Boxing community voices opposition to Ali Revival Act at CSAC meeting

Members of the boxing community voiced opposition to the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act at a California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) meeting held Monday.

The meeting, held in-person with a virtual option, saw the commission go over a number of items.

Among the items on their agenda was the “discussion and possible action regarding the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act.”

The proposed bill seeks, among other things, to create unified boxing organizations (UBOs) that will have the ability to develop their own ranking and title system.

Members of the public were given an opportunity to comment before the commission decided whether or not to support the act.

Several individuals with ties to boxing and combat sports in general took the time to explain why they were opposed to the bill.

Boxing community voices opposition to Ali Revival Act

Carla Duran, daughter of cutman Jacob “Stich” Duran, is the co-founder of Athlete’s Voice Committee, a sub-committee of the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC).

Duran has a history of advocating on behalf of boxers and was present at the CSAC meeting.

“The Ali Act is designed to protect fighters and it should be strengthened and expanded into mixed martial arts, not weakened as this bill proposes,” she said.

“Fighters must come first. They deserve a meaningful voice in decisions that affect their safety and careers and I believe that before any of these changes are made the vote should be paused to ensure fighters’ rights and public input is fully considered, especially because this hasn’t even went to Congress yet.”

Rachel Donaire, wife and manager of four division world champion Nonito Donaire, also joined the meeting to voice her objection to the act.

“I’ve managed Nonito through world titles across divisions and every negotiation we’ve done has been about making sure he got the most money possible for [his opponents],” she said. “That’s the point of this game. You risked your life, you deserve leverage at the table. But the UBO [system], they cut purses, they strip fighters of negotiation power before they even sit down.”

Jake Donovan, a boxing journalist, was also among those who voiced concerns about the act.

“It almost feels like you guys [the CSAC] are acting as lobbyists rather than protecting the interests of the fighters,” said Donovan. “This sport is already in a position where the people who are proposing this bill are dictating how things are recorded, who gets credentials, what fighters have what say. This is going to ridiculously weaken the sport. It’s not going to strengthen it. It’s not going to make boxing great again as is being pitched.”

MMA community also joins the meeting

Among those voicing opposition to the act were mixed martial artists and others involved in MMA. Mac Danzig, a mixed martial artist who competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) for a number of years, was among them.

“The major thing…is whether or not fighters will be able to compete for multiple titles. If they’re restrained because they’re with the UBO, then what’s going to happen is the same exact thing that you have nowadays with the sport of MMA which is not structured as a sport. It’s monopolized by one company…Nobody’s talking about the fact that what [the act] leads to is one company monopolizing the entire sport…” he said.

Erik Magraken is a managing partner at MacIsaac & Company who practices litigation law and dealing with combative sports regulatory issues.

He is also a licensed judge in the Canadian province of British Columbia for kickboxing, Muay Thai, and mixed martial arts.

Magraken also took the time on Monday to explain why the CSAC should not support the bill.

“If this bill passes what you guys [the CSAC] are endorsing are coercive contracts,” he said. “Under the Ali Act coercive contracts are prohibited and everybody who puts their support behind this bill is greenlighting the ability for a promoter to now have coercive contracts.”

“The UBO model will let the promoter dictate who the fighters fight. So they get to call the shots of who you fight, where you fight, and when you fight. If you don’t play ball, they could freeze your contract, they could stall your career, they could hurt you financially. But they could hurt you physically as well…It strips the fighters of their autonomy to look after their own health and safety…”

What now?

Peter Villegas, who chaired the CSAC meeting, announced the decision to appoint a subcommittee that would “review the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act” upon hearing comments from the public.

The subcommittee will include Christopher Gruwell and Dr. AnnMaria De Mars. Both individuals are commissioners within the CSAC who will now work with executive officer Andy Foster to further research the proposed bill.

The next CSAC meeting is scheduled to take place on December 8 of this year. The subcommittee is expected to present their findings at that meeting.

Following the presentation the CSAC is expected to vote on whether or not they will support the motion.

Full board meeting video

To watch the meeting in its entirety, click here or the play button below. Video courtesy of the California Department of Consumer Affairs.