Combative sports to require blood tests

AUSTIN (AP) — Boxers and other participants in combative sports will be required to pass blood tests for HIV and hepatitis before participating in any event starting Jan. 1. Also, the Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation will appoint a medical advisory board for combative sports that will recommend additional safety standards for fighters, ringside officials and physicians.

The board will determine how long a fighter must wait between bouts after a knockout. They apply to all combative sports in which blows are routinely exchanged, such as boxing, kickboxing or elimination tournaments. The blood-testing rules do not apply to football, said agency spokesman Patrick Shaughnessy.