Muhammad Ali’s grandson initiates effort to preserve the integrity of the Ali Act.
Nico Ali Walsh, the grandson of the late Muhammad Ali, declared on Thursday that he has established a coalition with several prominent figures in the boxing sector to safeguard the existing version of the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Reform Act.
The coalition, referred to as the Ali Act Preservation Alliance, was created in reaction to TKO Group’s initiatives to advance the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act. The legislation recently achieved significant milestones after the House of Representatives approved it via voice vote in March and is now set to proceed to the Senate.
“The Alliance has a singular purpose: to defend the best interests of the fighters, who risk everything in the ring for a chance at a better life for themselves and their families,” the press release from The Alliance stated.
The Alliance aims to prevent any monopolistic practices in boxing, labels the proposed bill as “anti-labor,” and opposes the establishment of Unified Boxing Organizations (UBO), “which has its own rankings, matchmaking, and awards its own championship belts, while also being the promoter controlling all facets of the business.”
Zuffa Boxing would be the main beneficiary if the bill is enacted, enabling the emerging boxing promotion to function similarly to the UFC with its own world titles, weight divisions, and rankings.
“The Ali Act Preservation Alliance believes it represents the interests of stakeholders across boxing and all combative sports in urging the United States Senate to reject the so-called ‘Boxing Revival Act’ and recognize it for what it is: a perilous and unjust exception to the law that safeguards the fighters, named after boxing’s greatest champion, Muhammad Ali, who advocated for justice and civil rights both within the sport and society,” the alliance’s statement indicated.
The coalition comprises Walsh, 25, Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya, WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman, and retired mixed martial artist Carlos Newton.
“If we cannot prevent it, we must at least inform people about what is occurring,” Walsh told ESPN on Friday. “They have repeatedly claimed that they are not altering a single word of the current Ali Act and that they are merely adding to it. However, if you are adding to something, you are indeed changing it.
“If individuals are aware of their true intentions, they can take action.”
Walsh, who acts as the chairman and spokesperson of the AAPA, mentioned that he plans to travel to Washington DC with De La Hoya in the upcoming weeks to address the Senate and present their argument against the passage of the Revival Act.
The grandson of Muhammad Ali is an active boxer (13-2-1, 5 KOs) with a bachelor’s degree in business and entrepreneurship from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and believes that TKO Group’s aim is not to offer an alternative for boxers, but to monopolize the industry in the same way the UFC has done in mixed martial arts.
“People do not grasp what this bill entails,” Walsh stated. “They will not openly declare that their true goal is to monopolize the sport, but if they control matchmaking, contracts, rankings, and world titles, that marks the onset of a monopoly. It may not happen overnight, but in ten years, everything could change.
“This is a bait and switch tactic. They claim that boxers have a choice, but eventually, they will not, and we are determined to prevent that.”
