WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act by voice vote on Tuesday. The legislation now heads to the Senate.

The House Committee on Education and the Workforce approved the bill by a 30-4 vote in January. Only one member of the House spoke out against the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act during debate.

The legislation includes provisions to improve health protections for boxers, increase boxer pay, and boost the sport's popularity. The Revival Act would allow the creation of a unified boxing organization as an alternative system for compliance with boxing regulations.

Under the proposed legislation, a unified boxing organization would not rely on the WBC, WBO, IBF, or WBA for belts or rankings. The proposed legislation would prohibit a unified boxing organization from serving as a boxer's manager if the fighter chooses to hire a manager.

The current Ali Act of 2000 would remain unchanged under the proposed Revival Act. The Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act was enacted in 2000, following the Professional Boxing Safety Act of 1996. These are the two current federal laws regulating boxing.

The Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act prohibits coercive contracts and mandates promoters to disclose fight-night revenue. The act established contract requirements between fighters and promoters and separated promotion and management of fighters. The act also mandates consistent ranking criteria for professional fighters and requires publication of changes in a fighter's ranking.

California, New York, and Texas enforce their own boxing regulations under existing federal laws. The four major independent boxing sanctioning bodies are the WBC, WBO, IBF, and WBA.

The California State Athletic Commission unanimously supported the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act during public hearings. Fighters and other interested parties opposed the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act during public hearings.

Mike Tyson supported the proposed revisions to the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act in December, citing its mandatory health insurance requirements. Bob Arum, chairman of Top Rank, wrote a letter to Congress in December expressing concern about the addition of unified boxing organizations to the legislation.

USA Boxing initially supported the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act but withdrew its support last month and adopted a neutral position. Dana White and Turki Alalshikh created Zuffa Boxing, a new boxing promotion. Former IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia signed with Zuffa Boxing.