Nico Ali Walsh is in the fight of his life, campaigning vigorously to prevent updates being made to boxing law in the US.
Ali Walsh, grandson of Muhammad Ali, is one of only a few high-profile boxing faces to have spoken out about the proposed Ali Revival Act and what it might mean for fighters moving forward should lawmakers install the changes.
While Ali Walsh’s public persona has been tied up with his speeches and his recent appearance at the Senate meeting where, alongside Oscar De La Hoya, he spoke out against some of the changes, Nico is still training as an active fighter.
He refuses to accept that he’s now more campaigner than boxer.
“No, honestly, it just feels like I have an extra job on my plate now because I haven’t been out of the gym,” he told BoxingScene. “These last couple of days just traveling to New York [to talk to the media] have been my only days off this entire year, so I’ve just been battling both parts.”
Ali Walsh, still only 25, is 12-2-1 (5 KOs), and was pushed hard in his last fight, in Dubai in December, when he won a six-round decision over Ugandan Jeremiah Sserwadda.
“Hopefully very soon. We’re working on some things right now,” he said of what is next. “I just switched trainers at the start of this year, so I just got used to training with them, learning new stuff, and I’m ready to fight at a moment’s notice, so I’m waiting now.”
Ali Walsh has linked up with Brian “BoMac” McIntyre as he continues on his own path in the ring.
“This is what I needed. I needed time to just go back and regroup and sharpen my skills,” he admitted.
McIntyre is best-known for his work with Terence Crawford but has a formidable stable, including Guatemalan star Lester Martinez.
“Before his last fight, I was getting rounds with him [Martinez], and I stayed,” said Ali Walsh. “I remained in camp even after his fight. He just got back to Vegas a few days ago, so as soon as I get back to Vegas, we’re going to be back in the ring together.
“He’s among the strongest punchers that I’ve been in the ring with. Very, very heavy-handed without trying. Obviously, in sparring, we’re not trying to absolutely kill each other, and he’s a lot bigger than I am, but you can tell that he just packs a punch. You can tell in his fights.”
For now, Ali Walsh is talking to officials and senators daily in a bid to prevent the Ali Revival Act going through.
Asked whether he felt he was in a 50-50 fight, he said: “It’s looking more like 70-30 and us being the 30. We’re definitely in a fight. But I like our odds. I like our odds because what we are pushing, I will not be benefitting from this at all. I’m just doing what I feel is right. The only way I feel I’ll be benefitting from it is by keeping the rights currently that I have as a fighter and protecting the future generation of fighters, so I feel it’s more of a moral obligation than anything.”
Oddsmakers gave Muhammad Ali around a 20 per cent chance of toppling George Foreman in 1974 and he pulled off one of the great upsets.
“I was watching George Foreman yesterday, he’s the hardest hitter probably in boxing history,” Ali Walsh said. “I think the odds of the Foreman fight are more like our odds with fighting this Zuffa machine right now. The Rumble in Washington. It’s Ali against the United States again.”
