Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act of 2026
Floor Speech
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Mr. JACK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bipartisan legislation, H.R. 4624, the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act, which I proudly authored and introduced with my colleague from Kansas (Ms. Davids), a former professional mixed martial artist herself and a leader in her Caucus.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, Tim Walberg; the ranking member, Bobby Scott; and the distinguished members of the committee for considering and favorably reporting my legislation with an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote.
Today, our House of Representatives has an opportunity to make history by passing the first Federal boxing legislation in over a quarter century.
Mr. Speaker, professional boxing in America has an incredibly rich and storied history. It is a sport that demands courage, perseverance, and determination from its champions, and its heroes have inspired greatness, ignited dreams, and forged generations of memories and tradition.
Mr. Speaker, 39 years before Jackie Robinson bravely broke barriers in Major League Baseball, Jack Johnson, the Galveston Giant, reigned as the first Black heavyweight champion of the world, from 1908 to 1915. Decades before the New York Knicks were formed, thousands of spectators crammed into Madison Square Garden to see Jack Dempsey fight.
Many of you may recall storied bouts during boxing's golden era, like Leon Spinks versus Muhammad Ali in 1978, Marvin Hagler versus Thomas Hearns in 1985, and Mike Tyson versus Evander Holyfield in 1997.
Unfortunately, American boxing has since faced a steady decline. It has been 38 years since an American won a heavyweight gold medal at the Olympics, and the majority of boxing's premier fights are now overseas, many time zones away.
In recent years, ``HBO World Championship Boxing'' and ``Showtime Championship Boxing,'' long home to the greatest fights, ceased operations.
Last year, ESPN's contract with a leading boxing promotion ended without renewal, leaving professional boxing without an American distributor.
At the heart of boxing's downturn is a structural flaw that our predecessors in Congress identified over 25 years ago but declined to address. We have the opportunity to fix this today and revive this great American sport.
For over a century, individual States enacted legislation to regulate professional boxing, but the patchwork of regulations without uniform minimum standards led to the exploitation of boxers and rampant corruption.
Since the 1950s, Congress has considered proposed legislation to address these problems. After multiple attempts in the 1990s, Congress finally acted, passing the Professional Boxing Safety Act of 1996 and the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act in 2000.
As a result, boxing is the only professional sport regulated by Congress.
The Professional Boxing Safety Act of 1996 established minimum safety standards for professional boxers. The Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, more commonly known as the Ali Act, attempted to reform unfair and anticompetitive practices in the professional boxing industry. Both were enacted by voice vote with unanimous support from the House and Senate.
Mr. Speaker, today, we have the opportunity to follow in our predecessor's footsteps and pass the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act.
My legislation amends the Professional Boxing Safety Act of 1996 and preserves in its entirety the original Ali Act.
First, my bill clarifies ambiguities in current law that have stifled innovation and investment in the sport. This legislation allows for the creation of Unified Boxing Organizations, otherwise known as UBOs, that will provide professional boxers with more opportunities, better pay, and greater protections.
The UBO system will not replace the current structure of professional boxing. Instead, UBOs will operate as a separate, parallel system that will give boxers the freedom to choose which system works best for them.
The bill's strict antidoping and antigambling protocols will safeguard the integrity of the sport and restrict UBOs from charging boxers fees for placement in rankings or participation in championship matches.
To improve the safety and well-being of professional boxers, my legislation establishes a national minimum payment per round of $200 and strengthens existing health and safety protections, including establishing for the very first time a national minimum of $50,000 in health coverage for injuries sustained during a bout.
My legislation also seeks to alleviate confusion fans often face while following the sport by specifying that sanctioning organizations and UBOs shall only award one championship title for each weight class.
Mr. Speaker, the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act strengthens safety for boxers, improves the quality of life for boxers, and establishes a framework for innovation within the sport to flourish.
Passage of my legislation will return boxing events to our country, and bringing jobs, investment, and economic activity back to American communities.
The Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act is endorsed by Lonnie Ali, the wife of Muhammad Ali; the Association of Boxing Commissions; and former heavyweight champion of the world Mike Tyson.
Additionally, America's largest arena operators support my legislation, including Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corporation, MGM Resorts International, and State Farm Arena in my hometown of Atlanta. Representing American workers, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters also supports this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, this legislation has accomplished something few other issues before this Congress have done. The Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act fostered collaboration between Republicans and Democrats who worked together in good faith to revive one of America's greatest sports, in the name of one of America's greatest athletes.
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