(1) A member of the commission, the commission representative, or the referee may order a promoter to surrender to the commission any purse or other funds payable to a participant, or to withhold the share of any manager, if it appears that:

(a) The participant is not competing honestly, or is intentionally not competing to the best of her or his ability and skill, in a match represented to be a contest; or

Terms Used In Florida Statutes 548.054

  • Commission: means the Florida Athletic Commission. See Florida Statutes 548.002
  • Contest: means a boxing, kickboxing, or mixed martial arts engagement in which persons participating strive to win using strikes and blows to the head or other full-contact maneuvers. See Florida Statutes 548.002
  • Manager: means a person who, directly or indirectly, controls or administers the boxing, kickboxing, or mixed martial arts affairs of a participant. See Florida Statutes 548.002
  • Match: means a contest or exhibition. See Florida Statutes 548.002
  • Participant: means a professional competing in a boxing, kickboxing, or mixed martial arts match. See Florida Statutes 548.002
  • person: includes individuals, children, firms, associations, joint adventures, partnerships, estates, trusts, business trusts, syndicates, fiduciaries, corporations, and all other groups or combinations. See Florida Statutes 1.01
  • Promoter: means a person or entity, including an officer, director, trustee, partner, or owner of a corporate promoter or promoter partnership, who produces, arranges, or stages a match involving a professional. See Florida Statutes 548.002
  • Purse: means the financial guarantee or other remuneration for which a professional is participating in a match and includes the professional's share of any payment received for radio broadcasting and television, including pay-per-view or closed-circuit. See Florida Statutes 548.002
(b) The participant, her or his manager, or any of the participant’s seconds has violated this chapter.
(2) Any purse so withheld shall be delivered by the promoter to the commission upon demand. Within 10 days after the match, the person from whom the sum was withheld may submit a petition for a hearing to the commission pursuant to s. 120.569. Upon receipt of the petition, the commission shall hold a hearing pursuant to ss. 120.569 and 120.57. If no petition for a hearing is filed, the commission shall meet and determine the disposition of the withheld purse. If the commission finds the charges sufficient, it may declare all or part of the funds forfeited. If the commission finds the charges insufficient, it shall immediately distribute the withheld funds to the appropriate persons.
(3) If a contestant’s purse is forfeited, the commission may include any payments or advances as part of the forfeiture, and if the contestant does not forward such amount to the commission, such payments and advances may be recovered in the same manner as a debt due the state.
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