412
. Any person, who, within this state, engages in, or instigates,
aids, encourages, or does any act to further, a pugilistic contest,
or fight, or ring or prize fight, or sparring or boxing exhibition,
taking or to take place either within or without this state, between
two or more persons, with or without gloves, for any price, reward or
compensation, directly or indirectly, or who goes into training
preparatory to such pugilistic contest, or fight, or ring or prize
fight, or sparring or boxing exhibition, or acts as aider, abettor,
backer, umpire, referee, trainer, second, surgeon, or assistant, at
such pugilistic contest, or fight, or ring or prize fight, or
sparring or boxing exhibition, or who sends or publishes a challenge
or acceptance of a challenge, or who knowingly carries or delivers
such challenge or acceptance, or who gives or takes or receives any
tickets, tokens, prize, money, or thing of value, from any person or
persons, for the purpose of seeing or witnessing any such pugilistic
contest, or fight, or ring or prize fight, or sparring or boxing
exhibition, or who, being the owner, lessee, agent, or occupant of
any vessel, building, hotel, room, enclosure or ground, or any part
thereof, whether for gain, hire, reward or gratuitously or otherwise,
permits the same to be used or occupied for such a pugilistic
contest, or fight, or ring or prize fight, or sparring or boxing
exhibition, or who lays, makes, offers or accepts, a bet or bets, or
wager or wagers, upon the result or any feature of any pugilistic
contest, or fight, or ring or prize fight, or sparring or boxing
exhibition, or acts as stakeholder of any such bet or bets, or wager
or wagers, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction
thereof, shall be fined not less than one hundred dollars nor more
than one thousand dollars and be imprisoned in the county jail not
less than thirty days nor exceeding one year; provided, however, that
amateur boxing exhibitions may be held within this state, of a
limited number of rounds, not exceeding four of the duration of three
minutes each; the interval between each round shall be one minute,
and the contestants weighing one hundred and forty-five pounds or
over shall wear gloves of not less than eight ounces each in weight,
and contestants weighing under one hundred and forty-five pounds may
wear gloves of not less than six ounces each in weight. All gloves
used by contestants in such amateur boxing exhibitions shall be so
constructed, as that the soft padding between the outside coverings
shall be evenly distributed over the back of said gloves and cover
the knuckles and back of the hands. And no bandages of any kind shall
be used on the hands or arms of the contestants. For the purpose of
this statute an amateur boxing exhibition shall be and is hereby
defined as one in which no contestant has received or shall receive
in any form, directly or indirectly, any money, prize, reward or
compensation either for the expenses of training for such contest or
for taking part therein, except as herein expressly provided. Nor
shall any person appear as contestant in such amateur exhibition who
prior thereto has received any compensation or reward in any form for
displaying, exercising or giving any example of his skill in or
knowledge of athletic exercises, or for rendering services of any
kind to any athletic organization or to any person or persons as
trainer, coach, instructor or otherwise, or who shall have been
employed in any manner professionally by reason of his athletic skill
or knowledge; provided, however, that a medal or trophy may be
awarded to each contestant in such amateur boxing exhibitions, not to
exceed in value the sum of $35.00 each, which such medal or trophy
must have engraved thereon the name of the winner and the date of the
event; but no portion of any admission fee or fees charged or
received for any amateur boxing exhibition shall be paid or given to
any contestant in such amateur boxing exhibition, either directly or
indirectly, nor shall any gift be given to or received by such
contestants for participating in such boxing exhibition, except said
medal or trophy. At every amateur boxing exhibition held in this
state and permitted by this section of the Penal Code, any sheriff,
constable, marshal, policeman or other peace officer of the city,
county or other political subdivision, where such exhibition is being
held, shall have the right to, and it is hereby declared to be his
duty to stop such exhibition, whenever it shall appear to him that
the contestants are so unevenly matched or for any other reason, the
said contestants have been, or either of them, has been seriously
injured or there is danger that said contestants, or either of them,
will be seriously injured if such contest continues, and he may call
to his assistance in enforcing his order to stop said exhibition, as
many peace officers or male citizens of the state as may be necessary
for that purpose. Provided, further, that any contestant who shall
continue to participate in such exhibition after an order to stop
such exhibition shall have been given by such peace officer, or who
shall violate any of the regulations herein prescribed, for governing
amateur boxing exhibitions, shall be deemed guilty of violating this
section of the Penal Code and subject to the punishment herein
provided.
Nothing in this section contained shall be construed to prevent
any county, city and county, or incorporated city or town from
prohibiting, by ordinance, the holding or conducting of any boxing
exhibition, or any person from engaging in any such boxing exhibition
therein.