Representative image. 
Sports

Muhammad Ali's grandson Nico Ali Walsh wins on professional boxing debut

Nico Ali Walsh, the grandson of boxing great Muhammad Ali, won his debut match in professional boxing at Tulsa in Oklahoma, USA on Saturday in a scheduled four-round middleweight bout.

migrator

21-year-old Ali Walsh, who fought as an amateur, defeated Jordan Weeks, a former MMA fighter, in a middle-weight bout at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Ali Walsh was so effective with his punches that the match was stopped at 1:49 with him declared as the winner by TKO. 

Ali Walsh's debut bout saw him wearing trunks with black linings made for his famous grandfather. The match was promoted by Bob Arum, who was famous for promoting Ali's fights. Ali Walsh is signed to Arum's company, Top Rank Boxing. 

Arum, 89, first promoted a Muhammad Ali fight in 1966 against George Chuvalo and organised 27 fights of Ali between 1966 and 1978. One of those bouts was the famous 'The Thrilla in Manila' against Joe Frazer. 

"What a magical night for this young man. His grandfather would have been so proud of the way he's honouring him in his own way. We at Top Rank are looking forward to leading him on his professional journey," wrote Arum on Twitter. 

Ali Walsh, who will juggle his boxing career with classes for graduating with a business degree from University of Nevada in Las Vegas, is the son of Ali's daughter Rasheda Ali Walsh.

Visit news.dtnext.in to explore our interactive epaper!

Download the DT Next app for more exciting features!

Click here for iOS

Click here for Android

Cauvery row: Tamil Nadu moves Supreme Court to secure due share of water

Madras High Court issues notice on actor Parthiban’s plea for ‘No Caste, No Religion’ certificates

States can close or withdraw FIRs against students who participated in NEET protests: SC

'Water has nowhere to go': CEA urges for higher FSI to prevent floods, droughts

TVK lacks experience to deal with complex issues like Cauvery dispute, says AIADMK chief EPS