DANA WHITE was in no mood to discuss the Muhammad Ali Revival Act, nor did he have much interest in entertaining a conversation on its potential ramifications.
The original Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, which was passed by the US Congress in 2000, is a piece of legislation designed to protect fighters.
In short, the bill amended the 1996 Professional Boxing Safety Act in an effort to address concerns over unethical practices, particularly with regards to exploitative contracts and excessive power given to promoters.
More recently, though, UFC president White, who operates alongside boxing paymaster Turki Alalshikh, has attempted to make several, rather drastic, changes to the Ali Act.
The aim, it seems, is to create a Unified Boxing Organisation (UBO) where, much like the story in mixed martial arts, all meaningful power and influence is absorbed by one promoter.
In this case, both White and Alalshikh – two of the most influential people in boxing – are aiming to pass the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act in a bid to establish their UFC-style promotion, whether that be under the TKO Boxing or Zuffa Boxing banner.
The first step towards this change is expected to take shape on Saturday, with White representing the lead promoter of Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford’s undisputed title clash.
Based largely on the promotional build-up, scant mention of the sanctioning bodies involved in the fight – the WBC, IBF, WBO and WBA – would suggest that those alphabet organisations could soon be at risk of getting marginalised.
And that, after all, is what White has previously expressed to be his primary intention in boxing: to effectively establish one major belt per division and, in turn, create his own promotional monopoly.
But equally, there has been plenty of resistance to the Revival Act and, earlier this week, it was determined at a hearing that the California State Athletic Commission would get three additional months to decide whether it supports the legislation.
Among those expressing their feelings against the new bill, meanwhile, is boxing reporter Sean Zittel, who was in attendance at the Canelo-Crawford press conference earlier this morning.
Speaking into a microphone, Zittel said: “My question to you [White] is, why do you want to make sweeping changes to the Muhammad Ali Reform Act that is meant to protect fighters?”
“This is obviously a long discussion,” White replied. “If you want to talk to me about that, set up an interview. This isn’t about me and my business.”
Undeterred, Zittel continued to press the TKO promoter, asking whether he would be as eager to invest in boxing if the Ali Act is to be upheld.
With no view to entertain the discussion, however, White said: “If you want to be an asshole, let’s do it in private and we can do an interview.”
