1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

I urge you to oppose H.R. 4624. This bill weakens long-standing protections in boxing by allowing greater overlap between the roles of promoters and managers. These roles must remain separate to prevent conflicts of interest and protect fighters from coercive contracts. No single organization should be allowed to act as a manager, promoter, and sanctioning body at the same time. That structure concentrates too much power and puts fighters—especially young and economically vulnerable ones—at serious risk of exploitation. H.R. 4624 will also damage the foundation of the sport: community boxing gyms. Across the country, professional fighters are the primary source of income for coaches and trainers. Fighters pay training fees or share a portion of their purses, which allows coaches to make a living and keep gyms open. Those same gyms provide mentorship, discipline, and low-cost or free training to young people, often in communities with few safe alternatives. If this bill shifts control and revenue further toward large promotional entities, independent coaches will lose income. When coaches can no longer sustain themselves, gyms will close. When gyms close, the sport suffers—and so do the communities that rely on boxing as a positive outlet for youth. Boxing has a long history of exploitation, which is why federal protections were put in place in the first place. This bill moves in the wrong direction. I urge you to oppose H.R. 4624 or amend it to preserve strict conflict-of-interest protections, ensure independent representation for fighters, and explicitly prohibit any entity from serving simultaneously as a manager, promoter, and sanctioning body.