H.R. 4624, Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act of 2026

Bill Summary

H.R. 4624 would allow private-sector entities, called unified boxing organizations (UBOs), to organize and operate a professional boxing system. The bill would allow each UBO to enter into contracts with boxers, promote matches, and establish systems for rankings and titles. Under current law, boxing managers, promoters, and sanctioning organizations operate independently.

The bill would require UBOs to provide boxers with medical care and support services, set contract requirements, and implement an anti-doping program. H.R. 4624 also would establish safety standards and minimum compensation for all boxers, whether or not under a UBO contract.

Under the bill, each UBO would be required to post certain information online or to file that information with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which would need to make the information it receives public. The commission would be authorized to collect fees from UBOs that choose to file with the FTC to offset administrative costs. In addition, H.R. 4624 would establish criminal penalties for any officer or employee of a UBO who violates the bill’s requirements.

Basis of Estimate

CBO assumes that the bill will be enacted in summer 2026. The costs of the legislation fall within budget functions 370 (commerce and housing credit) and 750 (administration of justice).

Direct Spending and Revenues

CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 4624 would increase revenues and change direct spending by less than $500,000 over the 2026-2036 period.

CBO expects that under the bill a small number of people would be subject to criminal penalties. Criminal fines are recorded as revenues, deposited into the Crime Victims Fund, and later spent without further appropriation. CBO estimates that such collections would increase both revenues and the associated direct spending by less than $500,000 over the 2026-2036 period.

The bill would authorize the FTC to collect fees to offset its costs of collecting and publishing data received from UBOs, but would not authorize the commission to spend those fees. Because UBOs could avoid paying the fee by posting the required information online, CBO expects those fees to be recorded as offsetting receipts, that is, as a decrease in direct spending. CBO expects that only a small number of UBOs would be formed and that any fees collected by the FTC under the bill would be small. On that basis, we estimate that enacting that provision would decrease direct spending by less than $500,000 over the 2026-2036 period.

Spending Subject to Appropriation

Based on the costs of similar activities, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost the FTC and the Department of Justice less than $500,000 over the 2026‑2031 period to process reports and update regulations. Any related spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.

Pay-As-You-Go Considerations

The Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 establishes budget-reporting and enforcement procedures for legislation affecting direct spending or revenues. CBO estimates that enacting the bill would affect direct spending, though the direction of that effect is indeterminate, and increase revenues by less than $500,000 over the 2026-2036 period.

Increase in Long-Term Net Direct Spending and Deficits

CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 4624 would not increase net direct spending or on‑budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2037.

Mandates

H.R. 4624 would impose intergovernmental and private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) by amending current law overseeing professional boxing matches.

The bill would authorize the creation of UBOs, which would allow an alternative path for private entities to meet existing boxing regulations. Because UBOs do not presently exist and the voluntary creation of a UBO under the bill would not limit existing boxing activity, these provisions would not impose mandates.

However, the bill would impose mandates by amending the universal boxing safety and industry standards established under the Professional Boxing Safety Act. Because these duties apply to all boxing matches in the United States, they would impose private-sector mandates. Specifically, the bill would expand existing mandates concerning physical examination requirements, physician licensing, minimum insurance coverage, and drug testing. Additionally, the bill would establish a minimum per-round payment to fighters.

Based on available data concerning the number of boxing events and current compliance with the bill’s provisions, CBO estimates that the aggregate cost of the mandates would exceed $100 million annually, but would not exceed the annual private-sector threshold established in UMRA ($214 million in 2026, adjusted annually for inflation).

The bill also would impose an intergovernmental mandate as defined in UMRA by requiring state boxing commissions to establish additional safety procedures. CBO estimates that the cost of the mandate would not exceed the annual intergovernmental threshold established in UMRA ($107 million in 2026, adjusted annually for inflation).

Estimate Prepared By

Federal Costs: 
Jeremy Crimm (for the Department of Justice)
David Hughes (for the Federal Trade Commission)

Mandates: Andrew Laughlin

Estimate Reviewed By

Justin Humphrey
Chief, Finance, Housing, and Education Cost Estimates Unit

Kathleen FitzGerald 
Chief, Public and Private Mandates Unit

H. Samuel Papenfuss 
Deputy Director of Budget Analysis

Estimate Approved By