TKO Group Holdings—the parent company of UFC and WWE—is on the verge of launching a new boxing league early next year, led by UFC president Dana White. In partnership with Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, they aim to revolutionize the sport along the same lines as the UFC, with their debut event set to be the blockbuster clash between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford on September 13. But the existing Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act does not allow them to do that. Well, thanks to representatives Brian Jack (R-Georgia) and Sharice Davids (D-Kansas), they now have a way around it.

The recently introduced Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act seeks to expand upon the existing Ali Act, paving the way for the creation of alternative sanctioning systems known as Unified Boxing Organizations (UBOs), like the one planned by the TKO Group. If passed, the bill would allow promoters to operate outside traditional sanctioning bodies, reshaping how titles, rankings, and matchmaking are handled. Yet despite the buzz surrounding the new league, not everyone is on board. Veteran promoter Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions has made it clear—he can’t imagine ever working with Dana White.

“I can’t see me and Dana work together. I just cannot see it,” Oscar told Ring Champs with Ak & Barak. It’s no secret that De La Hoya and White have long been at odds, exchanging verbal jabs for years through interviews and social media, fueling one of the most well-known feuds in combat sports. Still, Oscar added, “For purposes of making huge fights happen, I’m all for it. But look, I’m focusing on Golden Boy. I have my lane. I’m staying in my lane. I’m doing my business. I’m producing champions and fighters and, you know, these prospects, just building them.”

He noted that his partnership with Riyadh Season is simply “icing on top.” However, when asked about the possibility of unifying fighters under one promotional banner, like TKO is attempting to do, the 1992 Barcelona Olympic gold medalist pointed out the fundamental flaw in TKO’s vision for their new boxing league. “I feel that boxing is a fractured business… It’s so fragmented. You have promoters everywhere, all over the world,” he told Ak & Barak.

“Who knows, they might start TKO and try to take over the world. But guess what? A little promoter from Chihuahua, Mexico, will discover the next Canelo. And that is not under the umbrella. So, it’s almost impossible to control and bring under one umbrella.”

And it’s not just De La Hoya who is unthreatened by TKO’s entry into boxing.

Eddie Hearn doesn’t fear Dana White led boxing league

Matchroom Boxing head Eddie Hearn isn’t losing any sleep over Dana White’s boxing takeover. As the promotion prepares to launch the league, Hearn is pretty confident about his footing in the business. “If you back yourself — those guys, in my opinion, won’t be able to lace my boots in boxing promotion,” he told Uncrowned on The Ariel Helwani Show.

Hearn praised how UFC has done business, but claims boxing is a totally different landscape. “You have to sleep with one eye open every single night,” he said. He questioned how TKO will control boxing the way UFC has done with MMA. “I don’t think it’s possible.” Turning to the proposed amendments to the Ali Act, Hearn claims boxers are smart enough to see through it.

“The Ali Act is designed to defend the fighter and protect the fighter… for me, that’s something where a fighter would be going, ‘Hang on, the Ali Act is there to protect me. What do you want to change it for?’”

It appears that neither Oscar De La Hoya nor Eddie Hearn is particularly concerned about TKO Boxing’s entry into the sport. In fact, both seem skeptical about the promotion’s chances of long-term success. Meanwhile, all eyes are on how the proposed amendment to the Ali Act will unfold. The bigger question remains: should legacy promoters be worried?