Heavyweight in Missouri sports

In some way or another, Tim Lueckenhoff has always been involved with sports.

He's currently the executive director of the Missouri Office of Athletics and the president of the Association of Boxing Commissions, which serves the United States and Canada.

He said the Office of Athletics regulates professional wrestling, professional boxing, mixed martial arts, and cage fighting, as well as other forms of martial arts, like kickboxing and muay thai.

"We license all the fighters and the office appoints all of the officials, judges, referees and timekeepers," Lueckenhoff said. "We also license the promoter and the matchmaker."

He said the office is funded through license fees, as well as through a 5 percent athletic tax on event gate fees.

Lueckenhoff has worked for the state for nearly 23 years. He's a graduate of Helias Catholic High School and graduated with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Lincoln University in 1986. Prior to attending Lincoln University, he played football and attended classes at Central Missouri State University (now University of Central Missouri) for two years.

After college graduation, he worked as a road deputy for the Sheriff's Department for less than five years before joining the state as an investigator with the Real Estate Commission. He started in his current position in 1995.

"I've always been a fan of boxing," Lueckenhoff said. "But I mainly learned this job from being in this building, and by some trial and error. I knew the guy in this position before me."

Lueckenhoff said that on the weekends he attends fighting events all over the state.

"This is really a 24/7 job," Lueckenhoff said of his position with the state. "It's amazing how the business has changed."

He said when he first started as executive

director, most events were held throughout the week.

"Weekends were unheard of," he said.

When he's able, his position with the Association of Boxing Commissions allows him to travel out of state. He's been president of the association for 12 years.

The association consists of state, tribal, city and provincial athletic commissions in the United States and Canada.

"Our goal there is to bring about standardized regulation of the sport and to promote the health, safety and welfare of the fighters," Lueckenhoff said.

The association has databases listing where fighters have fought and who is suspended because of injury.

Lueckenhoff said fighters get upset when they're told they cannot fight because of health reasons, but it's the association's and the commissions' jobs to regulate that.

"We use common sense, and make the decisions based on each individual fighter," Lueckenhoff said.

When he isn't working, Lueckenhoff enjoys refereeing high school football and basketball games and he enjoys fishing.

"I actually had the opportunity to referee state champion football games a couple of years ago," he said.