Hall-of-Fame boxer Timothy Bradley shot from the hip this week when talking about outside entities muscling their way into boxing to try and take over the entire sport.
Zuffa Boxing has long been a concept-in-the-making from Dana White and other executives at UFC and the TKO Group, and they finally held their first event in 2026, with a consistent calendar filled with a variety of fighters from prospects, to legitimate champions like Jai Opetaia, and broader superstar fighters like Conor Benn.
But Zuffa doesn’t just want to snap up talent and organize fights. It wants to reshape the landscape of the entire sport through its advocacy of The Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act.
When speaking to reporters, including Fight Hype, Bradley focused his criticism on this proposed legislation and how, through creation of UBOs, an organization can control far more than the traditional way in which boxing operates where there is separation between promoter, manager, and sanctioning body.
“The state of boxing is hot and cold,” Bradley said. “A lot of changes. Zuffa Boxing shaking up the game. The Ali Act trying to get changed. There’s a lot going in right now. Somebody is trying to put a chokehold on the game and I think you guys know who that is.”
Bradley called on the “need” for traditional promoters “to come together” because “they got all the talent and making s*** happen. Make it pop. That way the belts stay relevant, outside entities can’t come in and just take it over.”
On what specifically he’s against, Bradley said: “I don’t like the fighters losing control, that’s it.
“Zuffa has good s*** into it,” he said. “I think they got good things. Insurance and different things, resources.”
“But the fact they’re going to be promoter, manager, and rankings committee — that’s crazy. How can you win? You locked in.”
— Timothy Bradley
“And that’s just the way it is,” he said. “Whatever they say is how it goes.”
He finished: “That’s the only part of the Ali Act I don’t want changed. Fighters need to be able to maximize their money. There will never be $100 million paydays in boxing ever again.”
