With backing from boxing legend Mike Tyson, Dana White’s TKO boxing banner is poised for greater recognition. White has long aimed to rebuild the sport the way he reshaped MMA, seeking clear matchmaking, solid structure, and fewer promoter power plays, and Tyson might just be the golden ticket to make it happen.

Boxing, being an Olympic sport, does not have an NBA, NFL, or UFC-style governing body protecting athletes. So Congress treats it differently. That means the government becomes the referee when things get messy. Just like it did in 1996 with the Ali Act to stop hidden rankings and rigged purses.

Tyson is an advocate for H.R. 4624 and has written a letter to Congress asking them to approve the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act that guarantees minimum wage, health insurance, and more consistent opportunities without disrupting the current systems.

Mike Tyson’s support becomes the wildcard in Dana White’s boxing move

The UFC brass had its sights set on boxing, and he has been saying for a long time that he wanted to clean up the mess he saw in the sport. He finally succeeded in making that vision a reality by collaborating with Turki Alalshikh to launch Zuffa Boxing’s TKO boxing initiative. The project transformed from a mere rumor to a reality at lightning speed.

The fight between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford was broadcast globally on Netflix. It became a massive promotion. White treated it as a new era’s beginning and positioned TKO as the power capable of revolutionizing the whole system of boxing.

Mike Tyson also wants boxing to gain better exposure and fairness for fighters, emphasizing protections for non-star athletes. The bipartisan bill is supported by the California commission.

On the other hand, Oscar De La Hoya does not believe in the hype that the TKO could rule over the boxing world with a UFC-type power imbalance where the losing fighter is still in the game. Boxing, in its traditional setting, has well-defined promotions, and with that comes the freedom to garner great earnings, but the promotions also have their negatives, being messy, political, and inconsistent.

If a Dana White-type power were to be implemented, it would help in cleaning up matchmaking and be a protection for the players in lower suspense, but at the same time, it would also lead to a centralization of control and a shrinking of the financial ceiling for the top players.

Dana White defends the boxing revival Act amid criticism.

The boxing world has been revolutionized by fresh powers. Dana White has not only acknowledged the situation but also firmly countered the critics of the Muhammad Ali Boxing Revival Act proposal by his actions. White, who has just of now begun boxing with Zuffa Boxing, asserts the project will not take away the fundamental protections contained in the 2000 Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act. Rather, it is providing an alternate route for the fighters who want a different structure.

The fight promoters in the interview to CBS Sports, White declared without a doubt: “Not even a single change will happen to the Muhammad Ali Act. Everything will remain as it is.” He foresees a double scheme, allowing fighters either “to play their cards with me and fight with me under our version of the Ali Act” or to continue working under the current model. White insists that the original Act, while well-meaning, has “paralyzed the market”, and the new model could bring clarity, fast matchmaking, and a smoother promotional setup. The critics have still not been convinced.

They caution that the legislation could bring in a Zuffa-controlled, closed-league structure similar to MMA, where one company controls everything promotion, rankings, titles, and even finance. On the contrary, those in support of the act, cite the institutional backing. The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) has recently voted unanimously in favor of the Revival Act, which can be seen as an indication of real support for the reform movement. The question whether White’s model will effectively revitalize American boxing or if it will just be a matter of power being concentrated in ways that scare critics, is still to be answered.