The Walker Law passed in 1920 was an early New York state law regulating boxing. [1] [2] The law reestablished legal boxing in the state following the three-year ban created by the repeal of the Frawley Law. [3] The law instituted rules that better ensured the safety of combatants and reduced the roughness of the sport. [4] The law limited matches to fifteen rounds, required a physician in attendance, restricted certain aggressive acts such as head-butting, and created a regulatory commission, the New York State Athletic Commission. [5]
James J. Walker, then the Democratic majority leader in the New York State Senate, successfully convinced his fellow lawmakers to approve a law allowing boxing events to be held in the State of New York. [6]
Following the state's legalization of boxing, prominent figures started to show interest in the sport. The daughter of the President of the United States Woodrow Wilson organized a charity boxing event at Madison Square Garden to aid France after World War I. [6]
Under the newly-established Walker Law, Tex Rickard's Madison Square Garden presented its first card on September 17, 1920. [7] The first main event conducted under the new law was the Joe Welling vs. Johnny Dundee bout. [8]
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