Boxing Insider Promotions

The Muhammad Ali Revival Act Turns the ABC Into America’s De Facto National Boxing Commission boxinginsider.com/headlines/the-…

@RapaczBoxing @RWeezy02 I made my case for reasonable drug testing where and when. New language dropped again let’s not chase a straw man argument.

@RWeezy02 @BoxingInsider The drug testing should be. The medical requirement costs will go up for a lot of promoters and fighters, but there's really no basis for complaint on that.

Everyone should check out the language in the Ali Act bill again. 😇

@heynottheface Wow.. this is full time job to keep up. ABC physician certification now applies to ALL boxing not just UBO events. They are certifying judges and they are giving a report card on all commissions. ABC gets the power.

Going to have to go through this with a fine-tooth comb because this version is slightly different than the one that came out of markup.

Commission list first, ABC second, WADA as the default. Most states don’t have a comprehensive prohibited list — which means WADA becomes the floor in practice. We covered the full cascade in Part 2. Appreciate the back and forth — this is the kind of debate the bill *should* be getting on the House floor, not on Twitter.

@BoxingInsider I don't read it as WADA list for non-UBO events. It's the commission's prohibited list, then the ABC's and if they don't have one, it defaults to WADA.

@RWeezy02 @RapaczBoxing No — “at random” still means WADA-list testing when it happens in current language

@RapaczBoxing @BoxingInsider So it’s less stringent on grassroots promoters?

Good eye. We updated the piece — Section 4(b) says “at random” for non-title bouts, the 50% is in Section 24(e) for UBO cards. Two different provisions, both WADA-list. The cost problem is the same either way — $20K-$30K every time the commission pulls the trigger, and the bill doesn’t define what “at random” means. Full breakdown: boxinginsider.com/headlines/drug…

@BoxingInsider Ok. But the drug testing page they're actually voting on sure looks different. DM'd it to you.

The Muhammad Ali Revival Act Just Made “Win Tourism” the Business Model for Independent Boxing boxinginsider.com/headlines/cong…

@FredGarvinReal where does that money come from? Either commission fees go up on promoters. The cost lands on the same people either way — it just takes an extra step to get there.

This is the comedy, the federal government is trying to enforce a cost upon the state athletic commissions. And many low level promoters are saying “we cannot shoulder these costs” but as the bill reads. It’s not on the promoters but the commissions.

Drug Testing in Boxing: What It Actually Costs and Who Actually Does It (Ali Act Series Part 2) boxinginsider.com/headlines/drug…

Here is the section of the bill in regards to drug testing.

@RapaczBoxing What they want and what the reality of the bill could be different things.

@BoxingInsider I don't think it's in TKO's interest to have an amendment like this kill club boxing. They're going to rely on a healthy club scene as their event total increases. The fighters still have to come from and develop somewhere.

That’s a fair point and you might be right — the testing language was added at committee, not in the original bill. It’s entirely possible Walberg wanted to strengthen the safety provisions without fully understanding what WADA-standard testing costs at scale or what it would mean for shows that aren’t TKO productions. But that’s almost worse. It means Congress is writing drug testing mandates for a sport they don’t understand, and the company best positioned to absorb those costs has no incentive to push back. Whether TKO asked for it or not, they benefit from it. The result is the same.

@BoxingInsider If TKO was pushing for WADA testing, it would have been in the initial bill. I think it's a stretch to assume they asked Rep Tim Walberg to add that specific language. More likely, Walberg threw together increased standards that he thought sounded good, unaware of the impact.

What the Ali Revival Act Means for Club Boxing Promoters boxinginsider.com/headlines/ali-…

The Ali Revival Act is headed for a House floor vote, and almost no one in boxing media is telling the real story. BoxingInsider.com is one of the promoters this legislation will directly affect. This is Part 1 of a multi-part series breaking down what every independent promoter, fighter, and fan needs to understand.