VIDEO: In Senate Hearing, Rosen Celebrates Legacy of Boxing in Nevada, Discusses the Future of Boxing

Watch the full video HERE.

WASHINGTON, DC - During a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing, Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) delivered remarks recognizing the significance of boxing to Nevada and the importance of crafting regulations that protect fighters, preserve the industry's integrity, and promote fans' enjoyment of the sport. The committee heard testimony from WWE President Nick Khan, Association of Boxing Commissions President Timothy Shipman, former professional boxer and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions Oscar De La Hoya, and professional boxer Nico Ali Walsh concerning federal boxing laws.

As the Senator representing the sports capital of the world, Senator Rosen has been a leader in supporting the sports industry in conjunction with Nevada's tourism economy. Ahead of a once-in-a-generation slate of international sporting events hosted in the United States, she introduced the bipartisan American Decade of Sports Act to promote sports diplomacy and advance American values worldwide. Last year, she helped introduce the bipartisan Vital Investment in Sustaining International Tourism to the USA (VISIT USA) Act to fully restore Brand USA's funding, which is critical for promoting international tourism to the United States.

Read the full transcript of Senator Rosen's remarks below:

Thank you for holding this really important hearing. I want to welcome our guests. I thank them in advance for their insight as we work to craft something that will work for everyone.

I will take a point of personal privilege because my in-laws' first date was to the fights, as my mother-in-law used to say. They went to a boxing match. They were married 62 years, they always loved the fights. I just remember them today. They were big fans their entire life. They are no longer with us, but maybe they are sitting here today, my father-in-law for sure.

It has been two decades since the Commerce Committee held a hearing to discuss the boxing industry. That was before the rise of mixed martial arts and other combat sports, before the proliferation of viewing options and streaming services, and before scientific research on the impact that head trauma in sports has on the progression of diseases like CTE.

Suffice it to say, we are long overdue to examine the state of boxing in America.

Again, I want to thank this panel of witnesses for being here to testify on such an important part of our sports and entertainment economy, particularly in Nevada. I'm interested to hear what each of you has to say on the challenges boxing as a sport is facing today and what legislative solutions we should really consider.

Boxing has a long and storied history in America. And my hometown of Las Vegas has been and remains the undisputed capital of combat sports in the world, where the biggest fights take place and the largest purses are paid. We are the proud home of the UFC, and this past week we hosted WrestleMania. And we have been the site of countless legendary boxing matches from the infamous Tyson v. Holyfield fight in 1997 to the highly anticipated Mayweather vs. Pacquiao bout in 2015 - the highest-grossing event in all boxing history - Las Vegas has seen it all.

In the nineteenth century, when most states had outlawed prize fighting, Nevada welcomed the sport. In the mid-twentieth century the growing entertainment industry in Las Vegas invested in building an ecosystem that supported boxing, as boxing bouts drove fans and support for the tourism industry into the state.

And that remains true today. Just last September, the Canelo v. Crawford fight at Allegiant Stadium drew over 70,000 fans and became the most-watched men's championship boxing match of this century so far. Over ninety percent of those attending the fight were non-locals and said they came to Vegas specifically for this fight, which drove over $300 million of economic impact for Las Vegas.

Today, when people around the world picture a championship fight, they picture Allegiant Stadium, the MGM Grand Garden Arena, or the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. But that also means that any significant changes to the boxing industry would have profound impacts on Las Vegas, its venues, promoters, boxers, and workers living there.

When Congress first passed legislation regulating boxing, nearly 30 years ago, it did so with a clear purpose of establishing health and safety protections for boxers. Four years later, Congress passed the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, also known as the Ali Act, to address the anticompetitive and exploitative practices rampant in the industry. Since then, multiple bills have been introduced in an attempt to improve boxing and combat sports, although none have passed.

Now, in 2026, boxing has the potential to once again captivate people across the country and around the world. The Canelo v. Crawford fight is proof of that. But with so much entertainment competing for so many eyes and so many dollars, few would argue that boxing isn't due for some kind of change that will revitalize the sport and bring it back to its former glory. The question really is for us is how best to go about creating opportunities for expansion, while still protecting the core of boxing - the boxers themselves.

So that's what we have to do, and I'm interested to hear what you all have to say today about how we improve boxing as a whole because any time Congress weighs in on the structure of a sport, it's critical we understand the potential impacts and how changing incentives can end up just changing a sport's entire landscape.

Boxing is the only sport in America that is federally regulated to this degree, and we owe it to the sport, to the athletes, to their trainers, to everyone in the ecosystem, and their fans to get the regulations right. Thank you.

###