Coverage for injured boxers urged

The Clark County Commission passed a resolution Tuesday that encourages the Nevada Athletic Commission to examine options for providing coverage for medical expenses in the case of catastrophic injuries sustained by participants in boxing or mixed martial arts matches.

The resolution comes in the wake of stories by the Review-Journal that have detailed how taxpayers are on the hook for medical expenses for boxer Z "The Dream" Gorres.

After nearly two months of nursing care and physical therapy and after cutting-edge neurosurgery at University Medical Center, the tab for Gorres’ care is nearly $600,000. Gorres, still partially paralyzed but recently released from UMC, was only covered for $50,000 in medical expenses, the amount the state requires promoters to provide for fighters.

Commissioner Lawrence Weekly, the author of the resolution and chairman of the UMC board of hospital trustees, said that although boxing brings many benefits to Las Vegas, citizens should not be left with medical bills for boxers who are hurt in the ring.

"In these tough economic times, it is not something we can expect from taxpayers," Weekly said prior to the commission meeting.

Between 1995 and 2005, 10 boxers suffered brain injuries in Las Vegas. Two of those boxers died. Because of federal privacy laws, UMC can’t divulge what costs were not reimbursed. Gorres’ wife waived the privacy laws in discussing her case with the Review-Journal.

Pat Lundvall, the athletic commission chairman, told the Review-Journal recently that the subject of catastrophic medical insurance for boxers and mixed martial arts fighters will be on the commission’s agenda next month.

One individual invited to speak to the athletic commission next month is University of Nevada, Las Vegas boxing coach Frank Slaughter.

At Tuesday’s county commission meeting, Slaughter proposed that legislation be passed requiring promoters to pay into an insurance pool on a sliding scale. The bigger the event, the higher the premium, he said.

If the funds were not utilized, the pool would build and draw interest, he said, adding that less costly premiums would eventually be paid by promoters.

A study done by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority on the non-gaming economic effect of 20 major fights since 2005 found that $200 million was poured into the community by fans.