STATEMENT OF MUHAMMAD ALI

BEFORE THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SUBCOMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, TRADE AND CONSUMER PROTECTION

SEPTEMBER 9, 2004

Mr. Ali is appearing with his wife, Lonnie Ali, and his attorney, Ron DiNicola.

Thank you Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommittee for the invitation to be here this morning.

I have had the pleasure of appearing before Congress several times in recent years to lend my support to the passage of laws that will better protect the sport I love and the health and welfare of thousands of young boxers.

I am here today because the work of improving boxing is not yet done. To answer the question posed by this Committee -- yes, more reform is needed.

While this is modern boxing's second century in America, efforts to reform it at the federal level have been underway for only about eight years. While much progress has been made, much more must be done.

Largely as a result of the work of my friend Senator John McCain, Congress took an important first step when it passed the Professional Boxing Safety Act in 1996. This legislation was an attempt to address medical and safety issues by requiring each professional boxer to register for a federal ID card.

This has been one of the most successful reforms to date because it has precluded fighters from getting knocked out one night and traveling across state lines to fight the next.

In 2000, Congress attached my name to their next important reform measure -- The Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act. The Ali Act amended the 1996 law and addressed contractual issues and required broad financial disclosures to boxers by promoters and rating organizations, and outlawed coercive contracts between boxers and promoters.

While portions of these measures have been effective, and more transparency exists today in boxing that at any other time in its history, there are still disturbing indications that federal, state, and tribal enforcement of boxing laws has been spotty and in some respects, non-existent.

A 2003 General Accounting Office (GAO) report found that there is varying degrees of oversight among state and tribal commissions. The GAO found the lack of consistency in compliance with federal boxing law among state and tribal commissions "does not provide adequate assurance that professional boxers are receiving the minimum protections established in federal law."

This is why I have lent my support to further measures that will give real teeth to federal oversight and enforcement. The Professional Boxing Amendments Act -- Senator McCain's bill, S. 275 - does this. It is a bold step - the right step -- at an important time in the history of the sport.

Reform measures are unlikely to succeed unless a U.S. Boxing Administration is created with authority to oversee a sport that still attracts a disproportionate number of unsavory elements that prey upon the hopes and dreams of young athletes.

This latest proposal is the culmination of the hard work and determination of Congress to make a difference once and for all and require uniform safety standards, fair rating standards, full financial disclosure and universal licensing.

Those of us who have lent our voice to this reform effort over these several years are proud that after careful scrutiny, this legislation passed the Senate by unanimous consent.

While Congress is rightly concerned about the rising cost of federal programs, this legislation uses the licensing fees paid by promoters, sanctioning bodies, and television broadcasters to help offset its costs. The added savings in the form of increased boxer safety, more honest business practices and greater public confidence cannot be measured in dollars and cents.

For all its difficulties, boxing is still a wonderful sport. It still attracts men and women from all walks of life to reach for glory in the ring. For many it is there first experience with hard work, determination and discipline. For still others it remains the only way up and out from a life filled with bad choices, failure or worse.

Some say it is a miracle that a black boy named for a slave master and born in the segregated south can grow up and become one of the most recognized (and prettiest) men on the face of the earth. In truth, it is a miraculous story that springs from the deepest wells of America. And in this case, boxing was the vehicle for my success.

This is not uncommon. Armed with the discipline they learned from boxing, many go on to achieve success or even greatness in other professions and raise children who do. They become doctors, lawyers, teachers, or even members of Congress. As in the case of my old friend Nelson Mandela - the courage instilled from boxing allows them to endure great hardship and become great leaders.

In sum, Mr. Chairman, there is nothing wrong with boxing that we cannot fix. I urge this Subcommittee to seize this opportunity to complete the important work you have begun.

Thank you.