Imago
Credits: IMAGO
Imago
Credits: IMAGO
A bill bearing Muhammad Ali’s name, backed by Dana White, is facing its most significant opponent yet: Ali’s own grandson. Just last month, the new Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act, backed by the UFC CEO and its parent company, the TKO Group, was passed in the US House of Representatives. Now, the bill will move to the Senate for final consideration before President Donald Trump signs it into law. However, Nico Ali Walsh, the grandson of Muhammad Ali, has now formed an alliance with 30 others from the boxing fraternity to prevent that from happening.
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“In response to pending legislation to amend the existing Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act (‘the Ali Act’), enacted in the year 2000, more than 30 key members and organizations in the community of professional boxing and prizefighting have come together to form the Ali Act Preservation Alliance,” a press release from Walsh read. “The Alliance exists for one purpose only: to protect the best interests of the fighters, who risk everything in the ring fighting for a chance at a better life for themselves and for their families.
“The existing Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act contains provisions that are critically important for the protection of boxers’ best interests, [including]: Prohibitions on Coercive Contracts, preventing boxers from the worst exploitation. Required Financial Disclosures, giving boxers the right to see what happens with the money. Prevention of Conflicts of Interest, putting firewalls between promoters and managers and promoters and championship/ranking sanctioning organizations.”
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It’s worth noting that if the bill is passed, Zuffa Boxing and other promotions can form UBOs—organizations that can exist outside of the protection of the Ali Act. This will allow the UBOs to form their own contracts, rankings, titles, title-fights, and determine payouts that fighters should get for each fight. The bill doesn’t necessarily modify what was previously present in the ‘Ali Act,’ which means boxers have the option to continue their career within the protections of the Ali Act as they have before the new bill was introduced.
“Mandatory disclosures by championship/ranking sanctioning organizations, including federal filings and monthly ratings and justifications of ratings changes. However, currently pending before the U.S. Senate, the so-called ‘Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act’ would permit certain promoters (called ‘Unified Boxing Organizations’) to control a boxer’s contract, plus the boxer’s access to championships and ratings. Result? Promoters controlling contracts, rankings, and titles equals no negotiating leverage for the UBO’s fighters,” the statement from the Alliance continued.
Press Release: the Ali Act Preservation Alliance pic.twitter.com/KawbrkhEcF
— Nico Ali Walsh (@nicoaliwalsh) April 9, 2026
The statement shared by Walsh further added that many within the industry argue that the existing Ali Act functions as an antimonopoly safeguard, preventing any single entity from gaining overarching control. As a result, boxing’s open-market system allows fighters to receive a significant share—often as much as 80%—of the sport’s revenues, while promoters absorb much of the financial risk. This stands in sharp contrast to mixed martial arts, where fighters are believed to receive less than 20% of overall earnings.
Critics label the act anti-labor, warning it would strip away key protections by allowing a new Unified Boxing Organization (UBO) to operate with broad autonomy. This structure would give the UBOs significant control over contracts, rankings, matchmaking, and title opportunities, effectively allowing them to function as a fully integrated entity that organizes its own fights and awards its own championship belts.
If enacted, the legislation would effectively allow the UBO to function as a fully integrated entity, all while acting as the sport’s primary promoter. Opponents contend that such a structure would fundamentally alter boxing’s landscape.
Perhaps most significantly, the alliance warns that the creation of separate championships outside the existing system could make it impossible to crown undisputed world champions in the future—an outcome many see as a major step backward for the sport rather than progress. The press release further highlighted a previous tweet from Walsh condemning the amendment to the original ‘Ali Act,’ as his stance against it:
“Equally important is to see the negative effect on fighters that anticompetitive behavior – of the type the proposed law could permit–can have in combative sports like boxing.”
To make its point, the press release highlighted the class action lawsuit against the UFC.
Nico Ali Walsh uses UFC’s past to highlight major concerns with amendments to the Ali Act
The press release points to the class action antitrust case Cung Le, et al. v. Zuffa, LLC, in which Judge Richard F. Boulware II outlined what he saw as serious competitive concerns within the UFC’s business model. He noted that “fighters were trapped by Zuffa’s exclusionary contracts and their restrictive terms,” which created a system where the promotion had “unfettered power and opportunity to suppress fighters’ compensation.”
The court ultimately concluded that the company’s conduct was anticompetitive, stating that the defendant “evinced a clear intent to acquire and maintain monopsony power.”
Beyond contractual control, the new alliance also points to the risks of allowing a promoter to dictate the structure of the sport itself. Zuffa’s support for limiting championships to just eight weight divisions could force fighters—especially outside the heavyweight class—to compete against significantly larger opponents.
According to the alliance, this poses a real safety concern, as fighters may either engage in extreme weight-cutting or face naturally heavier opponents, both of which have proven dangerous in recent cases. In its conclusion, the Ali Act Preservation Alliance urges lawmakers to reject the proposed legislation, framing it as an unjust carve-out.
The group argues that the so-called Boxing Revival Act undermines existing protections for fighters and betrays the legacy of Muhammad Ali, whose name is tied to the original law and who fought not only inside the ring but also for justice and civil rights outside of it.
World Boxing Council (WBC) has also voiced support for the alliance:
“The WBC supports Nico Ali Walsh and his statement regarding the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, reinforcing its commitment to protecting fighters and preserving the integrity of boxing.”
It appears Nico Ali Walsh continues to wage a war on the amendments to the Ali Act. However, thus far, all efforts appear to be unfruitful.
Written by
Edited by
Gokul Pillai