CSA
Summary
Read the report at California State Auditor ↗
State Athletic
Commission:
The Current Boxers’ Pension Plan Benefits
Only a Few and Is Poorly Administered
July 2005
2004-134
rotiduA
etatS
ainrofilaC
S
T
I
D
U
A
E
T
A
T
S
F
O
U
A
E
R
U
B
The first five copies of each California State Auditor report are free.
Additional copies are $3 each, payable by check or money order.
You can obtain reports by contacting the Bureau of State Audits
at the following address:
California State Auditor
Bureau of State Audits
555 Capitol Mall, Suite 300
Sacramento, California 95814
(916) 445-0255 or TTY (916) 445-0033
OR
This report is also available
on the World Wide Web
http://www.bsa.ca.gov
The California State Auditor is pleased to announce
the availability of an on-line subscription service.
For information on how to subscribe, please contact
the Information Technology Unit at (916) 445-0255, ext. 456,
or visit our Web site at www.bsa.ca.gov
Alternate format reports available upon request.
Permission is granted to reproduce reports.
� � �
��������� ���� ������
������������� �������������������
������������ �����������������������
July 28, 2005 2004-134
The Governor of California
President pro Tempore of the Senate
Speaker of the Assembly
State Capitol
Sacramento, California 95814
Dear Governor and Legislative Leaders:
As requested by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee (audit committee), the Bureau of State Audits
presents its audit report concerning the State Athletic Commission’s (commission) operations of the
boxers’ pension plan. Specifically, the audit committee was interested in the condition of the boxers’
pension plan in its current form, whether the statutory requirements for pension contributions are being
met, how much is being spent on administrative costs, and the best course of action to ensure its long-
term viability.
This report concludes that only a small percentage of boxers who fight in California will ever receive
a pension and those who do will only receive a small benefit. Since the pension plan was modified in
1996, on average four boxers per year have vested. While the 18 vested boxers with account balances
currently at age 50-54 would have received a defined benefit averaging $98 per month at age 55 under
the original plan, we estimate the average account balance is large enough for the average boxer to
receive approximately $170 per month for 10 years under the current plan when they reach age 55.
Finally, the commission has many problems with its day-to-day administration of the pension plan,
including failure to raise the 88-cent-per-ticket assessment (pension contributions) to meet the statutory
funding requirements, untimely remittances of pension contributions to the state treasurer, and errors in
determining boxers’ eligibility.
Respectfully submitted,
ELAINE M. HOWLE
State Auditor
�������������������
�������������������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������� ������������������
CONTENTS
Summary 1
Introduction 5
Audit Results
Although Potentially More Generous Than the
Original Plan, the Current Pension Plan Benefits
Even Fewer Boxers 13
The Commission Has Many Problems With Its
Day-to-Day Administration of the Boxers’
Pension Plan 20
Recommendations 25
Response to the Audit
State and Consumer Services Agency,
California State Athletic Commission 27
California State Auditor’s Comment on the
Response From the California State
Athletic Commission 31
SUMMARY
RESULTS IN BRIEF
To provide a small amount of financial security for
professional boxers, the Legislature authorized the
creation of a boxers’ pension plan and gave the State
Audit Highlights . . . Athletic Commission (commission) exclusive control of all
funds in the plan. In 1982 the commission established a defined
Our review of the State benefit plan (original plan), which promised participants a
Athletic Commission specific monthly benefit at retirement. Boxers, managers, and
(commission) and the boxers’
promoters were required to make contributions to this plan.
pension plan revealed that:
The original plan was changed to a defined contribution plan
þ Under the current plan (current plan) on May 1, 1996. Under the current plan, no
only four boxers per year
specific benefits are promised. Rather, benefits depend on
are vesting.
the size of an individual boxer’s account, which is partially
þ The current plan will determined by total ticket sales during the years in which the
likely give an average boxer fights. On December 31, 2003, the boxers’ individual
55-year-old vested boxer
pension accounts totaled $3.39 million.
a pension benefit of
$170 per month, while the
original plan would have Only a small percentage of participating boxers will ever receive
paid $98 per month. a pension. Under the original plan, an average of 37 boxers a
year vested, which means they will be eligible for benefits upon
þ During the four-year
period from 2001 retirement. The current plan requires four years of participation
through 2004, payments before qualifying for benefits rather than the three required
for pension plan
by the original plan; this contributed to lowering the average
administration costs were
of new boxers vesting to four per year. We considered the
six times greater than the
amount of benefits paid impact of eliminating the requirement that boxers must fight
to boxers. at least 10 scheduled rounds during any 36 consecutive months
(break in service) while keeping the requirement of 75 rounds
þ Since the inception
regardless of the number of years it took to fight them. This
of the current plan,
the commission met liberalizing of the vesting criteria would only increase the
the minimum funding average annual number of boxers vesting from four to 10.
requirement in only one out
of nine years.
While the original plan guaranteed a specified small pension,
þ Poor administration of the current plan may allow a larger pension benefit. Under the
the pension plan resulted
original plan’s age 55 benefit rate of 80 cents per month per
in untimely recording of
round fought, boxers currently at age 50 to 54 would have
pension contributions,
inaccurate reporting of qualified for a pension benefit averaging $98 per month. Based
boxers’ eligibility status, on the size of these boxers’ accounts, the current plan will likely
and incorrect account
give them a benefit rate of $1.39 per month per round fought, or
balances.
$170 per month.
California State Auditor Report 2004-134 11
During the four-year period from 2001 through 2004, benefits
distributed to boxers totaled $36,000 while payments for
administrative costs totaled $227,000, six times the amount
of benefit payments to boxers. It is also unlikely that benefit
payments will exceed administrative costs on a consistent basis
in the near future.
The commission has many problems with its day-to-day
administration of the boxers’ pension plan. For example, it
has not adjusted its 88-cent-per-ticket pension contribution
assessment in order to meet the minimum funding level for the
current plan as required by law. According to a March 1996 memo
from the Department of Consumers Affairs (Consumer Affairs)
legal office to the then executive officer of the commission,
the base amount to fund the current plan would be $95,000
beginning in 1996, and it would increase annually thereafter
based on the consumer price index applicable to California. The
commission only met the target in one of nine years and to date
has undercollected by a total of $300,000.
Additionally, the commission is both slow and inaccurate in
performing its administrative duties related to the boxers’
pension plan. Problems include untimely depositing of
incoming checks to the Consumer Affairs bank account,
untimely remittance of pension contributions to the State
Treasurer’s Office, and missing support documents. Lastly, the
commission’s lack of monitoring may have contributed to
the pension plan administrator’s errors in determining boxers’
eligibility going undetected.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The Legislature may want to reconsider the need for a pension
plan for retired professional boxers since so few boxers annually
meet the current criteria of a professional boxer.
If the Legislature decides to continue the boxers’ pension plan,
we recommend the following steps:
• If the commission believes the current vesting criteria exclude
professional boxers for which the pension plan was intended,
the commission should consider eliminating the break in
service requirement and/or reducing from four to three the
number of calendar years that a boxer must fight.
22 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 33
• To maximize pension fund assets, the commission should do
the following:
· Raise the ticket assessment to meet targeted pension
contributions as required by the law.
· Promptly remit pension contributions from Consumer
Affairs bank account to the boxers’ pension fund.
• To ensure receipts are deposited in a timely manner, the
commission should implement the corrective action proposed
by the acting executive officer to Consumer Affairs related to
ensuring timely deposit of checks.
• To ensure boxers’ information concerning eligibility status
and pension account balances are accurate, the commission
should do the following:
· Retain all official documents from each boxing contest.
· Immediately work with the pension plan administrator
to correct errors related to boxers’ eligibility status and
account balances.
· Periodically review a sample of newly vested and pending
boxers, and verify their eligibility status and pension
account balances.
AGENCY COMMENTS
The commission agrees with the findings and conclusions. In
addition, the commission agrees with the recommendations and
plans to address them promptly. n
22 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 33
Blank page inserted for reproduction purposes only.
44 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 55
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND
The State Athletic Commission (commission) is one of
the 39 regulatory commissions, boards, committees, and
bureaus within the Department of Consumer Affairs
(Consumer Affairs). Generally, these entities regulate and
license professional and vocational occupations to protect the
health, safety, and welfare of the people of California. The
commission consists of seven members and positions for eight
staff—the executive officer, four inspectors, and three analysts
and technicians—who handle the day-to-day operations. The
responsibilities of the commission include setting standards
for amateur and professional boxing, kickboxing, and martial
arts; conducting examinations and regulatory inspections of
these sports; and issuing licenses to entities such as promoters,
managers, referees, trainers, and fighters.
The Legislature Authorized the Commission to Establish a
Pension Plan for Professional Boxers Who Engage in Boxing
Contests in California
To provide a small amount of financial security for professional
boxers, the Legislature authorized the creation of a boxers’
retirement plan and gave the commission exclusive control
of all funds in the plan. In 1982 the commission established
a defined benefit plan (original plan). A defined benefit plan
promises participants a specific monthly benefit at retirement.
Boxers, managers, and promoters were required to make
contributions to the original plan. This plan was changed to
a defined contribution plan (current plan) on May 1, 1996.
According to the prior executive officer, “In an effort to reduce
the actuarial risk inherent with a ‘defined benefit’ plan, the
commission’s pension [consultant] recommended changing
the plan to one that is a ‘defined contribution’ also known as
profit sharing or cash balance plans.” Under the current plan,
no specific benefits are promised. Rather, benefits depend on the
size of an individual boxer’s account.
Boxers’ accounts receive allocations from three sources:
pension contribution assessment (contributions), forfeitures
from unvested boxers (forfeitures), and investment earnings
minus administrative costs. First, the commission collects an
44 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 55
88-cent-per-ticket pension contribution, up to a maximum of
$4,600 per show, from contests in which boxers participate; the
only exceptions are contests held on Native American tribal land
(tribal land) and contests in which no tickets were sold (private
contests). The contributions cannot be directly attributed to
any one boxer fighting in the show since a show may include
many contests. Thus, at the end of the year, the pension plan
administrator allocates contributions to boxers who participated
during the year based on the proportion of each participant’s
total eligible rounds and total rewards received for the fights
(purse) relative to the total eligible rounds and purse of all
participants for the year. For the purpose of determining
pension eligibility, eligible rounds and purse exclude those
relating to private contests and contests that are held on tribal
land. Such contests generate no contributions and thus, those
respective rounds and purse should not be used to meet vesting
requirements nor included in any allocation.
Second, when boxers fight less than 10 scheduled rounds during
any 36-consecutive months, they incur a break in service; in
which unvested boxers must give up their respective account
balances (forfeitures). At the end of the year, the pension
plan administrator allocates one-half the forfeitures to boxers
who fought during the year based on the proportion of each
participating boxer’s eligible rounds and purse relative to total
eligible rounds and purses during the year and one-half the
forfeitures based on the proportion of each boxer’s account
balance relative to the total balance in the current plan.
Third, the current plan’s assets increase in value due to
investment gains and interest earnings on its investments
(collectively referred to as investment earnings). At the end of
each year, the pension plan administrator offsets administrative
costs with investment earnings and allocates the remainder
to all participants based on the proportion of each individual
boxer’s account balance relative to the total balance in the
current plan. On December 31, 2003, the boxers’ pension
accounts totaled $3.39 million.
Vested boxers are those eligible to receive benefits under either
the original plan or the current plan. The majority of these
boxers vested under the original plan and a few vested under
the current plan. The original plan required boxers to fight three
calendar years (not consecutive) with at least 10 rounds per year
and have a total of at least 75 eligible rounds without a break in
service. The current plan requires boxers to fight four calendar
66 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 77
years (not consecutive) with at least 10 rounds per year and
have a total of at least 75 eligible rounds, also without a break
in service. The definition of break in service given above applies
to both the original and the current plan. Under the current
plan, vested boxers can receive benefits at age 55 (normal
retirement); upon the death of a vested boxer, the commission
may distribute his or her benefit to a beneficiary. Vested boxers
can also request to receive a medical early retirement benefit or
a vocational early retirement benefit at age 36 if they wish to
convert their pension benefits to a vocational education benefit
for vocational training.
Vested boxers’ account balances will grow over time even if they
no longer fight because net investment earnings and one-half of
the total forfeitures are allocated to all participants based on the
proportion of an individual boxer’s account balance to the total
balance in the plan.
Pending boxers are those who have been fighting without a
break in service but have not satisfied the vesting requirements.
These boxers’ accounts receive allocations of net investment
earnings, forfeitures, and pension contributions for as long as
they do not incur a break in service. When a break in service
does occur, they forfeit the entire account balance up to the date
of the break. If that happens, they must start over again.
Intermittent boxers are those who have been fighting off and
on, resulting in a break in service, or those coming back from
a break in service and having to start over again. These boxers
also forfeit their account balance when a break occurs. Most
intermittent boxers will probably never vest because they
are unlikely to fight enough eligible rounds to avoid a break.
According to the pension plan administrator’s records, pending
boxers and intermittent boxers forfeited more than $1 million
from 1996 through 2003.
In addition to the commission, at least four other entities are
involved in the administration of the current plan.1 Consumer
Affairs provides the commission cashiering services for pension
contributions and accounting purposes. These services include
receiving and depositing pension contributions forwarded
by the commission. The commission’s pension consultant
1 The commission may be eliminated in the near future. Existing law sunsets both the
commission and its executive officer on July 1, 2006, and permits Consumer Affairs
to assume its regulatory responsibilities as of that date unless legislation is enacted by
January 1, 2007, to extend the date.
66 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 77
provides legal services and subcontracts with a pension plan
administrator who acquires from the commission eligible round
and purse information for each licensed boxer participating in
the current plan and allocates pension contributions, forfeitures,
and net investment earnings on a calendar year basis. The
pension plan administrator also determines whether boxers
meet eligibility requirements, prepares an annual report for the
boxers’ pension plan, and prepares individual boxers’ annual
pension account statements for distribution by the commission.
Cash balances that the commission maintains for short-term
needs are invested in the pooled money investment account
program in the State Treasurer’s Office. Lastly, the pension plan’s
long-term investments are managed by Wachovia Securities.
Figure 1 summarizes the responsibilities of each entity involved.
The Commission Does Not Collect Pension Contributions
From Boxing Contests Held on Tribal Land Because of a
Federal District Court Ruling
The establishment of Indian gaming casinos on tribal land within
California has had a significant impact on the contributions
originally projected for the new plan. In 1996, the federal
Professional Boxing Safety Act of 1996 (act) went into effect and
specifically authorized tribal organizations to regulate boxing
events on tribal lands. Also in 1996, a federal district court, in
Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians v. Wilson, found that
the State of California did not have authority to enforce civil
boxing laws on tribal land. In its conclusion the court stated,
“Therefore, California’s boxing laws are civil/regulatory and not
applicable to boxing contests staged on Indian reservations.”
During 2004, 18 percent, or 23 of the 126 professional boxing
shows were held on tribal land.
In January 2004, the executive director of the Center for Public
Interest Law, who was the chair of the commission in the late
1970s and instrumental in crafting pension plan rules and
legislation, provided testimony to the Joint Legislative Sunset
Review Committee that in his opinion the act does not prohibit
the commission’s collection of pension contributions from
contests held on tribal land. However, a legal counsel to the
commission from the Office of the Attorney General believes
that because boxing contests on tribal land are not subject to
state civil laws, the commission cannot collect such pension
contributions. Consequently, the commission does not currently
collect pension contributions from those contests, which means
it also does not count the rounds in these contests toward
88 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 99
FIGURE 1
The Applicable Laws and Administrative Process of the Boxers’ Pension Plan
Federal Professional Boxing Safety State boxing laws
Act of 1996
• Authorize the creation of the boxers’
• Sets safety standards. pension plan.
• Assists state boxing commissions • Authorize the commission* to adopt
to provide proper oversight for the rules and regulations relating to boxing
professional boxing industry. and martial arts.
Box Office Commission* Wachovia Securities
Pension contributions • Oversees boxing contests and collects Manages the boxers’
generated from applicable fees including pension pension plan long-term
professional boxing contributions. investment account.
contests. • Compiles rounds and purse data.†
• Selects investment manager for the
boxers’ pension plan long-term investment
account.
• Contracts with pension consultant
for legal support and pension plan
administrative work.
Department of Consumer Affairs Pension consultant
Accounting Department
• Provides legal support to the
• Deposits checks to Consumer Affairs commission.
bank account.
• Subcontracts pension plan administrative
• Remits pension contributions to the work to pension plan administrator.
boxers’ pension fund account in the
State Treasurer’s Office.
State Treasurer’s Office Pension plan administrator
Manages the pension plan’s short-term • Allocates pension contributions,
investments. forfeitures, and net investment earnings
to appropriate boxers.
• Determines eligibility of each boxer.
• Prepares boxers’ pension plan annual
report.
Source: The State Athletic Commission.
* The State Athletic Commission.
† The commission enters into an electronic spreadsheet the number of eligible rounds fought and rewards (purse) received by
boxers who fought during the year.
88 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 99
pension eligibility. The fact that a number of boxing contests are
held on tribal land significantly impacts the amounts that are
contributed to the current plan and the number of rounds that
otherwise would count toward vesting eligibility.
SCOPE AND METHODOLOGY
The Joint Legislative Audit Committee (audit committee)
requested that the Bureau of State Audits review the commission’s
pension plan operations. Specifically, the audit committee was
interested in the condition of the current plan, the best course
of action to ensure its long-term viability, how much is being
spent on administrative expenses, and whether the statutory
requirements for pension contributions and benefit distributions
are being met.
To obtain an understanding of the commission’s pension
plan operations, we reviewed applicable laws and regulations.
We also interviewed commission staff and the pension plan
administrator to identify the commission’s processes for
collecting and depositing pension contributions, determining
pension plan eligibility, allocating pension earnings, and
disbursing pension benefits. In addition, we interviewed the
commission’s pension consultant and legal counsel at the Office
of the Attorney General to determine whether the commission
is meeting the statutory requirements for funding the current
plan and the legal constraints to charging the 88-cent-per-ticket
pension contribution for the boxing shows held on tribal land.
Lastly, we reviewed the commission’s records to determine
the number of professional boxing contests held in California
during 2004.
To determine the current condition of the pension fund,
we analyzed reasons for changes in the balance of the fund
and found that the changes were caused almost exclusively
by changes in the value of the fund’s long-term investment
account. We also determined the number of vested boxers
and the size of their accounts by their age group. In
addition, we determined that total boxer account balances at
December 31, 2003, agreed with assets in a brokerage account or
the State Treasurer’s Office.
To assess the long-term viability of the plan, we estimated the
size of benefits the plan would likely pay in the future to boxers
approaching retirement age and the rapidly decreasing number
of vested boxers that will likely qualify for benefits in the future.
1100 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 1111
To determine the amount spent on administrative expenses, we
reviewed the pension plan administrator’s annual reports as well
as Consumer Affairs’ accounting reports that it reconciled to the
cash-basis records maintained by the State Controller’s Office.
To determine whether its processes for collecting and depositing
pension contributions are appropriate and in accordance
with laws and regulations, we reviewed the commission’s and
Consumer Affairs’ records to determine whether the commission
collected the correct amount of pension contributions per show
and deposited the pension contributions it collected during 2004
into the pension fund account in the State Treasurer’s Office.
To determine whether the pension plan administrator correctly
determines boxer eligibility status and correctly allocates
amounts to boxers’ accounts, we obtained and analyzed the
electronic file used to determine boxer eligibility status and to
allocate contributions, forfeitures, and investment earnings.
To determine if eligible round and purse data forwarded to the
pension plan administrator was correct, we intended to review
ring records for 10 boxers each from 2001 to 2004, totaling
40 boxers. However, as recently as May 2005, the commission
was not able to provide a summary of boxer account balances
for 2004; therefore, we limited our review to the ring records of
30 boxers from the prior three years.
To determine whether the commission disburses benefits in
accordance with applicable laws and regulations, we reviewed
its records for eight of 16 benefit disbursements during 2001
to 2003. Although we found and reported numerous errors in
both manual and electronic records, we believe the data was
sufficiently reliable for the purposes of our report. n
1100 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 1111
Blank page inserted for reproduction purposes only.
1122 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 1133
AUDIT RESULTS
ALTHOUGH POTENTIALLY MORE GENEROUS THAN
THE ORIGINAL PLAN, THE CURRENT PENSION PLAN
BENEFITS EVEN FEWER BOXERS
Combining both the defined benefit plan (original plan)
and the defined contribution plan (current plan),
only 14 percent of licensed boxers have vested as of
December 31, 2003, and account balances for most vested boxers
are small. Under the current plan, which began in May 1996,
even fewer boxers have vested than under the original plan.
Although vested boxers currently approaching retirement
age are likely to receive more benefits than the original plan
guaranteed, pension amounts will still be minimal. From 2001
to 2004, benefit payments to boxers totaled $36,000 while the
payments to administer the plan were six times higher.
A Small Percentage of Licensed Boxers Are Vested in the
Pension Plan
A small percentage of boxers who participate in the pension
plan have a possibility of benefiting from it upon retirement.
Table 1 on the following page summarizes how many boxers
are eligible to receive benefits, how many are pending, and how
many are intermittent. As shown in Table 1, only 14 percent, or
448 participating boxers, are currently eligible to receive pension
benefits. Taking into account the pension plan administrator’s
two errors in eligibility determination, as discussed later on
page 24, that number is even less. Of the 436 actually eligible
boxers, 403 were vested under the original plan. Vested boxers
have earned the right to receive benefits. Even if they stop
fighting immediately after they become eligible, they will
not forfeit their pension balances unless the benefits remain
unclaimed for three years after they turn 55. However, if a claim
is later made by the participating boxer or beneficiary for the
forfeited benefit, the State Athletic Commission (commission)
reinstates the amount of the vested account balance, unadjusted
by any gains or losses.
1122 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 1133
TABLE 1
A Small Percent of Boxers Will Benefit From the Pension Plan
Active
Active in 2001
Eligibility Status in 2003 or 2002 Inactive Totals Percent
Vested* 36 29 383 448† 14%
Pending‡ 473 384 — 857 27
Subtotals 509 413 383 1,305 41
Intermittent§ — — 1,919 1,919 59
Totals 509 413 2,302 3,224 100%
Source: The plan administrator’s pension plan records.
*Vested boxers have completed both four years of fighting in California with at least
10 rounds each year and had a total of 75 eligible rounds without a break in service.
† The correct number of vested boxers should be 436 because 18 boxers out of the 448
should not have been vested and another six should have been vested.
‡ Pending boxers have not yet completed either four years of fighting without a break in
service or 75 eligible rounds.
§ Intermittent boxers have not consistently fought enough eligible rounds each year to
maintain a pending status.
Very Few Boxers Have Vested Under the Current Plan
According to the chair of the commission in the late 1970s,
who was instrumental in crafting the pension plan rules and
legislation, “The [pension] plan does not cover those who box
briefly or for several years, but the 10–20 percent of boxers
who spend substantial time training and boxing professionally
in California and who often do not have alternative pension
plans (many do not even have substantial social security
contributions). For every champion enjoying a large purse, ten
or more contenders—after investing from five to twenty years in
the sport—fail to achieve substantial purse revenue. This is the
limited group of boxers intended for coverage.”
Although it was recognized from the beginning that the group
benefiting from this pension plan would be small, even fewer boxers
have vested since 1996 partly because eligibility criteria under the
current plan are more stringent than those in the original plan.
The original plan, which began in 1982, had a three-year boxing
requirement. Assuming that the first boxers vested in 1985 and
taking into account that 403 boxers were vested by May 1, 1996,
when the current plan started, an average of 37 boxers per year
vested under the original plan. However, under the current plan,
1144 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 1155
an average of only four boxers vest each year. As Figure 2 shows, if
this trend continues, the remaining number of vested boxers will
plateau at below 80 in 2036.
��� ���������������������
������������������������
���
�����������������������������
���
���
���
���
���
���
���
��
�
� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �
� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �
� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �
� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �
��������������������
FIGURE 2
The Projected Number of Vested Boxers Will Plateau Below 80 by 2036
Source: Auditor’s projection based on vesting trend from 1996 through 2003.
In addition, the number of vested boxers reaching the
retirement age of 55 will peak at 34 in the year 2017 and will
plateau at four in the year 2038. We also considered the effect of
eliminating the break in service requirement while keeping the
total of 75 rounds regardless of the number of years that it took
to fight them. Even liberalizing the vesting criteria to this degree
only increased the annual average number of boxers vesting
from four to 10.
Of the 279 boxers who first fought in 1997, 11 (4 percent)
were vested by the end of 2003, 12 (4 percent) were pending, and
256 (92 percent) had a break in service and had their account
balances forfeited. Thus, of the boxers who started fighting in 1997,
between 4 percent and 8 percent are likely to vest.
1144 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 1155
Those Few Who Qualify Only Receive a Small Benefit
The pension account balances of the 14 percent of licensed
boxers who qualify to receive benefits are very small. Table 2
shows different ranges of vested boxers’ account balances by
age group and by the number of vested boxers within each
range. Of the 19 vested boxers age 50 or older, 16 have account
balances between $5,000 and $15,000. As discussed in the
Introduction, the growth of an individual account depends on
the allocated amount of pension contributions, forfeitures, and
net investment earnings. Contributions are allocated annually
to boxers based on the proportion of each boxer’s total eligible
rounds and purses relative to the total eligible rounds and
purses for the year. When a vested boxer stops fighting, these
contributions end, and additional account growth depends on
forfeitures and net investment earnings.
TABLE 2
Vested Boxers Have Small Account Balances in Their Individual Pension Accounts
Vested Boxers’ Age as of December 31, 2003
Vested Boxers’ Total Number
Account Balances 20–24 25–29 30–34 35–39 40–44 45–49 50–54 of Vested Boxers
$0 0 0 0 3 0 4 1* 8
$1–$100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
$101–$1,000 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1
$1,001–$5,000 4 24 46 60 33 3 0 170
$5,001–$10,000 0 2 8 39 85 55 11 200
$10,001–$15,000 0 1 2 4 21 21 5 54
$15,001–$20,000 0 0 0 0 3 7 1 11
$20,001+ 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 4
Totals 4 (4) 27 (22) 57 (15) 107 (2) 144 (1) 90 (1) 19 448†
Source: The plan administrator’s pension plan records.
Note: Number in parentheses represents the number of boxers vested under the current plan (since May 1996).
*This boxer is deceased and a death benefit was paid.
† The correct number of vested boxers should be 436 because 18 boxers out of the 448 should not have been vested and another
six should have been vested.
1166 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 1177
Benefits From the Current Plan May Exceed the
Promised Benefits From the Original Plan
Business and Professions Code, Section 18880, states that the
intent of establishing a pension plan was to “insure a modicum
(small or moderate) amount of financial security for professional
boxers.” Although the original plan guaranteed a specified
small pension, the current plan bases the amount of each
vested boxer’s pension on the boxer’s individual account. The
original plan provided for a defined benefit of $2 per month per
round fought at age 65. It also provided for a reduced benefit
for an early retirement that would have amounted to 80 cents
per month per round fought beginning at age 55, the age that
boxers collect their retirement under the current plan. Under the
original plan and at 80 cents per month per round fought, boxers
currently at age 50 to 54 would have qualified for a pension
benefit of $98 per month or $1,176 per year, as shown in Table 3.
TABLE 3
Vested Boxers Between Age 50 and 54 in December 2003
Will Likely Receive a Greater Benefit Under the Current Plan
Average Monthly Average Annual Average Dollars
Benefit Payment Benefit Payment Per Round
Original plan $ 98 $1,176 $0.80
Current plan 170 2,040 1.39
Source: Auditor’s projection based on boxers’ total rounds fought by the end of 2003.
For the 18 vested boxers between the ages of 50 and 54 with
account balances shown in Table 2, the current plan records
indicate they fought 123 rounds on average and at the end of
plan year 2003 had an average account balance of $11,006.
To determine if they are likely to be able to receive the same
pension benefit under the current plan as they would have
under the original one, we assumed that each of the boxers’
accounts would continue to grow at a 10 percent annual rate
due to a combination of net investment earnings and forfeitures
until the boxer is age 55. This is the average rate their accounts
have grown since the inception of the current plan. For
example, the account for one boxer within this group increased
from $5,186 in 1996 to $11,142 in 2003, a compounded rate
of increase of 10 percent. The increase comprised $4,016 in
1166 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 1177
net investment earnings and $1,939 in forfeitures. Assuming
a 5 percent return on an annuity after retirement, the current
plan would give the average 55-year-old vested boxer a pension
benefit of $170 per month for 10 years, or $1.39 per month per
round fought, which exceeds the 80-cent rate of the original
plan as shown in Table 3.
Our assumption of a 10-year life after retirement is conservative
based on a March 1994 memo from a former executive officer
of the commission to its actuary, which states that the United
States Abstract Publication (1991 Edition) mortality table that
projects life expectancy for an individual’s birth year shows an
individual born in 1970 will live 61.3 years.2
Boxers’ Account Balances Primarily Depend on Investment
Gains to Grow
From the inception of the current plan on May 1, 1996, to
December 31, 2003, the long-term investment account balance
grew by $1.52 million in total, a compound growth rate of
8 percent. These investment gains were supplemented by other
gains including interest from deposits in the state treasurer’s
pooled money investment program and $51,000 in pension
contributions the pension plan administrator did not allocate
to boxers who fought during the year as pension contributions
should have been allocated. However, as shown in Table 4,
administrative costs reduced the amount of these earnings
allocable to boxers to $1.48 million.
According to the plan administrator’s reports, the total
administration cost between 1996 and 2003 was $432,000. The
investment earnings net of administrative costs are allocated
to all boxers with account balances. Pension contributions
totaling $480,000 were allocated during this same time period to
boxers who fought during the year. Thus, pension contributions
represent only one-fourth of the increases posted to the account
balances of all boxers. In addition, individual account balances
were reduced by $550,000 for distributions to boxers for refunds
of amounts related to the original plan and other purposes
authorized for the current plan.
2 According to a former executive officer, this statistic is for Blacks and other ethnic
groups, the ethnicities of most California boxers.
1188 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 1199
TABLE 4
Net Investment Earnings Were Primarily Responsible for
Boxers’ Account Increases From 1996 Through 2003
Description Amount
Boxer account balances on 05/01/1996 $1,980,000*
Net investment earnings allocated to boxers’ accounts
(investment earnings less administrative costs) 1,480,000
Pension contributions allocated to active boxers’ accounts 480,000
Distributions made from boxer accounts (550,000)
Boxer account balances on 12/31/2003 $3,390,000
Source: The plan administrator’s pension plan records.
*Amount includes balance of the refund account, which represents contributions to the
original plan by boxers who had not vested when that plan was changed. The plan
administrator’s records show that two-thirds of the funds in this account were refunded
to unvested boxers and the remaining one-third were forfeited and allocated to boxers’
accounts in three equal installments from 1999 through 2001.
Payments for Administrative Costs Far Exceed
Benefit Payments to Boxers
During the four-year period from 2001 through 2004, payments
for administrative costs were six times higher than the benefit
payments to boxers. Table 5 on the following page provides
the total payments for administrative costs and benefits
from 2001 through 2004. Over this time period payments
for administrative costs totaled $227,000 and payments for
benefits distributed to boxers totaled $36,000. The pension
plan administrative costs included payments related to a
contract with a pension consultant for about $30,000 a year and
the commission’s share of administrative costs.
It is also unlikely that boxers will receive more in benefits than
payments to administer the pension plan on a consistent basis
in the near future. If all of the 18 vested boxers with an account
balance (shown in Table 2) currently between the ages of 50 and
54 are paid a lump-sum distribution of their estimated account
balances at age 55, we anticipate the benefit distributions will
not exceed $14,000 for 2004, $17,000 for 2005, $58,000 for
2006, $113,000 for 2007, and $81,000 for 2008.
1188 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 1199
TABLE 5
Payments for the Pension Plan Administrative Costs
Far Exceeds Benefits Paid to Boxers
Year Administrative Cost Payments Benefits Payments
2001 $ 66,843 $ 4,279
2002 63,311 17,690
2003 75,155 13,861
2004 21,640 0
Totals $226,949 $35,830*
Source: Department of Consumer Affairs’ accounting records.
* According to the plan administrator’s records, there were no normal retirement benefits
paid during this period and most of the payments were related to vocational education
early retirement.
However, benefit payments are unlikely to reach these annual
amounts for a number of reasons. First, while the anticipated
benefit distributions were $14,000 for 2004, the actual benefit
distributions were zero, as shown in Table 5. Second, six of the
436 actually vested boxers have a date of death recorded in
the pension plan administrator’s record, and their beneficiaries
have not yet claimed a death benefit to which they are currently
entitled; thus, it is uncertain if beneficiaries will claim these
accounts or the accounts will be forfeited to other boxers. Third,
according the commission’s assistant chief inspector, he only
sends annual statements to boxers licensed within the last
two years. Since none of the 18 boxers has fought since 1996,
it is possible they have not received a statement in a number
of years, may not claim their retirement benefits, and may not
be locatable since the commission does not know if it has a
current address for them. According to Title 4, Section 405 (d)
of the California Code of Regulations (regulations), if a vested
boxer has not made a claim for his or her pension by age 58, the
account balance is reallocated to other boxers.
The boxers’ account
balances of $3.39 million
THE COMMISSION HAS MANY PROBLEMS WITH ITS
could have been higher
DAY-TO-DAY ADMINISTRATION OF THE BOXERS’
had the commission
PENSION PLAN
fully exercised its legal
authority to maximize The boxers’ account balances of $3.39 million could have been
contributions to the higher had the commission fully exercised its legal authority
current plan. to maximize contributions to the current plan, promptly
deposited receipts from boxing contests, and remitted pension
2200 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 2211
contributions to the pension fund account within the State
Treasury in a timely manner. Moreover, the commission needs
to periodically review boxers’ eligibility status and account
balances to ensure that the pension plan administrator correctly
determines boxers’ eligibility and account balances.
The Commission Has Not Followed Applicable Laws to
Maximize Pension Plan Assets
The commission has not met the minimum funding level
for the boxers’ pension plan as required by law. Existing law
requires it to collect contributions in an amount sufficient to
finance the boxers’ pension plan. The law further provides
that sufficient means “no less than the average level of annual
aggregate pension plan contributions from all sources for the
period from July 1, 1981, through December 31, 1994, and
adjusted thereafter to reflect changes in the Consumer Price
Index applicable to California as set forth by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics.” According to the former chair of the commission
who was also instrumental in crafting the pension plan rules
and legislation, “[statutes] includes a typographical error,
stating that the period is from July 1, 1981. The agreement
upon enactment of AB 2560 (1996) was to take the three fiscal
year period prior to 1994 as the benchmark (July 1, 1991 to
June 30 1992), and the next two such fiscal years, with the total
A March 1996 memo for fiscal year 1993–94 as calculated by December 1994.” Based
from the Consumer on a March 1996 memo from the Department of Consumer
Affairs legal office to the Affairs (Consumer Affairs) legal office to the then executive
then executive officer of officer of the commission documenting an agreement reached
the commission stated between a boxing industry representative and the former chair
the agreed-upon base of the commission, the agreed-upon base amount would be
amount to fund the $95,000. However, according to the current acting executive
current plan would be officer, the pension consultant informed the commission
$95,000 per year. through numerous presentations that the minimum
contribution base was established at $92,000 per calendar year.
However, we believe the March 1996 legal office memo is the
more reliable source for the intended minimum contribution in
1996. Although the commission increased the ticket assessment
to 88 cents per ticket in July 1999, it only met the target in one
of nine years and has undercollected by a total of $300,000, as
shown in Table 6 on the following page.
If the commission had been able to collect pension contributions
from fights on tribal land, the undercollection would have
been less. Nothing in the law precludes the commission from
adjusting the ticket assessment to raise pension contributions.
2200 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 2211
The commission could have raised the ticket assessment from
88 cents per ticket to an amount that would yield the desired
result, but it did not. If the commission would have collected an
additional $300,000 from either boxing shows on tribal land or
from a higher ticket assessment, the average monthly benefit for
each retired boxer of $170 per month would have increased to
$185 per month.
TABLE 6
The Commission Met the Minimum Funding
Requirement in Only One Out of Nine Years
Target Contributions Percent of
Year Contributions Reported* Variance Variance
1996†‡ $ 63,333 $ 43,954 $ (19,379) (31%)
1997 97,291 48,620 (48,671) (50)
1998 99,099 46,021 (53,078) (54)
1999 101,812 37,858 (63,954) (63)
2000 105,368 71,038 (34,330) (33)
2001 109,226 79,318 (29,908) (27)
2002 111,336 74,047 (37,289) (33)
2003 113,687 127,397 13,710 12
2004 116,339 89,051 (27,288) (23)
Totals $917,489 $617,304 $(300,185) (33%)
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and State Athletic Commission pension plan
annual reports.
* Contributions reported by the boxers’ pension fund differ from contributions reported
on boxing inspector reports due to beginning and end of year timing differences.
† The base amount for 1996 is $95,000. For 1997 and each year thereafter, we adjusted
the target contributions using the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index
for the west urban region.
‡ 1996 was a partial year because the current pension plan was established on May 1, 1996
($95,000 times 8/12 = $63,333).
Administrative Shortcomings Resulted in Untimely Recording
of Pension Contributions, Inaccurate Reporting of Boxers’
Eligibility Status, and Incorrect Account Balances
The commission performs its administrative duties related to
the boxers’ pension fund slowly and inaccurately. We found
problems with untimely depositing of incoming checks to
the Consumer Affairs bank account, remittances of pension
contributions to the boxers’ pension fund, and production of
2222 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 2233
accurate eligible round and purse information; missing boxing
contest documents needed to support contribution allocations
to boxers; and various errors in determining boxers’ eligibility
and allocation of amounts to boxers’ accounts.
The commission was very slow to deposit checks it received
from boxing contests into the Consumer Affairs bank account.
The State Administrative Manual, Section 8032.1, requires state
entities to deposit receipts within 10 working days. Four checks
the commission received from boxing contests in November
and December 2004 were not deposited until March 2005, based
on our review. The four checks included pension contributions
of $8,413 collected in 2004 but not allocable to boxers’ accounts
until 2005 because of the delay. Consumer Affairs also shares our
concern with these delays. In early March 2005, its accounting
staff found 256 checks in the commission’s office totaling
$354,351. In a March 27, 2005, response to address Consumer
Affairs’ concerns, the acting executive officer proposed new
procedures to deposit checks on a weekly basis. Further,
according to the acting executive officer, he requested that
Consumer Affairs provide temporary assistance in preparing
deposits. Consumer Affairs agreed to this effective May 23, 2005,
according to the assistant chief inspector.
Not only is the commission slow to deposit checks into
As of December 31, 2004, the Consumer Affairs bank account, it is also slow to remit the
the boxers’ pension pension contributions from the Consumer Affairs bank account
fund still had not to the boxers’ pension fund in the State Treasurer’s Office. As
received $31,116 of of December 31, 2004, the boxers’ pension fund still had not
the $95,178 pension received $31,116 of the $95,178 pension contributions reported
contributions reported on the 2004 boxing inspector’s reports. The timely identification
on the 2004 boxing and remittance of pension contributions is complicated by
inspector’s reports. pension contributions being included along with other fees paid
by the promoters in a single check related to the boxing show.
Business and Professions Code, Section 18882 (b), requires that
all pension contributions be deposited and then remitted to the
State Treasurer’s Office to the credit of the boxers’ pension fund.
The pension fund earns interest from the money as soon as it is
remitted to the State Treasurer’s Office but no interest is earned
while it sits in the Consumer Affairs bank account. Additionally,
because the boxers’ pension fund had not received $31,116
by December 31, 2004, its pension plan administrator did not
allocate these contributions to boxers’ accounts, which ultimately
resulted in lower individual account balances for 2004.
2222 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 2233
The commission also has difficulty keeping current in
entering accurate boxers’ eligible rounds and purse data into
the electronic spreadsheet it provides to its pension plan
administrator at the end of each calendar year for the allocation
of pension contributions, forfeitures, and net investment
earnings to boxers. As of May 2005, the commission had not
yet provided the 2004 spreadsheet to its pension administrator
because errors identified by the acting executive officer had not
been corrected. Without the eligible rounds and purse data,
the pension plan administrator cannot perform the allocation
for 2004, update eligibility status, or prepare the pension plan
annual report, which is why we are unable to report on boxers’
eligibility status and pension account balances for 2004.
In addition, the commission does not always maintain adequate
supporting documents for boxing contests. It could not provide
the supervisor’s report and payoff sheet for four of 40 boxing
contests that we sampled. The supervisor’s report includes the
boxers’ names, California license numbers, and number of
rounds fought. The payoff sheet records purse amounts paid
to each boxer. Without these reports, the commission cannot
ensure that rounds and purse data from the four boxing contests
are correctly posted to the electronic spreadsheets.
Lastly, the pension plan administrator does not always correctly
determine a boxer’s eligibility status and therefore does not
always correctly allocate pension contributions, forfeitures, and
net investment earnings to the appropriate boxers. For example,
the pension plan administrator erroneously determined
18 boxers were eligible for vesting even though they had not yet
fought at least 75 rounds as required by Section 405 (a) of the
The pension plan regulations. On the other hand, the plan administrator failed
administrator erroneously to take into account pre-May 1996 eligible rounds, as required
determined 18 boxers by the regulations, Section 405 (e), and erroneously determined
were eligible for vesting six boxers were not vested. We also found the commission gave
even though they had credit to at least eight boxers for ineligible rounds and purses
not yet fought at least related to private contests or contests on tribal land for which
75 rounds. it collected no pension contributions. As a result, allocations
were incorrect by an indeterminable amount. In addition, the
pension plan administrator did not record in the boxer’s account
one of the eight distributions we tested. As a result, the boxer’s
account, which should have a balance of zero, instead has a
balance of $1,118. Had the commission periodically reviewed
boxers’ eligibility status and account balances, these errors might
have been detected.
2244 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 2255
RECOMMENDATIONS
The Legislature may want to reconsider the need for a pension
plan for retired professional boxers since so few boxers annually
meet the current criteria of a professional boxer.
If the Legislature decides to continue the boxers’ pension plan,
we recommend the following steps:
• If the commission believes the current vesting criteria is
excluding professional boxers for which the pension plan was
intended, the commission could consider eliminating the
break in service requirement and/or reducing from four to
three the number of calendar years that a boxer must fight.
• To increase the likelihood that vested boxers are locatable for
benefit distribution after they turn age 55, the commission
should mail an annual pension statement to all vested boxers.
• To maximize pension fund assets, the commission should do
the following:
· Raise the ticket assessment to meet targeted pension
contributions as required by law.
· Promptly remit pension contributions from Consumer
Affairs bank account to the boxers’ pension fund.
• To ensure receipts are deposited in a timely manner, the
commission should do the following:
· Implement the corrective action proposed by the acting
executive officer to Consumer Affairs related to ensuring
timely deposit of checks.
· Require promoters to remit pension fund contributions
on checks separate from other boxing show fees so that
deposits of checks and subsequent remittances to the
boxers’ pension fund are not delayed.
• To ensure boxers’ information concerning eligibility status
and pension account balances are accurate, the commission
should do the following:
· Retain all official documents from each boxing contest.
2244 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 2255
· Immediately work with the pension plan administrator
to correct errors related to boxers’ eligibility status and
account balances.
· Periodically review a sample of newly vested and pending
boxers, and verify their eligibility status and pension
account balances.
We conducted this review under the authority vested in the California State Auditor by
Section 8543 et seq. of the California Government Code and according to generally accepted
government auditing standards. We limited our review to those areas specified in the audit
scope section of this report.
Respectfully submitted,
ELAINE M. HOWLE
State Auditor
Date: July 28, 2005
Staff: Philip Jelicich, CPA, Deputy State Auditor
Sheryl Liu-Philo, CPA
Jenner Holden
Katrina Williams
2266 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 2277
Agency’s comments provided as text only.
State and Consumer Services Agency
Office of the Secretary
915 Capitol Mall, Suite 200
Sacramento, CA 95814
July 12, 2005
Elaine Howle, State Auditor*
Bureau of State Audits
555 Capitol Mall, Suite 300
Sacramento, CA 95814
Dear Ms. Howle:
We are forwarding the response prepared by the California State Athletic Commission to the
Bureau of State Audits’ Report No. 2004-134 entitled, State Athletic Commission: The Current
Boxers’ Pension Plan Benefits Only a Few and Is Poorly Administered. The California State Athletic
Commission is an independent commission within the Department of Consumer Affairs. A copy of
the response is also included on the enclosed diskette.
If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact me at
(916) 653-4090.
Sincerely,
(Signed by: Fred Aguiar)
Fred Aguiar, Secretary
Enclosures
* California State Auditor’s comment appears on page 31.
2266 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 2277
Agency’s comments provided as text only.
California State Athletic Commission
1424 Howe Avenue, Suite 33
Sacramento, CA 95825-3217
July 11, 2005
Elaine M. Howle, State Auditor
Bureau of State Audits
555 Capitol Mall, Suite 300
Sacramento, California 95814
Dear Mrs. Howle,
Enclosed you will find our Commission’s response to your report, titled “State Athletic Commission:
The Current Boxers’ Pension Plan Benefits Only a Few and is Poorly Administered”.
Please feel free to contact me at anytime.
Sincerely,
(Signed by: Armando Garcia)
ARMANDO GARCIA
Executive Officer
Enclosures
2288 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 2299
RESPONSE TO RECOMMENDATIONS
The Legislature may want to reconsider the need for a pension plan for retired professional boxers
since so few boxers annually meet the current criteria of a professional boxer.
1. If the Legislature decides to continue the boxer’s pension plan, we recommend the
following steps:
If the commission believes the current vesting criteria is excluding professional boxers
for which the pension plan was intended, the commission should consider eliminating the
break in service requirement and/or reducing from four to three the number of calendar
years that a boxer must fight.
An analysis was conducted through our Employee Benefits Attorney (See attached). The analysis
revealed the following:
1
If the break in service requirement were eliminated, an additional 2,014 boxers would enter
the pending category. This means that the funds available to all boxers who are eligible for
disbursement would greatly decrease.
This change is not recommended.
If the requirement of four (4) years of activity were decreased to three (3) years, an additional three
(3) boxers would enter the plan.
I recommend that that we change the activity requirement from four (4) years to (3) three years.
Moving forward, I will work with the Commission and the Department of Consumer Affairs to review
the present eligibility disbursement requirements. The effort’s goal is to establish a clearer criteria
and give consideration to a boxer’s ring age, i.e. actual age, number of years boxing, total actual
number of rounds fought, number of times knocked out, number of times suspended, etc.
2. To maximize the pension fund assets, the commission should do the following:
Raise the ticket assessment to meet the targeted pension contributions from its bank
account to the boxer’s pension fund.
The Commission will work with the Employee Benefits Attorney to conduct an analysis of the impact
of maintaining or raising the contribution.
Promptly remit pension contributions from its bank account to the boxer’s pension fund.
A strong effort, that includes a monitoring of progress, is being made to accomplish this.
1
2288 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 2299
3. To ensure receipts are deposited in a timely manner, the commission should do the
following:
Implement the corrective action proposed by the acting executive officer to the Department
of Consumer Affairs related to ensuring timely deposit of checks.
An MOU between the Commission and the Department of Consumer Affairs has been let to have
an employee come in to the Sacramento office for four (4) hours on a weekly basis to work on
cashiering.
Additionally, cashiering training for the Commission staff is planned for the very near future.
4. Require promoters to remit pension fund contributions on checks separate from other
boxing show fees so that deposit of checks and subsequent remittances to the boxer’s
pension fund are not delayed.
A letter to all promoters is being drafted to inform them of new procedures and to confirm existing
ones. The letter will go out by August 1, 2005 and will include this requirement.
5. To ensure boxer’s information concerning eligibility status and pension account balances
are accurate, the commission should do the following:
Retain all official documents of each boxing contest.
This is currently now being done. A monitoring of the progress has also been established.
Immediately work with the pension plan administrator to correct errors related to boxers’
eligibility status and account balances.
This is currently now being done. A monitoring of the progress has also been established.
Periodically sample a few newly vested and pending boxers and review their eligibility status
and pension account balances.
This will also be done and monitored.
Cal State Athletic Commission Boxers pension plan
This is a summary of the status changes given two separate changes to the pension plan: Changing
the eligibility for Covered status from 4-years to 3-years, and eliminating the BIS completely.
3-year
Status Existing requirement No BIS
C/B covered with break 397 400 0
C covered 43 49 454
B break 1973 1970 0
P pending 757 751 2771
2
3300 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 3311
COMMENT
California State Auditor’s Comment
on the Response From the California
State Athletic Commission
To provide clarity and perspective, we are commenting on
the State Athletic Commission’s (commission) response to
our audit. The number below corresponds to the number
we have placed in its response.
1
We agree that increasing the number of vested boxers will
decrease the amount of assets available to each vested boxer’s
account balance. If the commission believes that all boxers for
which the pension plan was intended are currently vesting,
it need not change the vesting criteria. However, if the
commission believes any of the vesting criteria are excluding
boxers for which the pension plan was intended, it should
modify the overly restrictive criterion. When evaluating the
break in service requirement, the commission should consider
our analysis on page 15, which shows that since the defined
contribution plan was established, 10 boxers per year would
have vested, if both the break in service and the minimum
number of years requirements were eliminated. The commission’s
statement that 2,014 boxers would enter the pending category
is not critical to a decision regarding vesting criteria since so few
pending boxers ever vest. For example, the plan administrator’s
record shows only 58 of the 2,014 boxers fought during 2003.
Thus, very few pending boxers are making progress toward
meeting any type of professional boxer vesting criteria.
3300 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 California State Auditor Report 2004-134 3311
cc: Members of the Legislature
Office of the Lieutenant Governor
Milton Marks Commission on California State
Government Organization and Economy
Department of Finance
Attorney General
State Controller
State Treasurer
Legislative Analyst
Senate Office of Research
California Research Bureau
Capitol Press
3322 California State Auditor Report 2004-134