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Teddy Atlas: Boxing's Dana White could fix what the Ali Act failed to cure

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Mathew Riddle | Last updated Jul 31, 2025 2:41 PM ET

Chris Unger-Zuffa LLC

Boxing icon Teddy Atlas is optimistic of Dana White and TKO changing the Muhammad Ali Act.

In recent news, a new bill, the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act, proposes the creation of Unified Boxing Organizations (UBOs), with the proposal that UBOs can host events, create fighter rankings, and award their own championships, much like the UFC.

The primary benefactor of which would be TKO Boxing, run by Dana White and his contemporaries. While the general consensus is that White's trifling with boxing is a net negative, seeking to strip fighter rights and monopsonize boxing like UFC did with MMA, there is a silver lining.

A new national minimum payment proposes $150 per round for professional boxers, and a minimum $25,000 coverage for injuries sustained during a fight. Generally speaking, fans and pundits are against the Ali Act being 'amended' in any way to benefit an organization, but Atlas has faith in White.

Teddy Atlas names UFC's best boxer and praises Alex Pereira’s 'beautiful' left hook

Teddy Atlas on Dana White, TKO 'amending' the Ali Act

Atlas told all in an interview with BetVictor Online Casinoson behalf of MMA Knockout.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. This question was also asked before news of the Ali American Boxing Revival Act had become available.

Q: What do you think of Dana White and TKO potentially working towards reworking the Ali Act. I.e., making it so their league doesn't have to work with governing bodies to hand out championship belts.

"I wanna see him enhance it," Atlas said. "I want to see him take it to a better place. I want to see the fighters better protected. I want to see more transparency in the sport, in promotional areas, different areas. I love Dana White. I love what he's done with the UFC...

"I love his no-nonsense approach. When you say rework it [the Ali Act], I don't know what that means, but I'll tell you what it means to Teddy... I want to see it get better.

"The great Jack Newfield. . . He was a great writer, period. But he was a great boxing writer. He loved boxing. . . . He was in the civil marches back in the day. . . He was literally 30ft away from him when Kennedy got shot... risking himself. This was a special man.

Charlie Rose

"Me, him, and a few other good people were meeting with John McCain back in the day. Senator McCain. . . . We were working on trying to get a national commission to deal with a lot of these problems that boxing has. It's the only major sport that doesn't have one. And the fighters don't have proper representation or protection.

". . . At the end of the day, he ran for President, so he had bigger fish to fry. . . . But before that, we put together some ideas for a national commission... McCain asked us about the Muhammad Ali act. He said, 'Is this good enough?' Like, what does it really mean?

". . . Jack Newfield said it brilliantly. He said it was a start, but it's more of an Ali shuffle, the great footwork of the Ali shuffle than it is [his] punches. And then he added this as a great writer would. He said, 'Senator, it's kind of like if you're sick and somebody gives you chicken noodle soup, it makes you feel better, but it's not the antibiotic to kill the germ.'

"And that's all I can say, if Dana is looking to take this chicken nooodle soup that has made us feel better with the Ali Act... If he's taking it from that stage to adding the antibiotic, that will kill the germs that are killing the sport and hurting the sport of boxing."

Will Dana White and his entourage be the antidote- or poison -to modern boxing as we know it?

This article first appeared on MMA on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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