The controversial Muhammad Ali USA Boxing Restoration Act (HR 4634) passed the U.S. House of Representatives on a voice vote on Tuesday and is now just a few steps away from entering legislation.
There was only one vote against the bill.
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The TKO-backed legislation was originally introduced in July by two members of Congress — U.S. Reps. Brian Jack, R-Georgia, and Sharice Davids, D-Kansas. — Allows the creation of the Unified Boxing Organization (UBO). The UBO will remove the separation between promoters and sanctioning bodies as they will be able to run their own ranking systems, award titles and organize events under the same banner. The new bill essentially allows Zuffa Boxing to bypass boxing’s guardrails and run on its own like the UFC, another TKO product.
The bill was officially approved by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) in October after a unanimous vote in favor of the bill. The bill was then referred to the U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee, which made several key changes to the bill before passing it by a vote of 30-4.
Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., and Bobby Scott, D-Va., ahead of Tuesday’s vote. They have 20 minutes to discuss the bill and can pass that time on to other representatives.
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Nine representatives had the opportunity to speak about the bill, with several noting that more work still needs to be done to improve the proposed bill.
“Let me be clear, the work is not done,” insisted Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who voted for the bill. “We still need greater financial transparency, stronger antitrust provisions and stronger safeguards against forced contracts, including forced arbitration clauses.
“I urge senators to continue improving this bill.”
Only one representative, Democratic Rep. Joe Courtney of Connecticut, opposed the bill. Courtney believes the legislation will ultimately hurt boxers because it removes the separation between promoters, governing bodies and sanctioning bodies. Courtney also suggested that the bill could give TKO a monopoly on boxing events, like some believe it does in the UFC.
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“The UBO organization proposed under HR-4624 would replicate a model that has been extremely profitable in other non-boxing mixed martial arts sports, which offer fighters few legal and financial protections, resulting in lengthy lawsuits and allegations of coercion and anti-competitive conduct.
“This includes the use of long-term contracts, including forced arbitration, preventing fighters from suing for breach of contract, and class action waivers that waive a fighter’s right to recover damages on behalf of a group.”
Now that the bill has passed the House, it will go to the Senate for a vote, where it will need a simple majority to pass before it goes to President Donald Trump, who can sign it into law.