the PHP 600 tax to be paid quarterly in advance to the Collector of Internal Revenue or his deputy, as the case may be.
- Section 2 allows municipalities to impose additional tax by ordinance.
- Section 3 requires an applicant to submit an application signed by the person requesting permission or by the representative of the club, organization, or corporation.
- Section 3 requires the applicant to present evidence of payment of the tax under Section 2 to obtain municipal authorization.
- Section 3 directs the proper municipal authority to issue the necessary license upon compliance.
- Section 4 provides that the license is revoked upon proof of violation of the provisions of this Act.
How often and when fights may be held
- Section 5 requires sparring or boxing exhibition meetings to be held not oftener than once a week.
- Section 5 requires such meetings to be held on Saturdays only.
- Section 5(a) limits each boxing contest to not more than twenty rounds.
- Section 5(a) limits each round to not more than three minutes duration.
- Section 5(b) requires an interval of one minute between each round.
Equipment, ring, and safety standards
- Section 5(c) prohibits use of gloves weighing less than four ounces.
- Section 5(d) requires the ring or enclosure to be square and to measure not less than sixteen feet each way.
- Section 5(d) requires the ring floor to be covered by canvas or other suitable material.
- Section 5(d) requires a layer of padding not less than one-half inch thick between the canvas and the floor, using material sufficiently resilient to minimize or obviate serious injuries if a contestant falls or is knocked down.
- Section 5(d) requires the ring to be protected on all sides by not less than three ropes of sufficient strength.
In-fight conduct rules for boxers
- Section 6(a) requires boxers to separate when movements bring them together and to not seize, clinch, or hug during the fight.
- Section 6(b) prohibits boxers from butting or striking with the head or shoulder, from wrestling, from improper use of the elbows, and from unsportsmanlike conduct.
- Section 6(b) deems use of abusive or insulting language as unsportsmanlike conduct.
- Section 6(c) prohibits directing malicious and dangerous blows on the lower abdominal region.
- Section 6(d) requires the use of soft and completely dry bandages of tape not more than two inches wide and twenty feet long for each hand.
- Section 6(e) prohibits placing inside the tape any foreign body that hardens the bandage or is liable to cause serious injury to the adversary.
Medical oversight and certification
- Section 7 requires any person, club, or corporation desiring to hold sparring or boxing exhibitions under this Act to have an official physician and official referees with technical knowledge of the sport.
- Section 7 requires the official physician to be a person duly qualified to practice medicine in these Islands.
- Section 8 requires every boxer, before entering the ring, to be examined by the club physician.
- Section 8 requires the club physician to certify in writing the physical condition of the boxers and their fitness to engage in the contest.
License loss and permanent exclusion for fraud
- Section 9 provides that any person, club, corporation, or organization directing, holding, taking part in, consulting to, or tolerating a simulated, feigned, or fraudulent sparring or boxing exhibition— or any party convicted of violating Section 5— loses its license granted under this Act.
- Section 9 provides that the lost license is cancelled and declared null and void.
- Section 9 further provides that the same person, club, corporation, or organization is thereafter not granted any other license under this Act.
Boxer penalties for feigned fights and rules violations
- Section 10 punishes any boxer participating in a feigned, simulated, or fraudulent fight.
- Section 10 provides that for the first offense, the boxer is prohibited for one year, beginning with the date of commission, from taking part in any sparring or boxing exhibition held by any person, club, or corporation duly authorized under this Act.
- Section 10 provides that for the first offense, the court may impose a fine of not less than two hundred pesos (PHP 200) nor more than one thousand pesos (PHP 1,000), or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both, in the court’s discretion.
- Section 10 provides that for a repetition, the boxer is totally prohibited from entering the ring and from participating in boxing contests held by any authorized person, club, or corporation.
- Section 10 provides that for a repetition, the court may impose a fine of not less than five hundred pesos (PHP 500) nor more than two thousand pesos (PHP 2,000), or imprisonment for not more than one year, or both, in the court’s discretion.
- Section 11 imposes temporary disqualification for boxers violating Section 6(a), for a period of not more than six months.
- Section 12 imposes perpetual disqualification on boxers violating any provisions of Section 6, except Section 6(a), from participating in any boxing contest.
- Section 13 penalizes any boxer or other person who, by gifts, promises, or money consideration, induces a boxer to give up the fight or refrain from displaying all strength and skill so the contestant receives a decision or there is a draw.
- Section 13 imposes a fine of not less than PHP 200 nor more than PHP 1,000, or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both, in the discretion of the court.
Betting ban and forfeiture of bet money
- Section 15 makes it unlawful to bet directly or through an intermediary upon the result of any boxing contest.
- Section 15 provides that a person betting or acting as an intermediary in a bet is punished by a fine of not more than PHP 200 or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both, in the court’s discretion.
- Section 15 requires that all money seized as a bet be confiscated.
Residual penalty for violations without specified penalties
- Section 16 provides that any person violating any provision of this Act for which no penalty is specified is punished by a fine of not less than PHP 5 and not more than PHP 100.
Tax exemption for amateur exhibitions
- Section 14 states that the payment of tax is not required when sparring or boxing exhibitions are held by and under the auspices of an amateur athletic society.
- Section 14 requires that no fee or fees or other compensation is charged as admission to the exhibition for the tax exemption to apply.
Repeal and effectivity
- Section 17 repeals Act Numbered Five hundred and fifty-seven, titled “An Act punishing prize fighting and sparring or boxing exhibitions”, and all other acts inconsistent with this Act.
- Section 18 provides that this Act takes effect on its approval.
- The Act was Approved, February 23, 1921.