Muhammad Ali’s grandson Nico Ali Walsh stole the headlines after he beat Alejandro Ibarra in the primary round of his bout against the Denver-born star on the MGM Arena in Las Vegas – and did the ‘Ali Shuffle’ after the stoppage to emulate his grandfather’s trademark move.
Walsh, 21, has won all five of his skilled bouts in his profession. The middleweight’s last fight was only in January in Oklahoma when he knocked out Jeremiah Yeager in two rounds to emerge victorious with an unbeaten record.
He took on Ibarra in a bid to make that five from five on the undercard of Shakur Stevenson vs Oscar Valdez. And after stopping the star with a one-punch, first round knockout, the star did the Ali shuffle in celebration.
A powerful right-hand blow knocked Ibarra to the canvas and sent the gang wild. But Walsh knew the fight was destined to go in his favour, claiming ‘stuff like this happens’ when exertions is put in.
“That is only a testament to all of the work I put in,” he said. “Stuff like this happens if you put the work in.
“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. I used to be setting him up with the proper hand. I noticed his left hand was taking place when he threw the jab. I used to be attempting to counter it, and that’s what I did.
“I wish the perfect for him and his team. He’s a real warrior. But I just waited for that setup, and I saw it and I took advantage.” The 21-year-old only made his debut eight months ago, but has five wins to his name with 4 of those being knockouts.
