Overview
- The House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections holds a hearing Thursday at 10:15 a.m. ET titled “In Their Corner: Creating More Opportunities for American Boxers,” with witnesses including Rep. Brian Jack, UFC executive Lawrence Epstein, boxing attorney Patrick English, CSAC executive Andy Foster, and Lonnie Ali.
- The bipartisan bill, introduced in July by Reps. Brian Jack and Sharice Davids with nine co-sponsors, would create Unified Boxing Organizations to supplement existing sanctioning bodies and allow internal rankings and titles.
- The measure sets a $150-per-round minimum purse and requires at least $25,000 in bout-injury coverage nationwide, along with added events, ranking systems, title belts, and anti-betting safeguards.
- In an Oct. 25 letter to Reps. Tim Walberg and Bobby Scott, Mike Tyson argues the current model favors stars and says the bill adds optional pathways without removing existing opportunities.
- The proposal has a 6-0 conditional endorsement from the California State Athletic Commission and backing from TKO/Dana White, while critics such as Oscar De La Hoya question potential centralized control and point to UFC antitrust disputes and pay concerns.