Cruz And Rosen Introduce Boxing Revival Act To Senate

Senators Ted Cruz and Jacky Rosen introduced the Muhammad Ali Boxing Revival Act to the Senate on Thursday, aiming to bring UFC-style promotion to professional boxing.

The bipartisan measure, as MMA Fighting first reported, would establish United Boxing Organizations that could sign fighters to exclusive contracts, create promotional rankings, and award titles. A separate version already cleared the House in March, but the Senate bill includes several key changes that must be reconciled before the measure reaches President Donald Trump's desk.

What The Senate Version Changes

Under the Senate draft, a fighter's first contract with a UBO would max out at three years. Subsequent deals could run six years, and fighters could negotiate renewals up to 90 days before expiration — triple the 30-day window in the House version. The Senate bill also lets UBOs recognize titles and rankings from existing sanctioning bodies and scraps a provision that would have capped each weight class at one championship.

Rosen told ESPN her team met with Nico Ali Walsh, the late champion's grandson, before filing the Senate version. Walsh testified against the House bill in April, warning it would undermine the original Ali Act's separation of promotion and management. "The Ali Act was built on a simple principle," Walsh said at the hearing. "The people controlling fighters should not also control the entire marketplace those fighters depend on."

Both chambers have until January to merge the two bills or the November elections will reset the legislative clock. If the Senate passes its version, the law would take effect 180 days after Trump signs it — a longer runway than the House's 30-day provision.

Photo: U.S. Government / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Original reporting:

• mmafighting.com — Senators Ted Cruz, Jacky Rosen introduce Muhammad Ali Boxing Revival Act to Senate with new provisions from House version | MMA Fighting