Oscar De La Hoya is unhappy, and not without reason. The way events unfolded at the Washington, D.C. Senate hearing left a strong impression. Joining Nico Ali Walsh, the former world champion strongly contested the TKO-backed Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act. To De La Hoya, concerns about the process had already taken shape well ahead of the meeting.

“We walked into a buzzsaw,” he said in a video message. “It was crazy how Chairman Cruz, we met him beforehand, and all he can talk about was President Donald Trump, how-what a great time they had at the UFC event.”

For Oscar De La Hoya, that moment defined the trajectory. What followed inside the hearing only reinforced his concerns.

“The questions felt scripted; I mean, the corruption that I felt in the room was just disgusting,” he added.

Those sentiments carried into his comments shortly after the meeting concluded, reflecting his continued frustration with how the proceedings played out.

“My take on it today was very interesting,” he told a reporter. “Interesting because it felt like it felt like there was already a decision made beforehand.”

Despite that, the Olympic gold medalist hasn’t backed off his stance. He said he expects lawmakers to review the bill carefully and make changes that truly help fighters. He argued that the current Ali Act already protects fighters very well and does not need major changes.

Turning to Zuffa Boxing’s involvement, De La Hoya said they were trying to change the system for their own benefit. While some contracts may look helpful, he claimed, they actually benefit the company more than the fighters. He then warned that fighters might regret signing such deals over time. Overall, he said his focus remains on educating fighters and ensuring proper protection for them.

Nico Ali Walsh echoed that concern as well. He framed the situation in stark terms.

Ali Revival Act: Caught between doubt and pressure

“It’s a rug pull situation,” Muhammad Ali’s grandson told a reporter. “They come with empty promises of fixing health and safety, adding health and safety standards to boxing that no one can disagree with. You’ll never see me; you’ll never see Oscar or anyone who’s on the side of keeping or maintaining the original Ali Act—you’ll never see us saying no, we don’t want any new health and safety policies being added.”

“So they added those promises, but on the backend of things, they’re adding so much that’ll disrupt the sport, and it’ll monopolize the sport to one system… The cons outweigh the pros tremendously.”

While De La Hoya and Ali Walsh’s comments reflect their perspective, they also highlight the pushback surrounding the proposal. At the hearing, TKO was represented by its board member and the CEO of WWE, Nick Khan.

He presented a range of arguments favoring the Act. Pointing out that the Revival basically provided an “additional option for the fighter,” Khan insisted it will hardly affect boxing’s current structure.

“If the fighter wants to go into that, please feel free to sign with those promoters,” he stated. “If you want a chance to be something bigger over a shorter period of time, on a platform. We were able to secure a deal with Paramount. As I said, on a platform that has almost 80 million subscribers worldwide and has a network partner in CBS.”

“If you want that exposure, if you want trading card deals, if you want merchandise deals, if you want video game deals, of which the fighters would all participate financially. If you want all of that plus some more, come this way. If you don’t, that’s your choice.”

In that context, De La Hoya and Ali Walsh’s concerns highlight how the final decision could hinge on more than just the sport, as competing interests continue to shape the outcome.