Institute of Licensing responds to government white collar boxing consultation

The Institute of Licensing (IoL) has published its response to the Government’s consultation on improving safety in white collar boxing, stressing the need for mandatory minimum safety standards backed by legislation to protect participants.

White collar boxing, typically organised for charity and involving participants without formal training under recognised governing bodies, has come under scrutiny following recent fatalities. Current licensing rules ensure events are held in appropriately licensed venues but do not extend to safeguarding participants inside the ring.

The IoL highlighted several pressing safety issues:

• Inconsistent safeguarding standards
• Insufficient training for participants
• Poor quality of coaches and referees
• Inadequate medical checks and care provision
• Unsafe bout structures and inappropriate opponent matching
• Similar measures should be considered for other combat sports, particularly to protect children, and called for flexibility to bring new activities into scope as they emerge

While recognising that raising awareness of good practice could help in the short term, the IoL stressed that guidance alone would not be sufficient.

Effective change, it argued, requires mandatory minimum standards developed with boxing and medical experts, implemented through the licensing regime, and ultimately supported by legislation.

The response noted practical challenges in applying new standards:

• Premises licences are granted in perpetuity and cannot easily be amended
• Temporary Event Notices (TENs) bypass licensing conditions
• Licence holders may not be the event organisers, complicating accountability
• Additional resource implications for local authorities and regulators

The IoL emphasised that further technical consultation will be essential to work through these complexities.

The Institute confirmed it is willing to consult members further to gather wider evidence on the scale and impact of white collar boxing events. It also stated that it would be happy to work with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to explore options and proposals in more detail going forward.