Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg praised the House's passage of H.R. 4624, the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act of 2026, on Mar. 26. The bill aims to provide professional boxers with more career opportunities, improved pay, and stronger safety protections while promoting innovation in the sport.
The legislation is considered significant because it seeks to address longstanding issues within professional boxing regarding oversight and fighter welfare. It also introduces new measures intended to enhance fairness and create additional opportunities for athletes in the sport.
"The Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act is a strong, bipartisan bill that protects fighters, ensures fairness, and promotes new opportunities for American boxers," said Chairman Walberg. "For too long, fighters and fans have seen the sport plagued by weak oversight and few guardrails that push fighters into dangerous or lopsided bouts. H.R. 4624 provides new safety measures while creating a parallel organization that gives fighters more opportunities to grow. I am thankful Rep. Jack led on this bill to protect the legacy—and revitalize the future—of American boxing."
The act was authored by Representative Brian Jack of Georgia and includes provisions such as establishing Unified Boxing Organizations (UBOs) designed to create fair competition for boxers; ensuring minimum per-round pay; providing medical insurance coverage for all professional boxers; requiring medical personnel at every fight; and implementing industry-wide medical testing standards.
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Observers will be watching how these changes affect both current professionals in boxing as well as those entering the sport under these new regulations.
