Nico Ali Walsh carried boxing’s biggest surname but couldn’t carry the weight. From 8-0 hype to losses against journeymen, the Ali legacy proved impossible to live up to.
He is the grandson of the great Ali but has had some defeats at this point and seems more concerned in things outside of the boxing ring.
Some things to factor in here on him:
- The name opened doors–but the results couldn’t keep them open
- Started 8-0 with hype, then reality hit with losses to journeymen, his grandfather could have mopped the floor in fights like that in the heavies
- Record now sits at 12-2-1–respectable, but a world away from “The Greatest”
- Critics dismiss him as a promotional cash grab, not a genuine title threat
- No real proper amateur pedigree meant he was learning on the job while carrying a heavyweight surname
- He admitted he can’t pull the trigger like his grandfather–physically just not the same
- Signed with Top Rank for the name, but the wins didn’t follow the publicity, Arum on decline from there in recent years also
- He had been linked with Terence Crawford’s trainer Bomac McIntyre–a desperation move some thought at the time
- Still chasing legitimacy, fighting on undercards a lot, not for world titles
- The Ali name sells tickets–but it can’t win rounds, and that gap has defined his career
Alas, Muhammad Ali is in a different universe of caliber of fighter to the grandson, certainly.
He only has 5 knockouts on his record also, not a big puncher, Nico Ali Walsh just is not that entertaining in the ring or outside of boxing.
Not the star like his grandfather at the end of the day.
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