{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://mackenzie.house.gov/media/press-releases/mackenzie-leads-hearing-strengthening-safety-and-opportunity-american-boxing", "Mackenzie Leads Hearing on Strengthening Safety and Opportunity in American Boxing", "2025-12-09", "2025", "2025-12", "Republican", "House", "PA", "Ryan Mackenzie", "M001230", "mackenzie.house.gov", "mackenzie", "https://mackenzie.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2014 Today, Congressman Ryan Mackenzie (PA-07), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, held a hearing titled \u201cIn Their Corner: Creating More Opportunities for American Boxers.\u201d The hearing examined how strengthening safety standards, improving medical protections, and creating clearer rules across the industry can help restore the competitiveness and integrity of American boxing.\n\nProfessional boxing once stood at the center of American sports culture, but witnesses noted that the sport has become increasingly fragmented, with inconsistent oversight, weak enforcement, and a lack of basic medical safeguards for fighters. The hearing explored H.R. 4624, the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act, which strengthens the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act and builds on the Professional Boxing Safety Act of 1996 by adding new protections to improve the safety and well-being of boxers.\n\nWitnesses testified about opportunities to strengthen the sport through improved medical protections, clearer standards, and a more consistent regulatory framework. Witnesses included:\n\nRep. Brian Jack\n\nRep. Steven Horsford\n\nMr. Lawrence Epstein, Senior Executive VP and COO, Ultimate Fighting Championship\n\nMr. Andy Foster, Executive Officer, CA State Athletic Commission\n\nMrs. Lonnie Ali, Widow of Muhammad Ali and Co-Founder of the Muhammad Ali Center\n\nMr. Patrick English, Principal, Partner and Owner, Dines and English, LLC\n\n\u201cAs Chairman of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee, my focus is on ensuring that every American worker, including professional athletes, has a fair and safe workplace. Boxing has long represented grit, determination, and the American will to fight hard and overcome the odds, but today too many fighters are put at risk by uneven rules and inadequate protections,\u201d said Chairman Mackenzie. \u201cAs we evaluate proposals to strengthen the sport, our goal is simple: protecting fighters, restoring fairness, and building a stronger future for American boxing. And we are proud that one of the sport\u2019s greatest champions, Larry Holmes, comes from Pennsylvania\u2019s Seventh District.\u201d\n\n\u201cI was honored to testify before Chairman Mackenzie\u2019s subcommittee in support of my bipartisan legislation, H.R.4624, the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act,\u201d said Congressman Jack. \u201cThis bill provides professional boxers with more career opportunities, better pay, and greater safety protections. As Lonnie Ali, the wife of Muhammad Ali, testified yesterday, \u2018Muhammad [Ali] would be proud to have his name associated with this legislation.\u2019 In that spirit, I look forward to making history with my colleagues to revive one of America\u2019s greatest sports in the name of one of America\u2019s greatest athletes.\u201d\n\n\u201cBoxers deserve options. For too long, professional boxing has been in decline as an outdated patchwork of regulations leaves fighters vulnerable to injury, exploitation, and limited opportunity. Today\u2019s hearing offered strong insights into how innovative solutions such as the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act would create new options and frameworks to enhance safety standards, expand opportunities, and restore integrity to the sport\u2014and revitalize one of America\u2019s most iconic sports.\u201d said Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI).\n\nMembers and witnesses discussed how proposed reforms would:\n\n\u2022 Establish unified boxing organizations to create consistent safety and fairness standards.\n\n\u2022 Require routine medical exams, MRI screenings, and enhanced protections for older athletes.\n\n\u2022 Ensure medical personnel are present at every match.\n\n\u2022 Create strict, transparent anti-doping rules.\n\n\u2022 Set minimum standards for insurance coverage and per-round pay.\n\n\u201cThese discussions are an important first step,\u201d Mackenzie said. \u201cAs the only sport regulated by Congress, we have a responsibility to examine ways to strengthen safety, transparency, and opportunity for American boxers.\u201d\n\nA full recording of the hearing is available HERE.\n\nChairman Mackenzie\u2019s opening remarks are available HERE.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://mackenzie.house.gov/media/press-releases/mackenzie-leads-hearing-strengthening-safety-and-opportunity-american-boxing"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5761309769004583, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}