“If this bill passes, fighters will have less choice, less power and less control over their operations,” De La Hoya told the committee. “If that happens, it won't be the game that defeats them, it will be us.”
De La Hoya also based his objection on his personal experience, saying that he signed his first professional contract at a young age without fully understanding it and later realized that he had been taken advantage of. He said many players still enter boxing in the same situation, trusting the wrong people and entering into bad deals.
He said the new proposal would create two different levels in one sport, traditional promoters would still be bound by disclosure laws and boxing federations would have more control.
“Another system works under openness and accountability while UBOs do not work,” said De La Hoya.
Anxiety is no longer considered. Zuffa has already attracted names including Jai Opetaia, Richardson Hitchins, Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela, Conor Benn, and Edgar Berlanga, indicating that the roster is moving quickly.
Muhammad Ali's grandson, Nico Ali Walsh, supported De La Hoya's position and said the issue goes beyond brand or nostalgia.
“When one system controls access, choice becomes rational, not real,” Walsh told senators. He later added that the revised bill should not have his grandfather's name.
Nick Khan, speaking in support of the proposal, said that the structure of boxing is now pushing the fans. He said the WBC alone sees 163 champions in 18 weight divisions and pointed to major broadcasters such as HBO, Showtime, ESPN, Fox, NBC, ABC, and CBS who left the sport over time.
Khan's argument is built on the “163 champions” problem. He's not wrong that the average fan gets fed up with the alphabet soup of belts, WBC, WBA, IBF, WBO. What the “Unified Boxing Organization” (UBO) says is creating a product that people want to watch, which is thought to bring more money to the sport.
Supporters are dangling offers of better treatment and guaranteed pay per round to woo lawmakers who care more about athlete welfare than promotional politics.
That may appeal to fighters looking for a clean path to the top. Others will hear something else: one company trying to own the road to the top. Boxing has long sold freedom, even if it comes with chaos. This fight is about how that freedom is about to become less and less.
De La Hoya's strongest point was about losing power. Highlighting his early struggles, he reminded the committee that the Ali Act was created to establish the “one company, one manager” model that Zuffa wants to emulate.
Oscar was specific about the sponsorship, comparing the Zuffa/TKO push to LIV Golf. He described it as a takeover by foreign-funded companies that will take away the position of private contractors that boxers have fought for decades to maintain.
Nico's argument was about the legacy of fighting rights and business. When he said “the option becomes theoretical” under the centralized system, he hit on the exact fear many have: that boxing will become a “take it or leave it” league like the UFC.
The bill has already cleared the House on a unanimous vote, which is a major setback. With Senator Ted Cruz as chairman of the Commerce Committee and a general political push toward “modern” sports to compete with the MMA model, Zuffa has a very clear path.
The feeling in the room seemed to be that while Oscar and Nico won the battle of “emotions,” the battle of “business” may have already been decided. If the Senate considers boxing a “failing” industry that needs a corporate savior to survive, it will likely move the bill forward.
