california state athletic commission

CSAC’s Andy Foster regrets sanctioning 7-second knockout

California State Athletic Commission Executive Director Andy Foster regrets sanctioning Seniesa Estrada’s 7-second KO of Miranda Adkins.

(Editor’s note: This story originally published at MMA Junkie, part of the USA TODAY Network.)

Like many, California State Athletic Commission executive officer Andy Foster didn’t enjoy Seniesa Estrada’s most recent win.

Estrada, who holds a secondary WBC junior flyweight title, scored the fastest knockout in women’s boxing history last Friday, putting away Miranda Adkins seven seconds into their title bout in Indio, Calif. The fight streamed live on DAZN.

The video of the quick, vicious knockout went viral online and had many questioning the making of the contest, as it was a clear mismatch between a young world-class fighter and an older inexperienced woman.

Estrada is 28 years old and 19-0 her professional boxing career. She’s also a two-time junior Olympic national champion and U.S. champion.

Meanwhile, Adkins is a 42-year-old who didn’t take up boxing until a few years ago and had a record of 5-0 entering the fight.

“If I had to do it over again, I wouldn’t have approved that fight,” Foster told The Ring. “I have never denied a [WBC title fight].

“I certainly didn’t think [Adkins] was going to win the fight. But I thought it would go longer than seven seconds.”

Foster said he’s taking the situation as a lesson and welcomes the negative feedback. Ultimately, though, he leaves the situation unhappy that his commission sanctioned the contest.

“On paper, hindsight is 20-20 for everybody,” Foster said. “Now that we know the outcome, I think it’s fair to criticize me for approving that because I’m critical of myself. I kinda blew this one.”

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California establishes guidelines for resumption of boxing in summer

The California State Athletic Commission on Friday passed emergency regulations that would allow cards to be staged this summer.

California is a step closer to hosting post-lock down combat sports shows.

The California State Athletic Commission on Friday passed emergency regulations that would allow cards to be staged this summer, according to ESPN. The guidelines were forwarded to the California Office of Administrative Law for its review, after which combat sports could resume.

Andy Foster, the CSAC executive director, laid out the regulations for ESPN.

“The fighters will be tested between two and three weeks before their event for the COVID-19 virus,” he said. “If they’re clear, we’ll accept them on the bout card and we’ll approve the fights if they meet the other criteria.

“Then two days before they travel, they’ll fill out a questionnaire. And when they get to the hotel, they’ll be isolated and tested again with their fight camps. Everybody involved in the promotion will be tested on that day.

“Anybody that the promoter deems ‘essential’ to their promotion — and we approve them to be there, and that could be media — anybody that is in that building [who is] part of the promotion is going to need to be tested.”

Foster said California officials will use information gleaned from UFC 249, which took place on May 9. That included the fate of Jacare Souza, who tested positive for COVID-19 the day before the event.

“We learned from that event, and I want to be clear, that’s not to put down the UFC one bit, they had a great plan and everything,” he said. “We learned by watching that, just how contagious this virus could be. So we want to mitigate that risk.”

Golden Boy President Eric Gomez has said that his company hopes to stage a card as soon as July 4.

California cancels all combat sports events through end of May

The California State Athletic Commission has banned all combat sports events through the end of May because of the coronavirus threat.

The Department of Consumer Affairs made the announcement on Thursday.

“The Commission didn’t take this decision lightly and understands the potential economic loss to promoters and the industry of combative sports,” the statement said.

“We had to weigh the best interest of our fighters and the community around us.”

The decision was based on guidelines established by Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Public Health “to protect Californians against the possible spread of COVID-19,” according to the press release.

Junior welterweight titleholder Jose Ramriez’s defense against Viktor Postol, which was canceled and then rescheduled for May 9 in Fresno, California, was canceled again this past Tuesday.

California cancels all cards in March; Kirkland vs. Hernandez postponed

California has canceled all combat sports cards until at least the end of March as a result of the coronavirus threat.

The growing coronavirus threat continues to force cancellations and postponements, including boxing in California throughout at least the end of March.

The California State Athletic Commission told all the state’s promoters that boxing and mixed martial arts cards have been banned through March 31 because of the virus, also called COVID-19.

“This morning, we were informed by the California State Athletic Commission that all combative sports events have been canceled for the month of March due to concerns regarding COVID-19,” Golden Boy Promotion Chairman Oscar De La Hoya said in a statement. “Therefore, our March 19 and March 28 events at Avalon Hollywood and the Forum, respectively, have officially been postponed.

“We will work with state and local officials as well as our venue and broadcast partners to determine the best course of action with respect to these and other upcoming events, both in California and elsewhere.”

“The health and safety of our fighters, fans, employees, officials and partners is of the utmost importance to us, and we thank them for their support and understanding during this time. We will communicate further plans when the time is appropriate.”

Golden Boy welterweight prospect Vergil Ortiz Jr. was scheduled to face Samuel Vargas on March 28 at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Golden Boy also had scheduled a card for March 19 at the Avalon Hollywood club featuring featherweight Joet Gonzalez against Chris Avalos.

It wasn’t clear Thursday when either would be re-scheduled. According to the statement, people who already purchased tickets, at the box office or on line, can get refunds.

The decision to ban boxing and MMA for the rest of the month was based on a directive from California Governor Gavin Newsom. In a statement, the CSAC said:

“Based on guidance issued by California Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to protect Californians against the possible spread of COVID-19, the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) is canceling all events through March 31. CSAC will use this period to determine the next steps for moving forward with future events.

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has issued guidance that certain types of gatherings be postponed or canceled in March to protect public health and slow the rate of COVID-19 transmission. The recommendation applies to all nonessential professional, social, and community gatherings.”

At least two other cards were scheduled for March in California. A six-rounder between middleweights Quillisto Madera and Alexis Gaytan was scheduled for March 21 in Stockton. A Tom Loeffler-promoted card featuring Brian Ceballo vs. Brian Jones was scheduled for March 29 at The Avalon.

Across the country, a card featuring James Kirkland vs. Marcos Hernandez scheduled for Saturday in Maryland also was postponed because of the virus threat.

“In the interest of public health and after reviewing the current information on COVID-19, we have decided the best course of action is to postpone Saturday’s event,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “We understand how disappointing this is to boxing fans and regret any inconvenience.”

All ticket orders will be refunded.