Khaberni - In the world of combat sports, battles are not limited to what happens inside the ring or the steel cage; behind the scenes, other types of wars unfold, armed with "contracts" which might victimize "players' rights".
Because the true legacy of the late legend Muhammad Ali did not end with his knockout punches, but extended to wresting rights for his colleagues, boxing alone has this distinctive law among all combat sports.
A report by "The Athletic", published by "New York Times", highlighted the "Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act", describing it as not merely legislation, but a "protective shield" trying to save boxers from turning their sport into a "modern slave market".
What is the Muhammad Ali Boxing Law?
We learn about the details of the law through the following points:
1. The Essence of the Law
The American Congress issued the law in 2000, with the main goal of ending the era of exploitation in "the noble art" of boxing, and the legal essence of this legislation lies in "mandatory separation" between the promoter and the manager, considering the following:
Conflict of interests: Before the law, a single person could own a boxing contract, manage the boxer's career, and organize the match simultaneously. This situation made the boxer the weaker party, as his "administrative opponent" worked in favor of the organization, not the player.
Concession contracts: The law came to prevent "monopolistic contracts" that force the boxer to tie himself to a single promoter for many years as a crippling condition for obtaining a title fight.
2. Protective Clauses
The law is based on three pillars that protect the boxer's rights and future as follows:
Financial transparency: The law requires promoters to disclose all amounts they receive from the match, preventing hidden profits and ensuring the boxer gets his fair share.
Fair rankings: The law prevents manipulating the rankings of boxers based on favoritism, enforcing clear criteria for global ratings.
Freedom of choice: The law protects the boxer from indefinitely signing away his rights, granting him the power to negotiate as an independent party.
3. Comparing Boxing with Mixed Martial Arts
The most exciting angle in the report is the vast gap between boxing (protected by the law) and mixed martial arts (MMA), specifically the UFC, which lacks it in terms of:
Firstly: Profit share
The numbers indicate a vast disparity in income distribution as follows:
• In boxing: Thanks to the "Muhammad Ali Law", stars in major matches get between 70% to 80% of the total revenues.
• In mixed martial arts: Fighters get a meager share ranging only from 13% to 19%, while the organization swallows the larger part of the profits.
Secondly: Salaries and benefits
• The basic salary of a professional boxer is substantial, ranging from $30 to $50 million, while the salary of most mixed martial arts champions does not exceed $5 million.
• Transparency in boxing is mandated by law, whereas in mixed martial arts, salaries are secretive and subject to the organization's discretion.
• Regarding sponsors, the Muhammad Ali Law grants the boxer the freedom to display his own advertising logos on his shorts, whereas the organization monopolizes advertisements in mixed martial arts.
Why do mixed martial arts organizations reject the Muhammad Ali Law?
The rejection of this law by mixed martial arts organizations is purely for commercial reasons, as applying the law would mean:
• Dismantling the monopoly: The organization would be forced to separate promotion from management, losing its absolute control over the fighters' careers.
• Uncovering the "black box": The organizations would have to disclose their real profits from "pay-per-view" (PPV), which would inevitably lead to an explosion in fighters' salary caps.
• Fighter freedom: The fighter would become an "independent institution" (like Tyson Fury or Canelo Alvarez) instead of being an "employee" at the organization that controls him.
