RALEIGH, N.C. -- With the excitement over the UFC coming to Raleigh next month, there are growing concerns if fights are going to be sanctioned in North Carolina.
Tickets sales for UFC's first event in Raleigh are already underway.
However, the chair of the North Carolina Boxing Commission Valerie Dorsett says no permits for boxing events in 2020 have been given out yet.
"We have not received a budget slash funding that we need to operate with," Dorsett said Friday. "We have not received that yet and as of right now, not sure when we are going to get that."
It's an ongoing issue.
Triangle promoter Don Rodger has until December 15 to secure a permit for his event scheduled in Durham in February or he loses his deposit.
He says he has reached out for help to no avail.
"As a promoter when you are losing this kind of money, it's a big hit and then at this point in time, we can't even reschedule our event because there is nobody to take the permits," Rodger says.
N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore's says office says non-partisan fiscal staff reports $67,539 in recurring yearly funds were provided to the commission to hire a staff.
They report funding transferred with the Boxing Authority when it became housed within the Department of Commerce beginning October 1.
A spokesman for Senate leader Phil Berger says there is currently $55,000 to fill an admin specialist position, but it has not yet been filled.
However, the commission chair says going forward with business as usual is not an option right now.
"That's why we don't have a staff," Dorsett said. "We don't have money to hire anyone. The amount that was transferred was very little."
A spokeswoman for PNC Arena says UFC must have a permit before the event takes place on January 25.
A spokesperson for Governor Cooper said, "This is another example of Republican legislators crafting backroom legislation that doesn’t work and then skipping town. Agencies are required to follow the law and legislators must take action to ensure that the boxing commission can function as intended."
The following statement was issued by the North Carolin Department of Commerce.
The Legislature decided to change how the sport of boxing is regulated in North Carolina, passing HB 99 in August. However, so far the legislature has not funded its newly formed Boxing Commission. So, to be clear: No funds from the old organizational structure were moved to support the new Commission.
As we’ve mentioned before, while this new Boxing Commission was transferred to the Department of Commerce from an administrative standpoint, the law makes clear Commerce has no oversight role over the new Commission and its regulation of the sport.
According to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety regarding the Boxing Commission and funding, "the only statutory authority for ALE relevant to the Boxing Commission would be to investigate a complaint or referral of criminal activity pursuant to Session Law 2019-203 (HB99). No funds were appropriated to ALE as the Boxing Authority. The only funding available to ALE, as the former Boxing Authority were fees collected pursuant to G.S. 143-655."