(a) No person shall engage in any boxing match as a boxer or in any mixed martial arts match as a competitor until such person has been examined and found to be physically fit by a competent physician approved by the commissioner, licensed to practice under the laws of this state and in practice in this state for at least two years. Such physician shall be appointed by the commissioner and shall be in attendance throughout the boxing or mixed martial arts match for which such examination was made. Such physician shall certify, in writing, that the boxer or competitor is physically fit to engage in such boxing or mixed martial arts match. Any fee for such physician, as determined by the commissioner, shall be paid by the person or club, corporation or association conducting such boxing or mixed martial arts match.

(b) The cost of any physical examination required by this chapter or regulations adopted under this chapter, other than an examination required by subsection (a) of this section, may be assessed by the commissioner on any boxer or competitor examined by a physician appointed by the commissioner or on the person, club, corporation or association conducting the next boxing or mixed martial arts match in which the boxer or competitor is scheduled to compete.

(1949 Rev., S. 3516; 1959, P.A. 412, S. 36; February, 1965, P.A. 617, S. 6; 1972, P.A. 55, S. 6; P.A. 81-171, S. 1, 2; P.A. 84-344, S. 9, 11; P.A. 85-157, S. 7, 9; 85-293, S. 6; 85-613, S. 58, 154; P.A. 98-117, S. 9; P.A. 99-194, S. 16; P.A. 07-217, S. 135; P.A. 13-259, S. 10.)

History: 1959 act substituted commissioner of consumer protection for athletic commissioner, that office having been abolished; 1965 act deleted boxing from purview of section; 1972 act reinstated boxing in purview of section; P.A. 81-171 added Subsec. (b) allowing commissioner to assess costs of a physical examination required by this chapter but not under Subsec. (a) on the athlete or on the person conducting the next match; Sec. 19-335 transferred to Sec. 21a-205 in 1983; P.A. 84-344 deleted reference to the commissioner of consumer protection and required that physicians who examine boxers and wrestlers be approved by the boxing commissioner, effective March 1, 1985; P.A. 85-157 substituted “commissioner of consumer protection” for “commissioner”, to reflect abolition of state boxing commissioner and made technical changes; P.A. 85-293 removed references to wrestling bouts and, in conjunction with P.A. 85-613, restored language inadvertently deleted through machine error; P.A. 98-117 made technical changes; P.A. 99-194 made technical and gender neutral changes and replaced references to boxing exhibition with references to boxing match; Sec. 21a-205 transferred to Sec. 29-143t in 2007; P.A. 07-217 made a technical change in Subsec. (b), effective July 12, 2007; P.A. 13-259 made provisions applicable to mixed martial arts matches and competitors therein and replaced “contestant” with “boxer or competitor”.