Muhammad Ali’s grandson, UNLV student, set for pro boxing debut
Top Rank’s latest signing has a familiar name.
That’s because Nico Ali Walsh, who grew up in Las Vegas and attends UNLV, is the grandson of Muhammad Ali. Top Rank announced on Thursday that Walsh has signed with the promotional company and will make his professional debut on Aug. 14.
“I’m doing what I love,” Ali Walsh said in a statement. “Signing with Top Rank is a dream come true. I’m going to have fun on Aug. 14 and the next time I fight. Top Rank will give me the name, date and location, and I’ll have a great time. I am honored to continue the fighting legacy that my grandfather started. It is a responsibility I don’t take lightly.”
Ali Walsh graduated from Bishop Gorman High School and will graduate from UNLV next spring. He had about 30 amateur fights, according to a Thursday news release.
Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, who promoted 27 of Ali’s fights, said he was excited about the partnership.
“If anybody had told me that 55 years later I’d be signing a contract with Ali’s grandson, I’d look at them like they were crazy,” Arum said. “So it’s going to be a good adventure.”
Contact Jonah Dylan at jdylan@reviewjournal.com. Follow @TheJonahDylan on Twitter.