The controversial Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, a bill which plans to make industry-upending changes to the sport of boxing, received a significant endorsement last week when the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) voted in favor of the proposal.
The act plans to give American promoters the opportunity to break away from the current sanctioning body system that boxing operates under, allowing companies the freedom to control their own titles and rankings.
The bill is backed by TKO, which plans to launch its new Zuffa Boxing promotion in 2026. Dana White has teased that the company will use a proven “model” that the UFC has utilized for its business in the past.
Critics of the bill believe that giving promoters such freedoms could leave the opening for a monopoly, which in turn could take away significant leverage from boxers. Free from “mandatories,” matchups ordered by sanctioning bodies which often force companies to work together, a promoter under this system could never co-promote again, if they wanted.
CSAC Executive Director Andy Foster, among those in support of the proposed act, isn’t worried about such a takeover happening in the sport. Instead, he believes that the bipartisan bill “will absolutely help boxing,” cutting through the regulations that sanctioning bodies have provided over the years.
“The fact of the matter is, we have lost four [TV] networks in the last seven years,” Foster said during a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show. “The number of titles issued is up 404 percent since 1996, and the public does not know who the champions are in many of these weight classes. It’s hard to make unification fights, the sanction fees, in my view, I’d like to see the sanction fees lowered on the fighters, if possible.”
Foster emphasized that, in an effective league-style format, a promoter would be able to make the biggest fights possible without the need for sanctioning bodies. However, it is worth noting that for this to happen, a league would have to have the best talent in a division all signed to them, something not necessarily guaranteed under the proposed format.
Opposition to the bill argues that, while sanctioning bodies are not flawless, they give boxers significant leverage in terms of what they could earn. Writer John S. Nash explained to POST earlier this year how the new system could allow a total takeover by one company.
“If [a] boxing organization signs the very top boxers and don’t have to now rate or offer mandatories to boxers outside the organization, then fighters who want to fight with the top guys and move up and get more renown, have to sign with this organization … And every other fighter has to follow the same path because more and more of the contracts are with that organization.”
Erik Magraken, practicing lawyer and CombatSportsLaw writer, told POST that the change could allow a singular promoter to “achieve a strangehold on the sport.”
“Independent rank and title are the key reasons why pro boxers can command such great purses compared to MMA athletes,” he said.
Foster believes the sport’s competitive market would still be able to fight off any sort of monopoly due to the number of players involved.
“Boxing is not going to be monopolized,” Foster said. “There’s way too many fighters under contract with PBC, Golden Boy’s got a bunch, Matchroom’s got a bunch, Top Rank’s got a bunch. There’s just a lot of talent that’s spread out. And I think the fact that this UBO model can be used by anybody, it’s not exclusive to Zuffa Boxing.”
Part of Foster’s support for the bill focuses on improved pay and health benefits for lower-level boxers. As part of the act, boxers would be paid a minimum of $150 per round and be given up to $25,000 in health coverage for injuries. While the figures are low, this would establish limits which aren’t even in place throughout parts of America.
Foster’s full hour-long coversation with Ariel Helwani can be watched here.
