According to ESPN, “The TKO Group that owns UFC and WWE has asked for amendment changes to the Muhammad Ali Act, a federal law designed to protect boxers from exploitation.” BoxingScene went a step further, reporting that even the Association of Boxing Commissions has acknowledged, “Presently, the UFC/TKO is requesting an amendment change to the Muhammad Ali Act. The board of directors is working with them to make sure the ABC is still part of the federal law.” With such revelations, the matter was never going to stay in the shadows for long.
Oscar De La Hoya, The Golden Boy, never shy of verbal fireworks, lit up Clapback Thursday, aiming at Dana White. “The writing is on the wall. Fighters beware… The Ali Act was put into place back in 2000 to protect fighters by assuring them financial transparency, contract fairness, protecting them from other conflicts of interest… aka, it protects fighters from being taken advantage of,” he told fans in a fiery video. The former six‑division champion then doubled down, claiming, “Look, Dana White is always flaunting his relationship with President Donald Trump and is very clearly banking on this getting pushed through using that connection.”
But the U.S. wasn’t the only arena where sparks flew. Across the Atlantic, former cruiserweight king Tony Bellew added his voice in agreement. Quoting directly under EverythingBoxing’s post, the British powerhouse lamented, “This has never been implemented in England, which it should be! I asked and asked for this with the BBBofC! A manager and promoter cannot want the same thing! It’s impossible.. the manager wants more for his fighter and the promoter wants to pay less! This means he argues with himself.”
This has never been implemented in England, which it should be! I asked and asked for this with the BBBoC! A manager and promoter cannot want the same thing! It’s impossible.. the manager wants more for his fighter and the promoter wants to pay less! This means he argues with…
— Tony Bellew (@TonyBellew) August 1, 2025
What Bellew was referring to is the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC)—the long‑standing governing body that oversees professional boxing in the United Kingdom. Established in 1929, the BBBofC regulates licenses, officiating, safety standards, and financial arrangements for fighters. Yet, as Bellew pointed out, even with its authority, it hasn’t adopted the kind of protective structure that the Muhammad Ali Act introduced in the U.S. more than two decades ago.
But while much of the boxing world reacts to TKO’s lobbying efforts with raised eyebrows, a veteran trainer and commentator sees potential in Dana White’s involvement with the proposed Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act.
Teddy Atlas sees promise in Dana White’s Ali act ambitions.
Speaking with BetVictor Online Casinos on behalf of MMA Knockout, Atlas responded with conviction: “I wanna see him enhance it. I want to see him take it to a better place. I want to see the fighters better protected. I want to see more transparency in the sport, in promotional areas, different areas. I love Dana White. I love what he’s done with the UFC… I love his no-nonsense approach.” For Atlas, the key isn’t whether the act is “reworked” but whether that reworking adds genuine value for the athletes who risk everything once the bell rings.
The New Yorker, never one to shy away from history, even invoked the late journalist Jack Newfield to frame his perspective. Recalling meetings alongside Newfield and Senator John McCain years ago, Atlas remembered their push for a national boxing commission—something the sport still lacks. He quoted Newfield’s sharp observation that the Ali Act was less of a knockout punch and more of an “Ali shuffle”—helpful, but hardly curative. As Newfield put it, “It’s kind of like if you’re sick and somebody gives you chicken noodle soup, it makes you feel better, but it’s not the antibiotic to kill the germ.”
Atlas carried that metaphor forward, imagining a future where White’s stewardship could supply that missing antibiotic. “If Dana is looking to take this chicken noodle soup that has made us feel better with the Ali Act… If he’s taking it from that stage to adding the antibiotic, that will kill the germs that are killing the sport and hurting the sport of boxing,” he said. In other words, while others fear regression, Atlas is leaving the door ajar for progress, so long as the medicine prescribed truly heals fighters rather than weakens them.
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