Muhammad Ali’s grandson and Oscar De La Hoya joined forces to address the U.S. Senate over a controversial new bill bearing the boxing legend’s name.
Nico Ali Walsh, grandson of Muhammad Ali, joined boxing champion turned boxing promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, at a U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing in Washington on April 22 to oppose the bipartisan Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act, Yahoo Sports reports. The hearing comes one month after the bill, backed by TKO Group Holdings, the parent of UFC and WWE, passed the House by voice vote and is expected to be introduced in the Senate by Sen. Ted Cruz.
De La Hoya and Walsh have been leading critics of the bill, warning it could give TKO Group
Holdings monopolistic control of boxing through the proposed Unified Boxing Organizations. They argue that UBOs would blur the line between promoters and sanctioning bodies, allowing a single entity to control rankings, titles, and events—similar to TKO’s model in the UFC.“The Ali Act was built on a simple principle. The people controlling fighters should not also control the entire marketplace those fighters depend on,” Walsh said. “The separation exists to prevent conflicts of interest and exploitation. The new Muhammad Ali Boxing Revival Act would undermine that principle by allowing one entity to operate across promotion, management, and matchmaking. It removes independence.”
Walsh also objected to the bill bearing his late grandfather’s name, arguing that it represents values that Muhammad Ali strongly opposed.
“If this bill is passed in its current form, it should not have my grandfather’s name on it, as it would betray the principles his Act was created to protect,” Walsh said.
UFC fighters are widely believed to earn around 20% or less of event revenue, while boxers often take a much larger share. They’re also required to wear standardized gear, limiting sponsorship opportunities. Walsh argued that boxing’s freedom to secure sponsors and express individuality through attire creates additional income streams outside the ring.
De La Hoya and Walsh also pushed back against WWW President Nick Khan, who argued the bill would bring more money into boxing. They countered by citing the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s high profit margins and fighters’ well-documented dissatisfaction with its model.
“The UFC and its parent company agreed to a $375 million anti-trust settlement after fighters accused them of suppressing wages and restricting competition,” De La Hoya said.
“Boxing is not broken. If it were, UFC champions — at the height of their careers — would not be actively targeting boxing fights because of the fair pay,” Walsh added. “That movement is rarely seen in reverse due to the UFC’s centralized pay structure. Boxing has never been perfect, but one of its strengths has always been competition. Multiple promoters competing for fighters creates leverage and fair market value. When that competition is consolidated to one system, that leverage disappears.”
Khan argued the bill would expand choice, allowing boxers unhappy with the UBO model to stick with the current system. But Walsh warned that if one entity controls access, that “choice becomes theoretical,” with long-term consequences for fighters’ opportunities.
De La Hoya warned that the proposed UBO system could split the sport and limit cross-promotional matchups, preventing fighters from competing outside their organization. He argued this would create division, with some fighters staying in the current system and others moving to TKO Group Holdings or Zuffa, ultimately reducing top-tier fights between the best competitors.
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