Muhammad Ali Boxing Revival Act stalls in Senate after criticism

The Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act hit a roadblock in the Senate after clearing the House in March, with critics arguing the bill would hand promoters UFC-style control over fighters and gut existing protections.

At an April 22 hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee, Oscar De La Hoya and Nico Ali Walsh, grandson of Muhammad Ali, told lawmakers the legislation would concentrate power in the hands of unified boxing organizations and restrict where boxers fight, how much they earn, and who covers their medical costs. "The coercive contracts will be coming back. All the things in the current Ali Act that protects fighters will be taken away," Ali Walsh said, per ESPN. He added that if the bill passed as written, his grandfather's name should be stripped from it.

Senate Commerce chair signals major revisions coming

Sen. Ted Cruz, the Texas Republican who chairs the Commerce Committee, said he is holding up the bill while he works on a new version. The House legislation passed by voice vote after breezing through committee 30-4, but the Senate hearings exposed deep divisions over the creation of unified boxing organizations as an alternative regulatory pathway. Under the House bill, a UBO could handle promotion, matchmaking, rankings, and sanctioning under one roof — a model similar to how the UFC operates — but critics say that setup would replicate the pay suppression practices fighters have accused the UFC of using.

Supporters of the legislation, including Association of Boxing Commissions president Tim Shipman and WWE president Nick Khan, argued the bill would establish mandatory health insurance and create uniform safety standards across state lines. Mike Tyson backed the measure in December, citing those health protections. But De La Hoya pressed the committee to require UBOs to pay for all fighter medical testing, a detail Cruz took under advisement.

The original Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act remains in place. Any Senate version would require negotiations with the House before a final bill could reach the president's desk.

Source: espn.com