Amir Khan’s trade union for combat sports, the Global Fighters’ Association, has hired top barrister Jonathan Caplan KC to lead an investigation into boxing and MMA.

The GFA is aiming to raise £500,000 through crowdfunding to complete its certification as a union and launch the three-month inquiry into the safety, governance and treatment of fighters in all combat sports.

Caplan, whose hourly rate for legal work is more than £500, is regarded as an expert on health and safety and regulatory justice inquiries, and will produce a report setting out what changes are needed to give fighters the same protections and rights as other athletes.

“Over the last decade or so, professional sports such as rugby, football and horse racing have raised their game when it comes to the welfare of the participants,” said GFA chair designate Simon Bazalgette. 

“They recognise that the brand of the sport increasingly depends on demonstrating that best-in-class welfare underpins any aspiration to grow the audience and the commercial value of the sport. 

“It is striking that combat sport is one of the last workplaces with no professional representation for its workers, meaning little protection, no minimum health and safety standard, no independent pension scheme, no insurance floor, and no single body a fighter can turn to when something goes wrong. 

“The GFA has been formed to rectify this, to help the sport create a stronger bond of trust with its participants and its audience, and thereby give a stronger foundation for growth.”

Ali Act moves ‘should be wake-up call’ for combat sports

British boxers Khan and Paul Smith set up the GFA in 2022 in response to concerns that fighters lacked protections against financial and health and safety risks. 

Their latest move comes amid efforts to amend the Ali Act in the US, which was established to afford more rights to combat sports participants. 

“What’s happening to the Ali Act in the US right now should be a wake-up call for every combat sport worker, everywhere,” said GFA Acting General Secretary Paul Maloney.

“It’s the one piece of legislation anywhere in the world that gives fighters a level of workplace protection, and it’s currently being rewritten in a way critics say favours the promoters and networks that already hold most of the power. 

“If it can be stripped back there, it can happen anywhere else that lacks its own independent, respected voice for fighters – which is exactly why the GFA exists.”