New York State Legalizes Boxing 1920
The Walker Law, adopted in the state of New York under the leadership of James J. Walker, the state senate speaker, was the first significant U.S. legislation concerning the sport of boxing. The bill made professional boxing legal in New York, and its set of boxing regulations, largely drafted by William Gavin, an English promoter, served as a model for similar legislation in other states. The New York State Athletic Commission was also founded under the statute, which has remained autonomous and continues to publish its own list of world boxing champions.