While the cooperative boxing promotion formed between UFC CEO Dana White and Turki Alalshikh still appears to be in development, given no relevant news updates have been released, more information surrounding White’s efforts to delve into boxing has revealed a sinister plot to do alter the Ali Act.
The Ali Act, established in 2000, was approved by US Congress mainly to protect fighters from dubious practices such as managers acting as promoters or vice-versa―allowing them to double the fees they would earn in either one capacity.
Though the Ali Act is not perfect, as evident by how Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) is known as a management group, promotion, and broadcast company all at once yet neither of those depending on the circumstances, there are plenty of points within the Act that need to be urgently finetuned to ensure stakeholders do not take full advantage of the sport.
Aware of some of the limitations that the Ali Act sets, with rules clearly placing the responsibility of titles/belts in the hands of sanctioning bodies, Dana White appears to be trying to undo this long-held tradition.
This first was hinted in a podcast interview White held with renowned boxing reporter Dan Rafael where White both debunked the notion his venture with Turki Alalshikh was a boxing league [confirming it as a promotion instead] while further stating his wishes to create his own belts ― which is prohibited by the Ali Act which bars promotions from establishing their own titles.
Given the UFC’s bread and butter is exactly the formation of their own titles, upon which the entire model is built around, there is certainly incentive for White to do the same with his promotion in boxing to create a sort of isolated structure; one that will see White attempt to build his promotion with his own titles, own broadcaster and other self-owned resources not dissimilar to the current UFC model.
In April, it was revealed by Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) head Mike Mazulli that he had one conversation with a representative of TKO Group, the conglomerate set to back or fund White’s promotion, had showed interest in repealing the Ali Act―or at least parts of it, whether they are actually looking.
“I don’t have anything concrete. I was told that they [TKO] would like to rewrite the bill, maybe add a ‘and/or clause’ in the end,” Mazulli revealed.
“[It is] nothing related to MMA. This is boxing. That’s all I have so far. I had one conversation with them, it went very well [but] I just want people to understand I don’t have the answers.“
It is unsure whether or how White [or TKO] can actually influence the Act by himself, but as the WBO referenced in a press release from last week, White holds a friendship with the USA’s current president Donald Trump that might lead to the changing of the contents of the Ali Act―in favor of White.
With the WBO affirming their stance to oppose any such repeals or alterations, it further sheds light on the promotion that Dana White is attempting to build; a promotion that already has a dubious start due to not having a clear name or objectives while being branded as a ‘boxing league’ by Alalshikh.
It shows a startling lack of direction for a promotion backed by a substantial conglomerate in TKO, a conglomerate responsible for the merger between the WWE and the UFC. Though any attempt seems to be limited to mere conversations, the WBO’s reaction highlights that the corruption within boxingappears ever inescapable in the sport as the Ali Act appears to be under threat of being altered for the benefit of just one company or person(s).
Despite TKO’s attempts, without what will likely be the United States Congress’ approval of altering the Act, given their role in establishing it in the first place, the conglomerate might have a made a mistake in revealing their plans before they could be launched.
