Boxing is facing a situation that has not happened before: the creation of private leagues similar to what happens in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). This idea seems attractive, as it is a platform where fighters can compete and make a name for themselves. On the contrary, fighters, for example from the UFC, although they appreciate this system, have always complained that they are not paid enough compared to what they generate. The UFC easily justifies its system: they feed many fighters and this implies that the stars will never be as well paid as those in boxing, hence many try to make an appearance in the ring. By comparison, the UFC distributes a much smaller percentage among its athletes than the NFL or the NBA, which give away about 50% of league revenue.
In this sense, Dana White, the head of the UFC, is already preparing for the 2026 launch of Zuffa Boxing, which will consist of only 12 events in which emerging prospects will face each other on the same economic terms in order to create the stars of the future who will one day make it to the Riyadh Season events. In the latter, to date, the purses have been very high and there has been a focus on top-level fights. It is a system that over time would feed itself in the manner of the UFC and could become, in fact, something similar, giving rise to a true closed league with weekly events.
The novelty: Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act
The groundwork for all this was laid this summer and involves moving away from the 2000 Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, a federal law designed to protect the rights and welfare of boxers. Last July, Brian Jack, a Republican from Georgia, and Sharice Davids, a Democrat from Kansas, introduced the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Resurgence Act in Congress. The Saudi government’s financial backing, which goes hand in hand with the US company TKO Group (owner of UFC and WWE), has been instrumental in pushing for a change in the model or at least allowing for a different kind of model in pugilism.
While the original Ali Act spoke of an open system in which each party governs its own plot but comes together to work “in a unified manner” and make decisions together, the new proposal speaks of “alternatives” to the sanctioning bodies that oversee the sport and the possibility of organized structures. In other words, a promoter can now create a competition that would in turn have the exclusive power to decide the ranking of boxers and championship belts, or even decide the rules. This model allows the established sanctioning bodies to be bypassed, will weaken promoters and ultimately establish a new order.
Good or bad for boxing?
Would it be good for boxing? It can be argued that it would lose some of its essence and history; on the other hand, there would be one or several well-organized and calendared platforms. Of course, whoever currently has significant capital to invest in the league project will have a large part of the control of boxing in the future. And this capital exists and this league is underway. What took the UFC decades because it lacked a strong financial muscle, boxing would take much less.
Holyfield’s opinion
All of this brings us to an opinion piece written by one of the heavyweight legends, Evander Holyfield, in the Wall Street Journal. The former fighter states: “When I fought, I spoke in the ring. Once the bell rang, it was all up to me: my training, my decisions, my courage. That’s boxing. You control your own destiny. Now I’m speaking out because lawmakers are trying to take that control away from us. A new bill, the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Resurgence Act, would hand boxing over to businessmen, condemning boxers to accept lower standards and lower wages.”
Boxing would be handed over to businessmen, condemning boxers to accept lower standards and lower wages
“This new law is precisely what the original Ali Act sought to prevent,” he said. “When Ali’s name was included in the law back then, it meant something important. It protected boxers from being owned by promoters. It gave them the right to know how much promoters were making from their work. It demanded better health and safety standards: medical examinations, drug testing, ringside doctors and insurance. It gave structure to boxing without restricting freedom,” said ‘The Real Deal’. Holyfield added: “In other words, a company could control all aspects of the league. It’s not just about fights or belts. It’s about the boxers. Their careers, their safety, their rights. And we can’t allow them to be taken away from them.”
The manager and wife of former champion Nonito Donaire, explains the potential situation of boxing in this way: “They take away the negotiating power of the boxers even before they sit down to negotiate. They say they don’t charge sanctioning fees, but why would they if they’re leaving us penniless? What good is a belt if it leaves you broke?”
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