A unanimous decision by City of North Vancouver council has ended its year-long experiment with regulating professional fighting.

The North Vancouver athletic commission, which would have sanctioned professional boxing, wrestling, mixed martial arts and other combat sports, was disbanded Monday without having staged a single event.

The vote does not affect amateur cards, but means prizefighting reverts to being illegal within the city.

The commission had been revived in July of 2009 at the request of Michael Pattenaude of the Canadian Boxing Federation, Jim Tessman of the International Sport Combat Federation and chiropractic doctor Philippe MacInnes.

The three North Vancouver men volunteered their services to draft new regulations, provide referees, enforce health and safety standards and keep professional fighters out of amateur events. They pitched the idea both as a means to “flush out” illegal prizefighting and to promote North Vancouver businesses.

Council approved a one-year trial by a 5-2 vote.

But the commission’s work was frustrated in March when city council cut its $2,000 annual budget. The commissioners said they were willing to continue as volunteers and eventually self-fund by charging fees to event promoters, but city staff said they couldn’t devote any time or energy to something council had dropped from its priorities.

“The bylaw is done; the terms of reference are done; the rules and regulations are done,” Pattenaude told councillors at a meeting Monday. “They’re all done and just waiting to go to the lawyers for approval.”

But all five councillors who voted for the one-year trial in 2009 seemed to have cooled on the idea.

“Having lived with this decision for a year, I’m less persuaded of the value of the commission,” Coun. Guy Heywood said. “In the past year of reflection on the likelihood of successful professional mixed martial arts in the city, I don’t see a good fit. I think it belongs in Vancouver, where it can get to the scale that it needs to.”

“I think it’s barbaric,” said Coun. Bob Fearnley, who opposed the commission from the outset. “Maybe other people like this sort of stuff. I don’t.”

“I do want to thank you on behalf of council for your efforts, even though it turns out it’s all for naught,” Coun. Rod Clark said to the commissioners.

Fighting for money is a crime under federal law unless the event is sanctioned by a local or provincial athletic commission.

Four Canadian provinces have such boards, but British Columbia’s provincial government opted to leave the matter for local governments to decide. Vancouver, Victoria, Richmond, Prince George and nine other B.C. communities have athletic commissions.

Vancouver staged its first mixed martial arts event in June. The sold-old event at GM Place was described as a success by the city, the promoters and the police.

balldritt@nsnews.com