Dana White has openly declared that proposed amendments to the Muhammad Ali Act would usher in a new era in boxing—one led by him. But industry voices like Eddie Hearn are raising red flags, warning that White's vision may come at a high cost to the very fighters the Act was designed to protect.
In a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Matchroom Sport president Eddie Hearn expressed deep concern that the push to alter the landmark federal legislation may be less about reform—and more about control.
“The problem with the Ali Act for this empire,” Hearn said pointedly, “is that boxers must be informed of the total revenue generated from events, particularly television revenue. And that’s where the issue lies. When you're talking about millions of dollars, fighters are often seeing only a fraction of what they’re worth.”
The Muhammad Ali Act, passed in 2000, was established to protect fighters from exploitation by requiring financial transparency and separating promotional and managerial interests. If the Act is amended in a way that dilutes these protections, Hearn warns, the sport could regress into an opaque system where promoters control both the purse strings and the narrative.
“Right now,” Hearn continued, “UFC fighters don’t get to see, in black and white, the revenue generated by an event during fight week. And in some cases, a boxer might earn three or four times more than a UFC main-eventer—even when the UFC event brings in more money. That disparity should alarm everyone. Maybe that’s exactly why these changes to the Act are being pushed.”
Critics argue that Dana White’s backing of these amendments signals a move to expand his grip on combat sports by applying the UFC’s closed-door model to boxing—one where fighter pay is tightly controlled and revenue details remain hidden.
As Hearn emphasized, transparency is not a bureaucratic hurdle; it’s the lifeline for fair compensation in a billion-dollar industry.
“The moment fighters stop seeing the numbers,” he warned, “is the moment they stop getting paid what they deserve.”
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