LAS VEGAS, NV – Boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. appeared on Boxing Prime Time on Fight Spider, hosted by boxing commentator Andrew Bocanegra and former world champion Brian Mendoza, where he delivered a scathing warning about the future of American boxing and ripped Dana White and Zuffa Boxing over proposed changes to the Muhammad Ali Act.
As of early 2026, Dana White and Zuffa, under the TKO Group banner, are actively pushing for revisions to the Muhammad Ali Act through legislation being referred to as the “Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act.” The proposal is aimed at creating a “Unified Boxing Organization” (UBO) that would operate boxing under a centralized system similar to the UFC. While White has publicly stated that fighters who wish to remain under the current Muhammad Ali Act structure could do so, critics argue the proposal would fundamentally reshape boxing through centralized matchmaking, long-term contracts, and greater promotional control.
The original Muhammad Ali Act was enacted in 2000 to protect fighters from exploitation, conflicts of interest, coercive contracts, and abusive promotional practices. The federal law was designed to provide transparency in boxing finances, prevent promoters from controlling championship titles, and protect fighters from the type of monopolistic control many feared could damage the sport.
Among the leading voices opposing the proposed changes are Nico Ali Walsh and Oscar De La Hoya, who both traveled to Washington, D.C. to speak with senators and lobby against altering the current protections within the Muhammad Ali Act. Nico Ali Walsh has publicly defended the law bearing his grandfather’s name, arguing that it was created to protect fighters from exploitation and preserve fairness in the sport.
Speaking passionately during the interview, Jones warned fighters that promises of better structure and consistency are masking something much bigger. “The problem is doing just like everybody else does,” Jones said. “They show you something good over here to completely destroy you over there. So they give you this to make it look good, but they really tear you apart.” Jones warned that boxing’s individuality, personality, and earning power could disappear under a UFC-style system.
“If they do what they are doing right now, our sport is over in this country,” Jones said. “You don’t have no more personality. You don’t have no more style. You don’t have no more individualism. You can’t be an individual no more. You belong. You’re just a sheep.”
The Hall of Famer pointed to former UFC fighters making larger purses in boxing as evidence that the MMA business model should never be imported into professional boxing. “Some of your athletes left your sport, came to boxing, and made more in one fight or two fights than they made their whole career with you,” Jones said. “If Conor McGregor made more money in one fight than he made his whole career, why do I want your model in my game?”
Jones also expressed concern that centralized control would eliminate fighters’ leverage and silence dissenting voices. “If they don’t like you or you say something against them, you cannot be world champion because they don’t like you and you got nobody to fight for your side,” Jones stated. “Y’all better wake up.”
During the interview, Andrew Bocanegra referenced the recent Senate hearing involving Oscar De La Hoya and Nico Ali Walsh, where boxing figures attempted to slow the momentum behind the proposed revisions.
Jones closed with a dire prediction about boxing’s financial future if Zuffa gains control of the industry structure. “It’s dead. This going to kill it for sure,” Jones said. “When you get where you should be making $20 million and you can’t make $2 million now, it won’t look so good because that’s what’s going to happen.”
The comments from Roy Jones Jr., combined with opposition from Oscar De La Hoya and Nico Ali Walsh, have intensified debate throughout the boxing world over whether the Muhammad Ali Act should be strengthened — or fundamentally transformed under Zuffa Boxing’s proposed model.
The interview quickly generated strong reactions across the boxing community as debates continue surrounding the future of the Muhammad Ali Act and the potential role of Zuffa in professional boxing.
