‘For billionaires, not boxers’: De La Hoya warns over Ali Act overhaul in Senate hearing

• Ali Act overhaul would allow unified boxing bodies

• Backers say centralized model would boost revenues

• Critics warn fighters could lose leverage and rights

A US Senate hearing on the future of boxing laid bare a sharp divide over the sport’s direction on Wednesday, as longtime boxing figures including Oscar De La Hoya warned the changes could erode fighters’ rights while executives aligned with an Ultimate Fighting Championship-backed push for a centralized model argued they would bring structure and investment.

“When one system controls access, choice becomes theoretical, not real,” professional boxer Nico Ali Walsh told lawmakers, framing the stakes of a debate that could dramatically reshape boxing’s economic model. “When that happens, you fight who you’re told to fight or you don’t fight at all.”