Oscar De La Hoya returned to his weekly Clap Back Thursday segment after testifying in Washington and used the platform to level direct accusations at TKO Group Holdings, claiming the company secured House passage of the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act through bribery.

The Golden Boy Promotions chairman testified on April 22 before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee alongside Nico Ali Walsh, the grandson of Muhammad Ali, in opposition to H.R. 4624. Also testifying were TKO board member and WWE president Nick Khan and Timothy Shipman, the president of the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports. The bill, which would create a new category of entity called a Unified Boxing Organization, passed the House by voice vote on March 24.

The Bribery Claim

De La Hoya opened the segment by addressing how the bill cleared the House without any fighters being heard.

“TKO’s proposed amendments passed easily through the House without ever even hearing from a fighter. How is that possible? They’re taking bribes,” De La Hoya said.

He offered no documentation or named source for the bribery allegation in the video. TKO has not responded publicly to the claim.

De La Hoya then turned to Khan’s Senate testimony, calling the WWE president a “snake oil salesman” and disputing several of the protections Khan said the bill would introduce.

“Minimum pay of $200 per round, we are already doing that. Mandatory injury insurance, they already do. Standardized medical protocols for every boxer, annual brain MRIs, cardiac testing, brain health testing, they’re already due,” De La Hoya said. “Giving boxers a genuine path to free agency, window dressing.”

The bill establishes guaranteed pay between $150 and $200 per round and a minimum of $25,000 in medical coverage for fight-related injuries.

“Walked Into a Buzzsaw”

De La Hoya described the hearing room as hostile from the moment witnesses arrived.

“It was immediately clear the Senators already had their agenda,” he said, citing Senator Bernie Moreno’s question about bringing WrestleMania to Cleveland. Sports Illustrated noted that only three of the 28 senators on the Commerce Committee attended the hearing in person.

In a separate post-hearing video, De La Hoya said the proceedings “felt scripted” and that Chairman Ted Cruz spoke before the hearing about a recent UFC event he attended with President Donald Trump. Yahoo Sports reported those comments earlier in the week.

Warning to Fighters Considering Zuffa

De La Hoya spent the back half of the segment warning active fighters about what he characterized as the structural realities of signing with a TKO-controlled boxing entity.

“You guys now have a choice, whether to fight for the unicorn belt or stay in the current system that has worked for 100-plus years,” he said. “Or you can go to a dictatorship who treats you as a number because you don’t matter all that much to them.”

He claimed to have reviewed a contract from a fighter who has already signed with Zuffa Boxing.

“I saw a contract from a fighter who already regrets signing with Zuffa, and it’s horrific,” De La Hoya said. “They make fighters pay for their own medicals. If you lose, they decide how much to pay you. You won’t know until after the fact.”

He also referenced TKO’s $375 million antitrust settlement with former UFC fighters.

What Comes Next

The Senate Commerce Committee has not yet scheduled a markup or vote on H.R. 4624. Cruz indicated during the hearing that the Senate version will likely differ from what the House passed.

De La Hoya closed the segment by telling viewers, “You’re never a hater if you only speak the facts.”

The full video is available on De La Hoya’s official Facebook page, where new Clap Back Thursday episodes are posted weekly. For a fuller account of the hearing itself and the dynamic between the four witnesses, see the BoxingInsider column Mr. De La Hoya Goes to Washington.