“Under the Muhammad Ali Act, you have to actually show the fighters what the revenue is with every show. And if they did that, the fighters would be very disappointed, as they are in the UFC,” said Eddie Hearn to the media last night.
Hearn’s main complaint centered on disclosure. Under the Ali Act, promoters must provide financial information tied to events. He said that 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, matchmaking, and revenue streams.
“The Act is designed to protect the fighter, and they’re trying to unprotect the fighter by having complete control to do whatever they want,” said Hearn
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’s in the night. That should tell you everything you need to know,” said Hearn
The politics around the Ali Act have become one of boxing’s biggest off-ring fights this year, with supporters saying reform could modernize the sport and critics warning it could strip away bargaining power.
Hearn clearly falls in the second group. He was heated, but the central point was simple: once fighters lose access to the numbers, they lose a lot more than paperwork.
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