Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act of 2026

New contract requirements for UBOs: boxers must be paid at least $200 per round, contracts cannot exceed 6 years, boxers must fight at least once every 6 months or receive pay equivalent to 10 rounds minimum, and boxers cannot be barred from communicating with other promoters during the final 30 days of their contract.

Minimum payment per round for boxers increased from $150 to $200.

Mandatory drug testing added: required for all title matches and at random for all other matches, screening for substances prohibited by the state boxing commission, tribal organization, Association of Boxing Commissions, or the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List.

Ringside physician requirements reduced from 3 additional physicians to at least 1 additional physician, but a new certification requirement is added: beginning 2 years after enactment, all ringside physicians must be certified through a program run by the Association of Boxing Commissions in partnership with the Association of Ring-side Physicians.

Ambulance requirements reduced from 2 additional ambulances (with detailed replacement and exclusive-use provisions) to at least 1 additional ambulance continuously present on site.

Section 5 physical examination requirements are restructured with a validity table specifying required tests and how long they remain valid: complete physical with blood work (1 year), dilated eye exam (1 year), heart exams including stress test for boxers 40+ (1 year), antibody tests for HIV/hepatitis (6 months), brain health exams (1 year), and pregnancy test for female fighters (14 days).

Detailed annual medical examination requirements (physical, eye, HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C tests) previously spelled out in the UBO section are removed and replaced with a cross-reference to the new section 5 examination table.

Minimum health insurance coverage for boxers increased from $25,000 to $50,000 in medical coverage, with a new requirement for $15,000 in accidental death coverage for fatalities arising from a match.

A new 'Financial responsibility' subsection makes the UBO financially responsible for all costs of meeting safety requirements, except that health insurance deductibles remain the boxer's responsibility.

New 'Simplification of titles' provision requires sanctioning organizations and UBOs to award only one championship title per weight class, and restricts interim titles to cases of injury, illness, refusal to defend, or reasons beyond the boxer's control.

The conflicts of interest prohibition for UBOs is narrowed from a general prohibition to specifically targeting officers, employees, or representatives of the UBO.

A new definition of 'physician' is added: a doctor of medicine (MD or DO) legally authorized to practice in the state where the function is performed.

A 'sense of Congress' provision calls on the Association of Boxing Commissions to publish a model legislative and regulatory code for professional boxing, best practices recommendations for oversight, and an annual report card grading boxing commissions on conformance.

The effective date provision is changed: previously only section 4(a) amendments took effect 30 days after enactment; now all amendments take effect on the date of enactment and apply to matches occurring on or after 30 days post-enactment.

A U.S.C. citation is corrected from 25 U.S.C. 450b to 25 U.S.C. 5304 in the tribal gaming provisions.