Who is Muhammad Ali's grandson? Nico Ali Walsh, 21, moves to 5-0 after scoring 1st round KO
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA — Muhammad Ali's grandson stole the show on Saturday night, April 30, after he defeated Alejandro Ibarra on the undercard of the headliner Shakur Stevenson vs. Oscar Valdez.
Nico Ali Walsh, who now has a record of 5-0 with 4 knockouts, ended his bout with Ibarra (7-2) in just 2 minutes, 50 seconds in what was supposed to be a four-round middleweight special attraction. Nico, 21, outmatched his opponent after going toe-to-toe for much of the round and landing multiple right hooks to Ibarra's head. At one point, he feinted with his right hand as a distraction before landing a quick left and an impressive right on Ibarra's face to win his fourth career knockout.
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“This is just a testament to all the work I put in,” Nico said after the fight. “This is bigger than boxing. This is for my family. I’m bringing my grandpa back to life, and that’s why mom gets so emotional because she’s seeing her dad again and hearing her dad’s name to me," he added.
Who is Muhammad Ali's grandson?
Nico Ali Walsh was raised by Muhammad Ali's daughter Rasheda Ali and her husband Robert Walsh in the Las Vegas area. The 21-year-old middleweight is currently attending UNLV.
Rasheda wasn't too fond of the idea of her son following in her father's footsteps. She had hoped her iconic father would tell Nico there were other choices and opportunities outside of the ring. However, Ali saw his grandson's passion for boxing combined with the work ethic he was willing to display, and was convinced he would make it. Nico eventually turned pro in June 2021, signing with Top Rank before his professional debut in August.
Prior to the Saturday bout, Walsh told the New York Post he understands he's being "fast-tracked" due to the clout his last name carries. He said he knew that he perhaps got this opportunity before other fighters would have without a “huge amateur pedigree” and still being largely unproven. Walsh defeated Reyes Sanchez at Madison Square Garden in December 2021, before scoring a commendable TKO victory over Jeremiah Yeager in January.
Nico, who believes every fight is “won weeks, maybe even months before the fight,” said that he spars and trains with top fighters and gets as many rounds in the gym as possible in order to make up for his lack of an amateur background. One of the elite fighters sparring with him is super-middleweight star Edgar Berlanga, who is 19-0 and on his way into the top 10 in the division. “He’s amazing,” Berlanga told The Post of Nico. “Some people get off him as cocky, but when you get to really meet the kid, he’s a humble kid. Especially with him having that background with Muhammad Ali being his grandfather, all that stuff, he’s just a humble kid, he works very hard in the gym.” Nico had an extra and rather unique hurdle during his preparation for the Saturday bout -- college graduation. He told the Post that it can be "annoying at times, but you can make time for anything.”
And while his legendary grandfather was famous for his trash talk and taunting his opponents in the middle of a fight, Nico said that he didn't know that side of Ali.
Instead, he remembers his "poppy" as a soft-spoken, warm, and funny, “teddy bear", a side he understands many do not know about. In fact, he recalled being shocked while watching videos of his loud and intimidating grandfather both in and out of the ring. “Completely hard to believe it was the same guy,” Nico told The Post in December. “It was funny, though. I could see he never lost his sense of humor. He was still making jokes when I knew him in his older age. Seeing him talk like that and talk that loud, and talk that fast, it was something.”