“Under the Muhammad Ali Law, you actually have to show the fighters what the revenue is with every show. And if they did, the fighters would be very disappointed, being in the UFC,” Eddie Hearn told the media last night.
Hearn’s main complaint centered on disclosure. Under the Ali Act, promoters must provide financial information linked to events. He said transparency is one of the few real safeguards fighters have, and claimed the proposed revisions would weaken it.
He also questioned whether boxing should copy a closed model where one company controls titles, matches and revenue streams.
“The law is designed to protect the fighter, and they’re trying to de-protect the fighter by having complete control to do whatever they want,” Hearn says
Hearn then pointed to broadcast money, saying fighters deserve to know how much networks are paying for shows before agreeing to purses.
“They don’t want you to know how much revenue is at night. That should tell you all you need to know,” says Hearn
The politics surrounding the Ali Law has become one of boxing’s biggest field battles this year, with supporters saying reform could modernize the sport and critics warning it could take away bargaining power.
Hearn clearly falls into the second group. He was warm, but the central point was simple: once fighters lose access to the numbers, they lose a lot more than paperwork.
