Mar 25, 2026
3 min read
The Muhammad Ali Boxing Revival Act, which would change the structure of professional boxing by allowing the United Boxing Organization as an alternative for boxers, was approved by the US House of Representatives by voice vote on Tuesday.
The Muhammad Ali Boxing Revival Act is one step closer to becoming law.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Renaissance Act by voice vote during its legislative session on Tuesday after half an hour of debate.Now it goes to the Senate.If it were to pass there, it would go to President Donald Trump to sign and become law.
If the bill becomes law, the most significant change to the Revival Act would be the authorization to create unified boxing organizations, better known as UBOs, as options for boxers in their careers.
In the current boxing system, the law requires separation between promoters, fights and sanctioning bodies, rankings, titles and bouts.Revival Law allows UBOs to handle all of these things as a one-stop shop, similar to the Ultimate Fighting Championship in MMA.Revival Law only regulates boxing, not MMA.
Supporters of the bill, including UFC CEO Dana White and the Zuffa Boxing Promotional Organization, former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson, and the Boxing Commission Association, hailed the bill as a new option for fighters. They pointed to increased health care regulations for all fighters, including mandatory physicals and brain and eye exams, one belt for each approved physique and a minimum payout of $200 per round for all fighters.
Supporters insist that additional UBOs will not replace the professional boxing structure but will give fighters another opportunity to choose which career path is best for them.
"Hopefully, after his passage, you'll only have one UBO, I hope you'll have a dozen UBOs, if not more, working in this sport," said Rep. Brian Jack, R-Ga., who authored the bill, on Tuesday night."More interest, more innovation, more opportunities for boxers and fans, more opportunities to enjoy a sport that once inspired greatness."
Opponents of the law say it could harm fighters and reduce the protections afforded them in the first two Ali laws - the Professional Boxing Safety Act of 1996 and the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act of 2000 - because it could shift the power of profits from fighters to promoters.
The Revival Act has also drawn criticism from promoters and others in the boxing community who say that White is trying to make changes to the Ali Act so that his boxing company, Zuffa Boxing, can operate in the same way as the UFC, which has control over matchmaking, rankings, titles and contracts offered.The UFC has faced two antitrust lawsuits from fighters alleging wage suppression and tactical monopoly.The organization settled the lawsuit for 375 million dollars.
White countered with the same argument as some members of Congress, saying UBOs only offer a choice.
The bill originally passed the House Education and Workforce Committee 30-4 in January. Nine members of the House spoke on the bill on the House floor Tuesday, and only one, Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., opposed the legislation.
"The UBO organizations proposed under the [Resurrection Act] would replicate a model that has been very successful in the worlds of mixed martial arts sports other than boxing that operate with few legal and financial protections for fighters," Courtney said.
He then pointed to concerns about how those organizations, which he did not name, use long-term contracts to force arbitration, blocking combatants from suing for breach of contract and waiving class-action rights.
Principal founder Bob Aram criticized the bill in a letter to Congress in December, questioning why UBOs would be exempt from compliance rules that non-UBOs must operate under.Aram also expressed concern that the bill would remove fighter protections if a boxer were to join UBO.
Courtney and two other House members urged the Senate to continue amending the bill to strengthen it.Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., who sponsored the bill, suggested the Senate could include provisions that would prohibit contracts between UBOs and boxers "including clauses barring class action proceedings or requiring disputes to be submitted to private arbitration."
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who proposed changes to the bill in committee, supported the bill but also called for "greater financial transparency, stronger antitrust provisions and stronger safeguards against coercive agreements."
The addition of the bill in March would also allow the Boxing Commission Association and Ring Doctors Association to establish basic health and safety standards for each state across all sports.This includes annual physicals, brain, eye and heart tests and blood tests every six months. Additional tests are also required for fighters over the age of 40.
This will allow the Boxing Commission to issue tickets for fights to judges and officials.Right now, only the state sports commission can do it.
"You have a lot of options here. Fighters can go one way or they can go another way if this bill becomes law," Jack said."They can join the UBO or they can join the existing sanctioning body model. Why not give the fighters a choice?"
