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The bid from UFC and WWE parent company TKO Group Holdings to create a new boxing venture could gain key legislative support as a bipartisan group of House of Representatives members has introduced a federal bill to establish a new framework for the sport separate from existing sanctioning bodies.
More than four months after TKO unveiled its plan to create a new boxing venture, the newly filed Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act seeks to create a parallel path in which other entities—including, but not limited to, TKO—can establish their own boxing efforts. Led by Rep. Brian Jack (R., Ga.) and Rep. Sharice Davids (D., Kans.), the proposed legislation calls for the formation of unified boxing organizations (UBOs) to provide an alternate path for boxing hopefuls.
“Boxing in America is dying, and most of the premier fights now happen overseas,” Jack tells Front Office Sports. “That presented a challenge, but also an opportunity, to address some of the issues within the sport and help return boxing to where it once was. I believe that the more people that enter this space, the greater the chance there is for boxing to flourish again.”
Unlike many other sports, Congress has direct oversight in boxing. Regulation began in the 1950s to help protect the sport from organized crime, and current federal laws are largely designed to ensure health and safety standards. The new bill would seek to update the Ali Reform Act of 2000 to create the UBOs, as well as establish a national minimum-payment structure of $150 per fighter, per round, for all pros, and provide better access to health insurance.
Hill Matters
While Jack and Davids introduced their bill Wednesday, and it is expected to be referred to committee-level review shortly, nothing substantive beyond that will happen on the proposed legislation until after Labor Day. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, seeking to avoid votes on the Jeffrey Epstein matter, adjourned the chamber early for its August recess, and after Wednesday, it will be out until September.
Once the legislators return, the boxing bill will be fighting for attention among many other matters. Jack, however, believes the bill can still break through and gain full consideration.
“This has bipartisan support, and I think there’s definitely an interest and appetite to move this forward,” he says.
The bill also has the support of Ali’s widow, Lonnie. Davids, meanwhile, has an MMA background, competing briefly as a professional before moving into politics.
“This is a thoughtful solution that preserves the original Ali Act of 2000, while providing boxers with more choices and opportunities, greater health and safety protections, and better pay for up-and-coming fighters,” TKO said in a statement.
Separately, UFC is also continuing its effort with U.S. President Donald Trump to bring a high-level MMA event to the White House grounds next year in conjunction with celebrations tied to the country’s 250th anniversary of its independence.
