Boxing
De La Hoya, Ali’s grandson, warns US lawmakers against boxing law overhaul
Former boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya appeared before the U.S. Senate on Wednesday and argued against a potential transformation of the current system governed by the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act that, since 2000, has aimed to protect fighters from exploitative practices.
The hearing — titled “Return to Your Corners: Have Federal Boxing Laws Gone the Distance or Slipped the Jab?” — was held a month after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act, which, if it becomes law, would allow for the creation of a single entity to combine promotion, rankings, titles and sanctioning under one roof.
“This is a fundamental power shift that, if enacted, would put corporate profits first and fighters second,” De La Hoya told the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. “We should be clear about who benefits from this.”
Thirty years ago, Congress set federal boxing standards by passing the Professional Boxing Safety Act. Four years later, Congress tightened those standards by enacting the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act. Together known as the Ali Act, the federal framework for professional boxing was designed to address conflicts of interest in the boxing market and strengthen boxers’ bargaining power.
Last month the House passed the Revival Act to make it easier for boxing to be organised in the same manner as other professional sports leagues.
‘FIGHTERS WILL HAVE FEWER CHOICES’
De La Hoya told the hearing that, like him, many fighters enter the sport young, trusting and without resources, and that once they are locked into the wrong deal, it is very difficult to get out. That is, he argued, exactly why the Reform Act exists.
“Fighters deserve real protection and real opportunity — not to have to fight the system as well,” said De La Hoya. “If this bill passes, fighters will have fewer choices, less leverage, and less control over their careers. And when that happens, it will not be the sport that failed them. It will be us.”
Nico Ali Walsh, a professional boxer and grandson of former world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, also argued to preserve the current Reform Act.
Walsh told the hearing the Reform Act was built on a simple principle: the people controlling fighters should not also control the entire marketplace those fighters depend on.
“That separation exists to prevent conflicts of interest and exploitation,” said Walsh. “The new Muhammad Ali Boxing Revival Act would undermine that principle.
“If this bill is passed in its current form, it should not have my grandfather’s name on it, as it would betray the principles his Act was created to protect.”
WWE President and TKO Group board member Nick Khan spoke in support of the Revival Act, which would allow the creation of a new, centralised, alternative professional boxing system called Unified Boxing Organisations.
“The existing Act, as it currently stands, would remain in place,” said Khan. “This is an added option. It creates the framework for Unified Boxing Organisations, otherwise known as UBOs, that can do what major sports do — promote competition, develop talent, and enforce consistent standards under one roof.”
-Reuters
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Britain’s former heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury, has reignited calls for a long-awaited domestic super-fight after defeating Russia’s Arslanbek Makhmudov by unanimous decision on Saturday night.
Fighting at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Fury delivered a composed and commanding performance to secure his first victory since his second defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in October 2024. That loss had denied the “Gypsy King” a chance to reclaim the WBC title, but he showed no signs of decline in a bout he ultimately controlled from the middle rounds onward.
Makhmudov started brightly, pressing forward aggressively and forcing Fury onto the ropes in the early exchanges. However, the Russian struggled to inflict meaningful damage as Fury gradually imposed his superior ring craft.
Once Fury established his jab and controlled the distance, the fight tilted decisively in his favour. Switching stances with ease, the 37-year-old Briton mixed head and body attacks, punishing Makhmudov whenever he attempted to clinch. As the contest wore on, Fury’s dominance became more pronounced, with the Briton picking his shots and rarely looking troubled.
All three judges scored the 12-round contest comfortably for Fury, returning verdicts of 120-108, 120-108, and 119-109.
But it was what happened after the final bell that electrified the crowd.
With fellow Briton Anthony Joshua watching from ringside, Fury seized the microphone and issued a direct challenge.
“Next, I want to give you the fight you’ve all been waiting for. I want you AJ, Anthony Joshua… the Battle of Britain. I challenge you… do you accept my challenge?” Fury declared.
Joshua, a former unified heavyweight champion, declined to be drawn into an immediate verbal exchange but signalled his willingness to finally settle the rivalry in the ring.
“Tyson, I’ve never had a problem getting in the ring with you,” Joshua responded. “I’ve been chasing you for the last 10 years… when you’re ready, come and see me.”
The exchange has once again fuelled anticipation for what could become the biggest fight in British boxing history, with fans hopeful that negotiations—after years of near misses—can finally deliver the long-awaited showdown between the two heavyweight giants.
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Tyson Fury wants to fight Anthony Joshua in a long-awaited clash of British former heavyweight world champions if he wins his comeback against Canada-based Russian Arslanbek Makhmudov in London on Saturday.
Fury, 37, has come out of retirement for the fifth time in his career to get back into the ring at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium and is looking well beyond the weekend.
“I’ve got Arslanbek Makhmudov to think of on Saturday night, but all going well (Joshua is) the fight I want next,” he told BBC radio on Wednesday.
“I know he just had his fight with Jake Paul, whatever… a fight’s a fight, really. So yeah, I’ll be ready for that straight away after this.”
Joshua, 36, last fought in December when he dealt American Jake Paul a reality check with a savage sixth round knockout in Miami.
A few days after that, the former WBA, IBF and WBO champion was taken to hospital in Nigeria following a car accident that killed two close friends.
American former WBC world champion Deontay Wilder has also called out Joshua for a long-awaited matchup after beating Briton Derek Chisora on a split-decision last Saturday.
Fury, who has not fought since losing to Ukraine’s reigning world champion Oleksandr Usyk in December 2024, dismissed the idea of that happening.
“I’ve never seen two men slide as much as these two,” he said of the Wilder v Chisora bout. “They look like a couple of club fighters from a white-collar match in a local leisure centre. It was sad for me to watch.”
-Reuters
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Former world champion Deontay Wilder sent Derek Chisora into retirement by edging their engaging yet chaotic heavyweight fight in London, United Kingdom.
The boxers, aged 40 and 42 respectively, threw hopeful knockout punches and barely jabbed. Both slipped and fell to the canvas frequently during the bout at the O2 Arena on Saturday.
Wilder got the only knockdown in the eighth round, sending Chisora through the ropes, but the American was deducted a point in the same round for pushing. Chisora was rattled, but Wilder did not press his advantage.
Wilder dominated the early rounds, and Chisora rallied late. The judges were split in their scoring: Wilder received scores of 115-111 and 115-113, and the third picked Chisora by 115-112
Wilder said the fight was fun and suggested he didn’t want to knock out Chisora.
“Tonight, I looked out for him. I want him to live for his kids,” he told broadcaster DAZN. “It’s time for us to take care of each other.”
Chisora said in the build-up that the fight was to be his last, but the Londoner was reluctant to confirm it afterwards.
“I’m going to go home with the boss lady and see,” he told DAZN. “I’m going to go home and drop the kids, do the school run.”
It was the 50th fight for both in the professional ranks.
Wilder improved his record to 45-4-1. The WBC titleholder from 2015 to 2020 came to London having lost four of his last six fights.
Chisora’s record since 2007, when he turned pro a year before Wilder, dropped to 36-14. He lost his only two title shots against Vitali Klitschko in 2012 and Tyson Fury in 2022.
-The Associated Press
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