A new star in the boxing world was born on Saturday night, and he happens to be the great Muhammad Ali's grandson. In his professional boxing debut, Nico Ali Walsh made quite an impression, recording a first-round technical knockout win over Jordan Weeks in their 10-round middleweight showdown.
The packed crowd at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino erupted in celebration once Nico Ali Walsh dropped Weeks with a stunning right hand, forcing the referee to administer a 10-count. The 21-year-old went for the kill following the knockdown as he smothered Weeks with a barrage of punches, bloodying the latter's face in the process.
Ali Walsh scores knockout win in debut
Ali Walsh continued his assault, giving the referee no option but to stop the fight in the opening round. Ali Walsh was ecstatic after his debut victory, which took place more than five years after his grandfather's passing and more than 40 years after his grandfather's final boxing bout.
Ali Walsh's connection with Muhammad Ali was there for all to see on Saturday night. Ali Walsh decided to wear the white and black trunks his grandfather donned as a heavyweight champion five decades ago in his boxing debut.
Ali Walsh also had the backing of Top Rank, Bob Arum's professional boxing promotion company that once guided his grandfather's stellar career. They made sure Ali Walsh had the perfect opponent for his first professional fight, picking Weeks as the sacrificial lamb. The 29-year-old Lexington, South Carolina native, was coming off a fourth-round TKO to a fighter sporting an abysmal 1-6-1 record.
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Pressure on Ali Walsh to continue Muhammad Ali's legacy
That isn't a concern for Ali Walsh, who is glad to finally have a professional win under his belt. Ali Walsh knows all eyes are on him, given his famous bloodline. "It seems like a lot of pressure. He's the greatest fighter who ever lived, maybe the greatest person."
The road to the top won't be easy, though, for Ali Walsh, who isn't as talented and pedigreed as his famous grandfather once was. Then known as Cassius Clay, Muhammad Ali took the boxing world by storm early on in his career, coming into the professional ranks only months after winning a gold medal in the light heavyweight division in the 1960 Rome Olympics.
Sugarhill Steward, the trainer of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, didn't mince words regarding Ali Walsh, telling everyone to lessen their expectations as his new pupil is a "total beginner." That being said, the hype train is now into overdrive following his monster knockout win with people eager to see if he can indeed follow The Greatest's hollowed footsteps.
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