Saudi's trying to censor the Boxing media

[maverick23]

It’s a strange one.

Turki used to like Helwani. Ariel broke some fights before with Turki.

It seems to have got troubled since Turki linked up with TKO. Nick Khan of TKo gets on well with Ariel but Dana hates him. Ariel has been one of the leading advocates for MMA but pissed Dana off by breaking fights/shows before Dana wanted them announced. It’s part of the reason Ariel refuses to work for promoters. He’ll only take money from sponsors/tv networks so he can have a level of impartiality.

I actually like Ariel’s contribution to boxing. He show with Ade (available on Tuesday nights on DAZN YouTube) is the only weekly show I listen to. He also pushes boxing relatively heavily on his own YouTube channel with regular fighter interviews.

Coppinger and Reno don’t come across genuine. I’m not that bothered by Cop but Reno is cringe. Turki calling him Versace and trying to create beef with Eddie is prettt pathetic.

[Bercli]

Why don't the other boxing journalists and hangers on show some solidarity with Tris et al and not turn up tonight and say why? No bollocks? As Porky Russ would say "lickers the lot of 'em"!

I'd say a lot of the boxing "journalists" who run YouTube channels are actually just publicists

That's exactly what the YouTube/websites are-publicist. Boxing probably the best example of this but the same happens in other sports as well. It's just not as obvious

[Alba]

It’s a strange one.

Turki used to like Helwani. Ariel broke some fights before with Turki.

It seems to have got troubled since Turki linked up with TKO. Nick Khan of TKo gets on well with Ariel but Dana hates him. Ariel has been one of the leading advocates for MMA but pissed Dana off by breaking fights/shows before Dana wanted them announced. It’s part of the reason Ariel refuses to work for promoters. He’ll only take money from sponsors/tv networks so he can have a level of impartiality.

I actually like Ariel’s contribution to boxing. He show with Ade (available on Tuesday nights on DAZN YouTube) is the only weekly show I listen to. He also pushes boxing relatively heavily on his own YouTube channel with regular fighter interviews.

Coppinger and Reno don’t come across genuine. I’m not that bothered by Cop but Reno is cringe. Turki calling him Versace and trying to create beef with Eddie is prettt pathetic.

It's not that complicated, Saudi's in there own country control all the press, tele etc

No one can step out of line. Turki thinks he can do the same with Boxing, some YT channels will fall in line, some "journalists" will take the Saudi coin and some will try and keep there own independence.

It will be the latter than Turki and the Saudi establishment wont like and will try and discredit as they want to control the narrative like they do in their own country

Look at how they bought a Twitter page with a decent wedge of followers and rebranded as if it gives them credibility
I wouldn't be surprised if they also have posters on message boards on there payroll to push there narratives either

[Ruthless-RKO]

It's not that complicated, Saudi's in there own country control all the press, tele etc

No one can step out of line. Turki thinks he can do the same with Boxing, some YT channels will fall in line, some "journalists" will take the Saudi coin and some will try and keep there own independence.

It will be the latter than Turki and the Saudi establishment wont like and will try and discredit as they want to control the narrative like they do in their own country

No, it's not just that..

No promoters like anyone breaking the news before them

I seen plenty of times, a journo reporting a fight is close or agreed.. the promoters then said it's BS, only to announce the fight a day or two later.

[maverick23]

It’s a strange one.

Turki used to like Helwani. Ariel broke some fights before with Turki.

It seems to have got troubled since Turki linked up with TKO. Nick Khan of TKo gets on well with Ariel but Dana hates him. Ariel has been one of the leading advocates for MMA but pissed Dana off by breaking fights/shows before Dana wanted them announced. It’s part of the reason Ariel refuses to work for promoters. He’ll only take money from sponsors/tv networks so he can have a level of impartiality.

I actually like Ariel’s contribution to boxing. He show with Ade (available on Tuesday nights on DAZN YouTube) is the only weekly show I listen to. He also pushes boxing relatively heavily on his own YouTube channel with regular fighter interviews.

Coppinger and Reno don’t come across genuine. I’m not that bothered by Cop but Reno is cringe. Turki calling him Versace and trying to create beef with Eddie is prettt pathetic.

It's not that complicated, Saudi's in there own country control all the press, tele etc

No one can step out of line. Turki thinks he can do the same with Boxing, some YT channels will fall in line, some "journalists" will take the Saudi coin and some will try and keep there own independence.

It will be the latter than Turki and the Saudi establishment wont like and will try and discredit as they want to control the narrative like they do in their own country

Look at how they bought a Twitter page with a decent wedge of followers and rebranded as if it gives them credibility
I wouldn't be surprised if they also have posters on message boards on there payroll to push there narratives either

Helwani hasn’t really changed though. He’s always spoken his mind and has always been positive about the Saudi stuff.

Perhaps Turki offered him something and it was rejected.

[golden_labrador]

it's not a coincidence that a boxing journo like Donald McRae is stepping away from the sport

[Ruthless-RKO]

Essence of proposed new Muhammad Ali Act is fighter control

The focus of those touting the newly proposed bill to alter the Professional Boxing Act of 1996 – best known as the Muhammad Ali act – is on health-and-safety upgrades that would come with the legislation’s passage.

Applying a greater level of scrutiny and skepticism, others affected by the changes see game-changing manipulations meant to favor the new TKO boxing organization backing the bill.

The core cause of the legislation is that it will allow TKO – like its sister combat-sports company UFC – to distribute its own belts in the weight classes in which it opts to stage fights.

TKO will, additionally, be free to rank the fighters in the given divisions – acts that would stand as violations of the active regulations. And while the health and safety provisions include minimum-pay requirements of $150 per round, $25,000 in medical coverage for fighters requiring treatment for injuries and illness that occur before and up to 24 hours after the fight – along with MRIs, EKGs, pregnancy tests and drugs testing – small-club promoters smell a rat.

Noting that fight-card insurance expenses have all but dried up the club scene in New York, some club promoters elsewhere in America fear that these new requirements – if approved – will compromise their ability to retain promising fighters and produce shows, easing TKO’s recruitment of the young fighters it’s looking to build its UFC-like stable with.

“I don’t believe they have the fighters’ best interest in mind,” said former 154lbs boxing champion Austin Trout, a boxers’ advocate. “Does the UFC have a reputation for being pro-fighter, or do fighters just have to take what they get and be happy with it?”

One small-club promoter, who spoke to Boxing Scene on the condition of anonymity because of the fear of retribution, said that creating a minimum pay standard – although it’s a lower figure than what fighters earn in most states – and improving health safeguards is a noble gesture, but that surrendering control to TKO could result in a fixed fight-and-pay schedule that would be prohibitive as the contractual bounds drag on.

Earlier in 2025 Boxing Scene reviewed contracts sent to fighters by a company recruiting fighters for TKO’s promotion.

The TKO boxing venture isn’t expected to stage its first card until sometime in 2026, the company announced in a news release.

The contract read, “The company shall guarantee boxer the opportunity to participate in bouts every five months during the term commencing with the first bout, and shall make good-faith efforts to offer boxer the opportunity to participate in four bouts during the first year”, stipulating that purses will be increased based on the fighters’ ability to reach the top 10 set by “the company” and climb the rankings.

There is set to be $20,000 for a 10-round bout by an unranked fighter, $50,000 when ranked by “the company” at fifth to 10th, $125,000 when ranked by the company at third to fourth, $375,000 when challenging for the “company” championship, and $750,000 when defending the “company” championship.

“They’re trying to revoke some of the protections the Ali Act provides,” Trout said. “If someone controls the rankings, and they control the belts, then they control it all. That’s a monopoly.”

Yet, a veteran boxing official said TKO wouldn’t be exerting much greater control over its rankings than some allege powerful promoter Top Rank is influencing with the WBO, and Premier Boxing Champions has wielded with the WBA.

TKO staff met with Association of Boxing Commissions head Mike Mazzulli before US representative Brian Jack (R-Georgia) crafted the bill.

One individual connected to those talks told BS: “We did the best we could with what we had. This was going to pass one way or another.”

UFC chief executive Dana White, who’ll promote on September 13 the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez-Terence Crawford card on Netflix and preside over the TKO promotion, is close friends with president Donald Trump, who has majority Republican support in both houses of congress.

In spite of his resistance to change the Ali Act, Trout bemoaned the toothless enforcement of it over the years, blaming the sanctioning bodies for undue influence over the ABC.

Trout previously sued the WBO for dropping him from mandatory title challenger to out of the rankings, and was left to watch his top-ranked replacement Liam Smith gain a lucrative title shot at Canelo Alvarez, taking away a possible multi-million-dollar rematch that Trout believed should have been his.

Trout said he was told by the ABC that the Ali Act was violated, but he couldn’t prove that there were financial damages.

“Are you kidding me?” Trout said. “As it is right now, the Muhammad Ali Act doesn’t protect anybody, and I’m living proof of that. They turned the Muhammad Ali Act into Martin Luther King Boulevard… it was supposed to mean great honor for a pioneer in the game, but it doesn’t protect anyone and it’s actually dangerous.”

Mazzulli is due to step down as head of the ABC in August.

“The ABC needs to uphold the Act,” Trout said. “The belts are telling them what to do. There has to be a whole new committee. If no one’s going to uphold the rules, what is the point of the rules? That’s boxing in a nutshell.”

[KiwiRider]

Why can't the orgs just fight it out until one is left, in a Highlander type tournament.

[Alba]

Essence of proposed new Muhammad Ali Act is fighter control

The focus of those touting the newly proposed bill to alter the Professional Boxing Act of 1996 – best known as the Muhammad Ali act – is on health-and-safety upgrades that would come with the legislation’s passage.

Applying a greater level of scrutiny and skepticism, others affected by the changes see game-changing manipulations meant to favor the new TKO boxing organization backing the bill.

The core cause of the legislation is that it will allow TKO – like its sister combat-sports company UFC – to distribute its own belts in the weight classes in which it opts to stage fights.

TKO will, additionally, be free to rank the fighters in the given divisions – acts that would stand as violations of the active regulations. And while the health and safety provisions include minimum-pay requirements of $150 per round, $25,000 in medical coverage for fighters requiring treatment for injuries and illness that occur before and up to 24 hours after the fight – along with MRIs, EKGs, pregnancy tests and drugs testing – small-club promoters smell a rat.

Noting that fight-card insurance expenses have all but dried up the club scene in New York, some club promoters elsewhere in America fear that these new requirements – if approved – will compromise their ability to retain promising fighters and produce shows, easing TKO’s recruitment of the young fighters it’s looking to build its UFC-like stable with.

“I don’t believe they have the fighters’ best interest in mind,” said former 154lbs boxing champion Austin Trout, a boxers’ advocate. “Does the UFC have a reputation for being pro-fighter, or do fighters just have to take what they get and be happy with it?”

One small-club promoter, who spoke to Boxing Scene on the condition of anonymity because of the fear of retribution, said that creating a minimum pay standard – although it’s a lower figure than what fighters earn in most states – and improving health safeguards is a noble gesture, but that surrendering control to TKO could result in a fixed fight-and-pay schedule that would be prohibitive as the contractual bounds drag on.

Earlier in 2025 Boxing Scene reviewed contracts sent to fighters by a company recruiting fighters for TKO’s promotion.

The TKO boxing venture isn’t expected to stage its first card until sometime in 2026, the company announced in a news release.

The contract read, “The company shall guarantee boxer the opportunity to participate in bouts every five months during the term commencing with the first bout, and shall make good-faith efforts to offer boxer the opportunity to participate in four bouts during the first year”, stipulating that purses will be increased based on the fighters’ ability to reach the top 10 set by “the company” and climb the rankings.

There is set to be $20,000 for a 10-round bout by an unranked fighter, $50,000 when ranked by “the company” at fifth to 10th, $125,000 when ranked by the company at third to fourth, $375,000 when challenging for the “company” championship, and $750,000 when defending the “company” championship.

“They’re trying to revoke some of the protections the Ali Act provides,” Trout said. “If someone controls the rankings, and they control the belts, then they control it all. That’s a monopoly.”

Yet, a veteran boxing official said TKO wouldn’t be exerting much greater control over its rankings than some allege powerful promoter Top Rank is influencing with the WBO, and Premier Boxing Champions has wielded with the WBA.

TKO staff met with Association of Boxing Commissions head Mike Mazzulli before US representative Brian Jack (R-Georgia) crafted the bill.

One individual connected to those talks told BS: “We did the best we could with what we had. This was going to pass one way or another.”

UFC chief executive Dana White, who’ll promote on September 13 the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez-Terence Crawford card on Netflix and preside over the TKO promotion, is close friends with president Donald Trump, who has majority Republican support in both houses of congress.

In spite of his resistance to change the Ali Act, Trout bemoaned the toothless enforcement of it over the years, blaming the sanctioning bodies for undue influence over the ABC.

Trout previously sued the WBO for dropping him from mandatory title challenger to out of the rankings, and was left to watch his top-ranked replacement Liam Smith gain a lucrative title shot at Canelo Alvarez, taking away a possible multi-million-dollar rematch that Trout believed should have been his.

Trout said he was told by the ABC that the Ali Act was violated, but he couldn’t prove that there were financial damages.

“Are you kidding me?” Trout said. “As it is right now, the Muhammad Ali Act doesn’t protect anybody, and I’m living proof of that. They turned the Muhammad Ali Act into Martin Luther King Boulevard… it was supposed to mean great honor for a pioneer in the game, but it doesn’t protect anyone and it’s actually dangerous.”

Mazzulli is due to step down as head of the ABC in August.

“The ABC needs to uphold the Act,” Trout said. “The belts are telling them what to do. There has to be a whole new committee. If no one’s going to uphold the rules, what is the point of the rules? That’s boxing in a nutshell.”

I wonder if US representative Brian Jack (R-Georgia) is been on the Saudi payroll?

[mickey1975]

Essence of proposed new Muhammad Ali Act is fighter control

The focus of those touting the newly proposed bill to alter the Professional Boxing Act of 1996 – best known as the Muhammad Ali act – is on health-and-safety upgrades that would come with the legislation’s passage.

Applying a greater level of scrutiny and skepticism, others affected by the changes see game-changing manipulations meant to favor the new TKO boxing organization backing the bill.

The core cause of the legislation is that it will allow TKO – like its sister combat-sports company UFC – to distribute its own belts in the weight classes in which it opts to stage fights.

TKO will, additionally, be free to rank the fighters in the given divisions – acts that would stand as violations of the active regulations. And while the health and safety provisions include minimum-pay requirements of $150 per round, $25,000 in medical coverage for fighters requiring treatment for injuries and illness that occur before and up to 24 hours after the fight – along with MRIs, EKGs, pregnancy tests and drugs testing – small-club promoters smell a rat.

Noting that fight-card insurance expenses have all but dried up the club scene in New York, some club promoters elsewhere in America fear that these new requirements – if approved – will compromise their ability to retain promising fighters and produce shows, easing TKO’s recruitment of the young fighters it’s looking to build its UFC-like stable with.

“I don’t believe they have the fighters’ best interest in mind,” said former 154lbs boxing champion Austin Trout, a boxers’ advocate. “Does the UFC have a reputation for being pro-fighter, or do fighters just have to take what they get and be happy with it?”

One small-club promoter, who spoke to Boxing Scene on the condition of anonymity because of the fear of retribution, said that creating a minimum pay standard – although it’s a lower figure than what fighters earn in most states – and improving health safeguards is a noble gesture, but that surrendering control to TKO could result in a fixed fight-and-pay schedule that would be prohibitive as the contractual bounds drag on.

Earlier in 2025 Boxing Scene reviewed contracts sent to fighters by a company recruiting fighters for TKO’s promotion.

The TKO boxing venture isn’t expected to stage its first card until sometime in 2026, the company announced in a news release.

The contract read, “The company shall guarantee boxer the opportunity to participate in bouts every five months during the term commencing with the first bout, and shall make good-faith efforts to offer boxer the opportunity to participate in four bouts during the first year”, stipulating that purses will be increased based on the fighters’ ability to reach the top 10 set by “the company” and climb the rankings.

There is set to be $20,000 for a 10-round bout by an unranked fighter, $50,000 when ranked by “the company” at fifth to 10th, $125,000 when ranked by the company at third to fourth, $375,000 when challenging for the “company” championship, and $750,000 when defending the “company” championship.

“They’re trying to revoke some of the protections the Ali Act provides,” Trout said. “If someone controls the rankings, and they control the belts, then they control it all. That’s a monopoly.”

Yet, a veteran boxing official said TKO wouldn’t be exerting much greater control over its rankings than some allege powerful promoter Top Rank is influencing with the WBO, and Premier Boxing Champions has wielded with the WBA.

TKO staff met with Association of Boxing Commissions head Mike Mazzulli before US representative Brian Jack (R-Georgia) crafted the bill.

One individual connected to those talks told BS: “We did the best we could with what we had. This was going to pass one way or another.”

UFC chief executive Dana White, who’ll promote on September 13 the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez-Terence Crawford card on Netflix and preside over the TKO promotion, is close friends with president Donald Trump, who has majority Republican support in both houses of congress.

In spite of his resistance to change the Ali Act, Trout bemoaned the toothless enforcement of it over the years, blaming the sanctioning bodies for undue influence over the ABC.

Trout previously sued the WBO for dropping him from mandatory title challenger to out of the rankings, and was left to watch his top-ranked replacement Liam Smith gain a lucrative title shot at Canelo Alvarez, taking away a possible multi-million-dollar rematch that Trout believed should have been his.

Trout said he was told by the ABC that the Ali Act was violated, but he couldn’t prove that there were financial damages.

“Are you kidding me?” Trout said. “As it is right now, the Muhammad Ali Act doesn’t protect anybody, and I’m living proof of that. They turned the Muhammad Ali Act into Martin Luther King Boulevard… it was supposed to mean great honor for a pioneer in the game, but it doesn’t protect anyone and it’s actually dangerous.”

Mazzulli is due to step down as head of the ABC in August.

“The ABC needs to uphold the Act,” Trout said. “The belts are telling them what to do. There has to be a whole new committee. If no one’s going to uphold the rules, what is the point of the rules? That’s boxing in a nutshell.”

I wonder if US representative Brian Jack (R-Georgia) is been on the Saudi payroll?

He is, he agreed on the condition his nephew Badou got well looked after by Turki.

[MightyWarrior]

I read that Turki put out a since deleted tweet after Tim Tszyu lost, he said this guy is not good enough for our shows, maybe just as a sparring partner in future.

Very disrespectful that …apparently because Tim pulled out of a previous show or something like that

[Alba]

I read that Turki put out a since deleted tweet after Tim Tszyu lost, he said this guy is not good enough for our shows, maybe just as a sparring partner in future.

Very disrespectful that …apparently because Tim pulled out of a previous show or something like that

No doubt the apologists will be along to agree with him

[giacomino]

Essence of proposed new Muhammad Ali Act is fighter control

The focus of those touting the newly proposed bill to alter the Professional Boxing Act of 1996 – best known as the Muhammad Ali act – is on health-and-safety upgrades that would come with the legislation’s passage.

Applying a greater level of scrutiny and skepticism, others affected by the changes see game-changing manipulations meant to favor the new TKO boxing organization backing the bill.

The core cause of the legislation is that it will allow TKO – like its sister combat-sports company UFC – to distribute its own belts in the weight classes in which it opts to stage fights.

TKO will, additionally, be free to rank the fighters in the given divisions – acts that would stand as violations of the active regulations. And while the health and safety provisions include minimum-pay requirements of $150 per round, $25,000 in medical coverage for fighters requiring treatment for injuries and illness that occur before and up to 24 hours after the fight – along with MRIs, EKGs, pregnancy tests and drugs testing – small-club promoters smell a rat.

Noting that fight-card insurance expenses have all but dried up the club scene in New York, some club promoters elsewhere in America fear that these new requirements – if approved – will compromise their ability to retain promising fighters and produce shows, easing TKO’s recruitment of the young fighters it’s looking to build its UFC-like stable with.

“I don’t believe they have the fighters’ best interest in mind,” said former 154lbs boxing champion Austin Trout, a boxers’ advocate. “Does the UFC have a reputation for being pro-fighter, or do fighters just have to take what they get and be happy with it?”

One small-club promoter, who spoke to Boxing Scene on the condition of anonymity because of the fear of retribution, said that creating a minimum pay standard – although it’s a lower figure than what fighters earn in most states – and improving health safeguards is a noble gesture, but that surrendering control to TKO could result in a fixed fight-and-pay schedule that would be prohibitive as the contractual bounds drag on.

Earlier in 2025 Boxing Scene reviewed contracts sent to fighters by a company recruiting fighters for TKO’s promotion.

The TKO boxing venture isn’t expected to stage its first card until sometime in 2026, the company announced in a news release.

The contract read, “The company shall guarantee boxer the opportunity to participate in bouts every five months during the term commencing with the first bout, and shall make good-faith efforts to offer boxer the opportunity to participate in four bouts during the first year”, stipulating that purses will be increased based on the fighters’ ability to reach the top 10 set by “the company” and climb the rankings.

There is set to be $20,000 for a 10-round bout by an unranked fighter, $50,000 when ranked by “the company” at fifth to 10th, $125,000 when ranked by the company at third to fourth, $375,000 when challenging for the “company” championship, and $750,000 when defending the “company” championship.

“They’re trying to revoke some of the protections the Ali Act provides,” Trout said. “If someone controls the rankings, and they control the belts, then they control it all. That’s a monopoly.”

Yet, a veteran boxing official said TKO wouldn’t be exerting much greater control over its rankings than some allege powerful promoter Top Rank is influencing with the WBO, and Premier Boxing Champions has wielded with the WBA.

TKO staff met with Association of Boxing Commissions head Mike Mazzulli before US representative Brian Jack (R-Georgia) crafted the bill.

One individual connected to those talks told BS: “We did the best we could with what we had. This was going to pass one way or another.”

UFC chief executive Dana White, who’ll promote on September 13 the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez-Terence Crawford card on Netflix and preside over the TKO promotion, is close friends with president Donald Trump, who has majority Republican support in both houses of congress.

In spite of his resistance to change the Ali Act, Trout bemoaned the toothless enforcement of it over the years, blaming the sanctioning bodies for undue influence over the ABC.

Trout previously sued the WBO for dropping him from mandatory title challenger to out of the rankings, and was left to watch his top-ranked replacement Liam Smith gain a lucrative title shot at Canelo Alvarez, taking away a possible multi-million-dollar rematch that Trout believed should have been his.

Trout said he was told by the ABC that the Ali Act was violated, but he couldn’t prove that there were financial damages.

“Are you kidding me?” Trout said. “As it is right now, the Muhammad Ali Act doesn’t protect anybody, and I’m living proof of that. They turned the Muhammad Ali Act into Martin Luther King Boulevard… it was supposed to mean great honor for a pioneer in the game, but it doesn’t protect anyone and it’s actually dangerous.”

Mazzulli is due to step down as head of the ABC in August.

“The ABC needs to uphold the Act,” Trout said. “The belts are telling them what to do. There has to be a whole new committee. If no one’s going to uphold the rules, what is the point of the rules? That’s boxing in a nutshell.”

I wonder if US representative Brian Jack (R-Georgia) is been on the Saudi payroll?

He was Trump’s political director during his first term and political advisor to Trump’s presidential campaign in 2024. So it wouldn’t be surprising if he was gifted a plane or something

[Bercli]

Essence of proposed new Muhammad Ali Act is fighter control

The focus of those touting the newly proposed bill to alter the Professional Boxing Act of 1996 – best known as the Muhammad Ali act – is on health-and-safety upgrades that would come with the legislation’s passage.

Applying a greater level of scrutiny and skepticism, others affected by the changes see game-changing manipulations meant to favor the new TKO boxing organization backing the bill.

The core cause of the legislation is that it will allow TKO – like its sister combat-sports company UFC – to distribute its own belts in the weight classes in which it opts to stage fights.

TKO will, additionally, be free to rank the fighters in the given divisions – acts that would stand as violations of the active regulations. And while the health and safety provisions include minimum-pay requirements of $150 per round, $25,000 in medical coverage for fighters requiring treatment for injuries and illness that occur before and up to 24 hours after the fight – along with MRIs, EKGs, pregnancy tests and drugs testing – small-club promoters smell a rat.

Noting that fight-card insurance expenses have all but dried up the club scene in New York, some club promoters elsewhere in America fear that these new requirements – if approved – will compromise their ability to retain promising fighters and produce shows, easing TKO’s recruitment of the young fighters it’s looking to build its UFC-like stable with.

“I don’t believe they have the fighters’ best interest in mind,” said former 154lbs boxing champion Austin Trout, a boxers’ advocate. “Does the UFC have a reputation for being pro-fighter, or do fighters just have to take what they get and be happy with it?”

One small-club promoter, who spoke to Boxing Scene on the condition of anonymity because of the fear of retribution, said that creating a minimum pay standard – although it’s a lower figure than what fighters earn in most states – and improving health safeguards is a noble gesture, but that surrendering control to TKO could result in a fixed fight-and-pay schedule that would be prohibitive as the contractual bounds drag on.

Earlier in 2025 Boxing Scene reviewed contracts sent to fighters by a company recruiting fighters for TKO’s promotion.

The TKO boxing venture isn’t expected to stage its first card until sometime in 2026, the company announced in a news release.

The contract read, “The company shall guarantee boxer the opportunity to participate in bouts every five months during the term commencing with the first bout, and shall make good-faith efforts to offer boxer the opportunity to participate in four bouts during the first year”, stipulating that purses will be increased based on the fighters’ ability to reach the top 10 set by “the company” and climb the rankings.

There is set to be $20,000 for a 10-round bout by an unranked fighter, $50,000 when ranked by “the company” at fifth to 10th, $125,000 when ranked by the company at third to fourth, $375,000 when challenging for the “company” championship, and $750,000 when defending the “company” championship.

“They’re trying to revoke some of the protections the Ali Act provides,” Trout said. “If someone controls the rankings, and they control the belts, then they control it all. That’s a monopoly.”

Yet, a veteran boxing official said TKO wouldn’t be exerting much greater control over its rankings than some allege powerful promoter Top Rank is influencing with the WBO, and Premier Boxing Champions has wielded with the WBA.

TKO staff met with Association of Boxing Commissions head Mike Mazzulli before US representative Brian Jack (R-Georgia) crafted the bill.

One individual connected to those talks told BS: “We did the best we could with what we had. This was going to pass one way or another.”

UFC chief executive Dana White, who’ll promote on September 13 the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez-Terence Crawford card on Netflix and preside over the TKO promotion, is close friends with president Donald Trump, who has majority Republican support in both houses of congress.

In spite of his resistance to change the Ali Act, Trout bemoaned the toothless enforcement of it over the years, blaming the sanctioning bodies for undue influence over the ABC.

Trout previously sued the WBO for dropping him from mandatory title challenger to out of the rankings, and was left to watch his top-ranked replacement Liam Smith gain a lucrative title shot at Canelo Alvarez, taking away a possible multi-million-dollar rematch that Trout believed should have been his.

Trout said he was told by the ABC that the Ali Act was violated, but he couldn’t prove that there were financial damages.

“Are you kidding me?” Trout said. “As it is right now, the Muhammad Ali Act doesn’t protect anybody, and I’m living proof of that. They turned the Muhammad Ali Act into Martin Luther King Boulevard… it was supposed to mean great honor for a pioneer in the game, but it doesn’t protect anyone and it’s actually dangerous.”

Mazzulli is due to step down as head of the ABC in August.

“The ABC needs to uphold the Act,” Trout said. “The belts are telling them what to do. There has to be a whole new committee. If no one’s going to uphold the rules, what is the point of the rules? That’s boxing in a nutshell.”

Austin is exactly right in my opinion. I came to this conclusion when I read the original post. And while the health insurance,etc is a welcome addition,my big concern is purses could be capped. For example,a 'a championship' title is capped at $750,000. So if a future Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua fight for the company's heavyweight title,is that all they will earn? Does anyone know if there is a cap on a title defence or is this the minimum they can earn?

[maverick23]

Essence of proposed new Muhammad Ali Act is fighter control

The focus of those touting the newly proposed bill to alter the Professional Boxing Act of 1996 – best known as the Muhammad Ali act – is on health-and-safety upgrades that would come with the legislation’s passage.

Applying a greater level of scrutiny and skepticism, others affected by the changes see game-changing manipulations meant to favor the new TKO boxing organization backing the bill.

The core cause of the legislation is that it will allow TKO – like its sister combat-sports company UFC – to distribute its own belts in the weight classes in which it opts to stage fights.

TKO will, additionally, be free to rank the fighters in the given divisions – acts that would stand as violations of the active regulations. And while the health and safety provisions include minimum-pay requirements of $150 per round, $25,000 in medical coverage for fighters requiring treatment for injuries and illness that occur before and up to 24 hours after the fight – along with MRIs, EKGs, pregnancy tests and drugs testing – small-club promoters smell a rat.

Noting that fight-card insurance expenses have all but dried up the club scene in New York, some club promoters elsewhere in America fear that these new requirements – if approved – will compromise their ability to retain promising fighters and produce shows, easing TKO’s recruitment of the young fighters it’s looking to build its UFC-like stable with.

“I don’t believe they have the fighters’ best interest in mind,” said former 154lbs boxing champion Austin Trout, a boxers’ advocate. “Does the UFC have a reputation for being pro-fighter, or do fighters just have to take what they get and be happy with it?”

One small-club promoter, who spoke to Boxing Scene on the condition of anonymity because of the fear of retribution, said that creating a minimum pay standard – although it’s a lower figure than what fighters earn in most states – and improving health safeguards is a noble gesture, but that surrendering control to TKO could result in a fixed fight-and-pay schedule that would be prohibitive as the contractual bounds drag on.

Earlier in 2025 Boxing Scene reviewed contracts sent to fighters by a company recruiting fighters for TKO’s promotion.

The TKO boxing venture isn’t expected to stage its first card until sometime in 2026, the company announced in a news release.

The contract read, “The company shall guarantee boxer the opportunity to participate in bouts every five months during the term commencing with the first bout, and shall make good-faith efforts to offer boxer the opportunity to participate in four bouts during the first year”, stipulating that purses will be increased based on the fighters’ ability to reach the top 10 set by “the company” and climb the rankings.

There is set to be $20,000 for a 10-round bout by an unranked fighter, $50,000 when ranked by “the company” at fifth to 10th, $125,000 when ranked by the company at third to fourth, $375,000 when challenging for the “company” championship, and $750,000 when defending the “company” championship.

“They’re trying to revoke some of the protections the Ali Act provides,” Trout said. “If someone controls the rankings, and they control the belts, then they control it all. That’s a monopoly.”

Yet, a veteran boxing official said TKO wouldn’t be exerting much greater control over its rankings than some allege powerful promoter Top Rank is influencing with the WBO, and Premier Boxing Champions has wielded with the WBA.

TKO staff met with Association of Boxing Commissions head Mike Mazzulli before US representative Brian Jack (R-Georgia) crafted the bill.

One individual connected to those talks told BS: “We did the best we could with what we had. This was going to pass one way or another.”

UFC chief executive Dana White, who’ll promote on September 13 the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez-Terence Crawford card on Netflix and preside over the TKO promotion, is close friends with president Donald Trump, who has majority Republican support in both houses of congress.

In spite of his resistance to change the Ali Act, Trout bemoaned the toothless enforcement of it over the years, blaming the sanctioning bodies for undue influence over the ABC.

Trout previously sued the WBO for dropping him from mandatory title challenger to out of the rankings, and was left to watch his top-ranked replacement Liam Smith gain a lucrative title shot at Canelo Alvarez, taking away a possible multi-million-dollar rematch that Trout believed should have been his.

Trout said he was told by the ABC that the Ali Act was violated, but he couldn’t prove that there were financial damages.

“Are you kidding me?” Trout said. “As it is right now, the Muhammad Ali Act doesn’t protect anybody, and I’m living proof of that. They turned the Muhammad Ali Act into Martin Luther King Boulevard… it was supposed to mean great honor for a pioneer in the game, but it doesn’t protect anyone and it’s actually dangerous.”

Mazzulli is due to step down as head of the ABC in August.

“The ABC needs to uphold the Act,” Trout said. “The belts are telling them what to do. There has to be a whole new committee. If no one’s going to uphold the rules, what is the point of the rules? That’s boxing in a nutshell.”

Austin is exactly right in my opinion. I came to this conclusion when I read the original post. And while the health insurance,etc is a welcome addition,my big concern is purses could be capped. For example,a 'a championship' title is capped at $750,000. So if a future Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua fight for the company's heavyweight title,is that all they will earn? Does anyone know if there is a cap on a title defence or is this the minimum they can earn?

I think it will depend on their TV deal. If it’s all on one platform and no PPVs then I’d imagine it is capped $750k. If they do have PPVs then I’d imagine they’ll get an upside.

I wonder how it will work when a champion of theirs wants to leave. I’d imagine their heavyweight champ will be able to earn more than $750k from several traditional promoters.

[Glass Joe]

Listening to latest the opening podcast show
Matt Christie said boxing scene cant get a pass again, were approved by tko but then was taken away.

[SeanBrennan]

Listening to latest the opening podcast show
Matt Christie said boxing scene cant get a pass again, were approved by tko but then was taken away.

Sad to see and hear this. The Saudis murdered an oppositional voice so the press ban is small fry but symptomatic of the malevolent control they are increasingly applying to the sport.

[MightyWarrior]

If Matt’s told to come to the Saudi Embassy to pick up his ringside pass I don’t think he should go.

[veriton]

Big story on boxing scene about it. Anyone thinking the Saudis are in this for the love of the sport must still believe in Santa Claus

[Alba]

Big story on boxing scene about it. Anyone thinking the Saudis are in this for the love of the sport must still believe in Santa Claus

Im glad others are starting to see this, and call it out.

There are a lot of people who are quite in love with the idea of Saudi running boxing for there own benefit

[Alba]

Big story on boxing scene about it. Anyone thinking the Saudis are in this for the love of the sport must still believe in Santa Claus

Im glad others are starting to see this, and call it out.

There are a lot of people who are quite in love with the idea of Saudi running boxing for there own benefit

https://www.BS.com/articles/ri ... -the-ropes

That is the article, quite telling

[KiwiRider]

That really is a good article from BS.
They also mentioned golf is also experiencing censorship.
And it's not just the BS journalists, it's anyone who dares speak out about anything Turki or Saudi. We may even find this thread locked because someone has threatened John.

[KiwiRider]

Also: The Ring needs to be boycotted.
They have ruined a 103 year old publication. Let's call it, it's done in so far as not being another promotional arm of the regime.

[SeanBrennan]

Really good to see these opinions on the forum

[rio]

Has the article been took down? Won't open for me