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Since the involvement of Turki Alalshikh and Riyadh Season, boxing has changed forever. We have seen a number of fights happen that we only dreamed of. The involvement of Alalshikh has drawn criticism from some quarters. Earlier this year, it was announced that Turki Alalshikh, TKO Group Holdings and Sela were embarking on a multi-year partnership to establish a new boxing promotion. It has now been reported that Dana White and co wish to amend the Ali Act. Oscar De La Hoya, on his trademark Clapback Thursday, has taken aim at their desire to change the Ali Act.
Oscar De La Hoya Takes Aim at TKO’s Involvement in Boxing
De La Hoya Clapsback at Dana White and TKO
The involvement of TKO in boxing will begin with Canelo vs Crawford, but the proposed change to the Ali Act is what’s caused controversy and De La Hoya did not hold back: “So, it was reported last week that the TKO group is attempting to amend the Muhammad Ali Act, and the writing is on the wall. Fighters beware. The Ali Act was put into place back in 2000 to protect fighters by assuring them financial transparency, contract fairness, protecting them from other conflicts of interest, etc, etc.
“AKA, it protects fighters from being taken advantage of. And now, of course, as TKO prepares to enter the boxing space, the first thing they want to do is change this act and leave fighters vulnerable.
Read More: Oscar De La Hoya Shares Candid Thoughts on Potential Canelo vs. Bivol Rematch
“TKO needs this to change so they can implement the exact same unethical business tactics in boxing that they used to create a monopoly with the UFC. Think about this. The UFC was sued by their own fighters for this unethical s**t. They recently settled on a $375 million antitrust lawsuit over claims they used illegal practices to suppress fighters wages and rival promoters. Their own fighters sued them over this.
“And after all that, they’re coming to another sport and trying to do the exact same f***ing thing. Look, Dana White is always flaunting his relationship with President Donald Trump and is very clearly banking on this getting pushed through, using that connection.”
De La Hoya Slams Dana White’s UFC Pay Model
De La Hoya made it clear his true feelings towards Dana White’s UFC model and TKO: “So, to make things easy to understand, this new league, TKO, is planning on paying fighters whatever they want, which will likely be pennies on the dollar based on the existing UFC model. The same model that leaves their fighters in broken bodies and empty bank accounts. The latest heartbreaking example is former UFC fighter Ben Askren, who needed a double lung transplant and couldn’t afford it, so he publicly had to ask for help.
Read More: Canelo vs Terence Crawford: Caleb Plant Praises ‘Freakishly Strong’ Bud
“This is exactly my point, they don’t give a f**k about boxing or fighters putting their lives on the line. They care abouttheir bottom line and their stock price. Scumbags will always be scumbags. And every move they make is so f***ing predictable. The Ali Act is there for a good reason. I’ve been a promoter for 24 years now, and I’ve never wanted one change in the Ali Act because I’m about fairness and helping fighters. The fact that this is the first move they want to make in boxing tells you everything you need to know,” added a passionate De La Hoya.
