PIERRE -- South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard has appointed five people to serve on a new state athletic commission that will regulate boxing, kickboxing and mixed martial arts.
The Legislature created the commission after supporters said it is needed because unregulated matches often are conducted without proper rules, referees, testing or medical personnel.
The five commissioners appointed by the governor are: Michael Bergeron of Sioux Falls, a professor at the University of South Dakota's Sanford School of Medicine; orthopedic surgeon Richard M. Little of Sturgis; Michael Kilmer of Belle Fourche, a professional boxing coach with years of experience in boxing and martial arts; Margaret Gillespie of Hudson, a lawyer and former state legislator; and Lee Lohoff of Yankton, a lawyer who became a hand-to-hand combat instructor in the National Guard.