A major hurdle was cleared for Zuffa Boxing to eventually move forward with its long-term vision.
The Education and Workforce Committee voted 30-4 in favor to advance an amended version of bill H.R. 4624, the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act (MAABRA). The final vote among the 37 assigned members (three representatives did not cast a vote) allows the proposed amendment to the current Professional Boxing Safety Act of 1996 to appear before the House of Representatives.
The bill was one of three bills presented before the committee at Tuesday’s hearing in Washington D.C. It had by far the greatest bipartisan support, largely due to the efforts of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), who fought for the originally proposed bill to carry additional safeguards on behalf of the athletes. She was joined in that effort by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-IL), the committee chairman who openly offered support of Omar’s amendments while presenting his own more substantive list.
In current form, the proposal serves as an exception to the overall Boxing Safety Act, providing a Unified Boxing Organization (UBO) complies with the expansive terms of the amendment. This will allow Zuffa Boxing to essentially run its operation similar to UFC, by far the most dominant and recognizable league in the mixed martial arts world.
H.R. 4624 was first introduced in the 119th Congress by Representatives Brian Jack (R-GA) and Sharice Davids (D-KS) in July. The selling points were to improve fighter safety, health and financial standards within the sport. Additionally, the suggestion of a UBO was offered as an alternative to the current system, rather than replace it outright.
The initial movement came with the full support of Zuffa, a subsidiary of TKO Group Holdings. The group is headed by UFC president Dana White, WWE president Nick Khan (also a TKO board member), Sela CEO Rakan Alharthy and Riyadh Season head and boxing powerbroker Turki Alalshikh.
White is a strong ally of current U.S. President Donald Trump, and the group’s lobbyists have aided in creating a wave of momentum in pushing this bill.
However, not everyone was buying the elevator pitch.
A meeting held last December came with engaged discussion, though also with clear indication that – one way or another – the bill would become a reality.
Rep. Omar, an avid boxing fan (and by far the most knowledgeable of the sport among the committee), was openly receptive to the idea of continued dialogue. She stated at the time that was neither for nor against the bill, but also needed to hear more. Also introduced by the Minnesota representative was the antitrust suits filed against UFC.
With that have come extensive bipartisan talks to help improve the originally drafted bill.
Prior to Tuesday’s vote, amendments were introduced to further increase boxer pay to a minimum of $200 per round – up from the previously proposed $150 per round minimum.
Proposed minimum insurance coverage for injuries sustained in a bout was also increased – in fact, doubled to $50,000 from the originally suggested $25,000 minimum.
Rep. Omar further called for boxers to be paid at least $2,000 per month – or ten times the minimum per round payment – during a period where they were without a fight. The stipulation was offered as a counter measure to an athlete being intentionally benched by a UBO.
Additionally, there was the call for a sunset clause applied to all contracts – a maximum of six years, whereas the original bill did not offer a limit. Boxers who are within the final 30 days of their contract will have permission to negotiate with other UBOs, providing the possibility of free agency rather than being at the mercy of a predatory contract.
Secondary title fights would be held to a minimum, if not eliminated altogether, under a proposed revision to the current Boxing Safety Act. A major stipulation called for just one title per division per sanctioning body, with the rare exception of injury or travel issues on the part of the reigning titleholder.
This ruling would functionally end the overly liberal use of interim titles currently employed by the WBA and WBC. IBF and WBO interim title usage is comparatively far more conservative.
A major financial concern among those at the club level – as well as those higher up who simply lack the long-term resources – was the amendments on random drug testing throughout the sport, not just for UBOs.
With Tuesday’s approved proposal, promoters and UBOs will be required to provide random testing for all title fights, as well as to at least 50 percent of the remaining participants on a given show. Testing must screen for all banned substances on the current World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) list.
The immediate reaction was that such a provision will all but kill the U.S. club boxing scene.
Even with the bill now appearing before the house, Democratic representatives called for continued discussion to further improve the proposed amendment.
“Mr. Chairman, I’ll be voting yes and I encourage the chair to continue working with us to improve the bill before it gets to the (House) floor,” suggested Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), one of the 30 representatives who voted in favor of the amended bill.
The sentiment was shared by the committee chairman.
“I appreciate that sentiment,” Rep. Walberg replied. “You can count on the fact that, with almost any piece of legislation, we’re willing to communicate. If we can make it better, we’ll make it better.”
Given the rapid progress made and rabid bipartisan support in improving the original treatment, it stands to reason that it was just not an empty promise.
Next steps would be for the bill to get passed by the House, then onto the Senate before it is presented to President Trump before it officially becomes law.
