SB445 Summary

• Renames the Alabama Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts Act to the Alabama Boxing, Wrestling, and Mixed Martial Arts Act and adds professional wrestling to the Alabama Athletic Commission's regulatory authority.

• Defines professional wrestling as organized events between two unarmed contestants competing primarily for entertainment purposes that may or may not comprise a bona fide athletic contest.

• Grants the Alabama Athletic Commission sole authority to regulate professional wrestling matches, contests, and exhibitions using the same regulatory standards as professional boxing, unless rules are inapplicable by nature.

• Establishes licensing, safety, and medical requirements for professional wrestlers including promoter licenses, match permits, participant licenses, physician examinations, and ringside medical personnel.

• Creates criminal penalties including Class C felony convictions for managers, promoters, and matchmakers who knowingly violate regulations, and Class B misdemeanor convictions for professional wrestlers who violate the act except for substance use violations (which carry civil fines up to $25,000 and purse forfeiture up to 15 percent).