TDLR adopts bare-knuckle boxing rules, corrects adrenaline concentration in combative-sports code

The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) commissioners voted to adopt amendments to Chapter 61 of the Texas Administrative Code that add rules for bare-knuckle boxing and correct a typographical error in the agency’s combative sports rules. Robert Reyes, assistant general counsel for TDLR, presented the package and recommended an effective date of June 19, 2025.

The adopted amendments amend section 61.43 to correct the stated adrenaline concentration for use in a contestant’s corner from “1 part per 10,000” to “1 part per 1,000,” and add a new section, 61.109, establishing administrative requirements for bare-knuckle boxing events. Reyes told commissioners the new section lays out how the department will evaluate fighters, officiate and judge matches, identify prohibited acts that could trigger penalties, and allow the use of instant replay technology only for bare-knuckle boxing matches.

The rules, Reyes said, follow to a substantial degree the Association of Boxing Commissioners and Combative Sports Bare Knuckle Fighting Unified Rules dated 07/12/2024. The package was published in the Texas Register on April 18, 2025, with a public comment period that closed May 19, 2025; no written comments were received and none were offered during the meeting. Reyes also noted two technical edits replacing the gender-neutral pronoun “their” with “his or her” in two subsections; he characterized those edits as non-substantive.

In discussion, commissioners and staff described safety and oversight as central goals. Greg Alvarez, the combative-sports program manager, described operational details for officials, including a removable patch worn on officials’ shirts to identify state-regulated events. Commissioners thanked staff for the expedited rulemaking; one commissioner noted public-safety and traumatic-brain-injury reviews were part of the advisory process.

A motion to adopt the proposed amendments was made, seconded, and approved by voice vote. The motion record at the meeting did not capture a roll-call tally in the transcript; the chair announced the motion carried. Reyes said the department had prepared the rulemaking in approximately two and a half months and thanked staff who assisted in drafting and technical review.

The adopted rules add a regulatory framework for a combative-sports discipline that previously was not contemplated in TDLR’s rules. The package limits instant replay to bare-knuckle matches, corrects the stated adrenaline concentration used in contestants’ corners to a customary 1:1,000 concentration, and cites the Association of Boxing Commissioners’ unified rules as a model.