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Paul Smith says the lack of care and protection for boxers “is not surprising anymore” and that the Global Fighters Association (GFA) will bring support to fighters.
Much like the Professional Footballers’ Association, the GFA aims to introduce a framework where financial support and adequate aftercare is offered to athletes. Retired middleweight Smith – brother to active British fighters Liam and Callum Smith – is one of the group’s founding members alongside the likes of Amir Khan.
The need to provide a support framework and give fighters access which other sports offer is “critical” and has never been needed more, according to the GFA. Boxing and MMA are the only two sports without recognised union representation.
“There’s not enough care, there’s not enough protection for fighters, after boxing there’s no pension funds in place, there’s no insurance, there’s no healthcare,” Smith said. “Contractually it’s a minefield and boxers need a bit of protection like in any other sport. The sad part about it is that it comes to the stage where it’s not surprising anymore. It should never be that way at all.”
Co-founder Martin O’Shea said: “The timing of this is critical, it’s never been needed more. We realised that if we built the right team then the timing for this wouldn’t be better because of the need for it and its popularity was reaching levels where it would be unsustainable for working practices to continue in this way.”
This year will see more eyes drawn to the boxing world, with Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol’s rematch in February and Natasha Jonas vs Lauren Price headlining in March. The GFA wants to work alongside stakeholders and promoters in an effort to “educate” and maximise future fighter support.
“We at the GFA would like to educate stakeholders and bring them along with us,” the acting general secretary Paul Maloney said. O’Shea added: “[The promoter] Ben Shalom has been supportive and generally there’s an acceptance that there is a need for this and it’s gone on long enough. If they’re going to benefit by more people coming through the ranks in better shape and making their families more secure, then who will oppose that?”
