"We watched 'The Rumble In The Jungle' a million times over" - Nico Ali Walsh reminisces watching Muhammad Ali's fights with him

Nico Ali Walsh has revealed that while growing up, he used to watch his legendary grandfather Muhammad Ali's fights alongside the man himself. Walsh stated that he and Ali watched 'The Rumble In The Jungle' a million times over and that Ali loved re-watching his own fights.

In a recent appearance on the Boxing with Chris Mannix podcast, Nico Ali Walsh spoke about watching fights with his grandfather. He also revealed that the former heavyweight champion and his former rival Joe Frazier were the best of friends.

Although he doesn't know how Ali felt about Frazier when they fought each other, Nico Ali Walsh claims his grandfather's eyes lit up whenever he met his former rival:

"We watched 'Rumble In The Jungle' a million times over. I have seen probably all of his fights with him. He was interested in watching those fights. It really, you know, put a spark in his eyes," said Nico Ali Walsh.

Walsh also stated that Muhammad Ali used to relive his own fights when watching them with his grandson. Walsh remembers Ali flinching, feinting and shadowboxing while watching his fights:

"He would like, start reliving it. You know he'd be there with his mouth open, kind of flinching, feinting, and punching. Any boxer knows that like sometimes when they sleep, they'll start shadowboxing and moving while they're sleeping. That's what he'd do when he was watching it. He'd start getting back in the zone. He loved Joe Frazier. I mean I can't speak for his early years but I know from what I have seen, they were like best friends. Any time Joe Frazier would show up, his eyes would light up," said Nico Ali Walsh.

NEW #BWCM on @TheVolumeSports: Nico Ali Walsh, the grandson of @MuhammadAli, makes his pro debut on Saturday. We talked about his relationship with his grandfather, watching fights with him, boxing advice and more. Links: https://t.co/XVQETbx0lA pic.twitter.com/yaRhApCQUt

— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) August 11, 2021

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Nico Ali Walsh shines bright on pro-boxing debut

Nico Ali Walsh made his pro-boxing debut on Saturday night against Jordan Weeks. Walsh gave the world of combat sports a flashback of his grandfather's legendary exploits by winning his professional debut by stoppage in the very first round.

Nico Ali Walsh was seen wearing Ali's shorts during the fight. It was a fitting homage to his grandfather, who many consider to be the greatest boxer of all time.

Nico Ali Walsh, Muhammad Ali's grandson, got the TKO victory in his pro debut wearing his grandfather's shorts from the 1960s.Legendary 🔥@NicoAliX74 | @ESPNRingside pic.twitter.com/jPt5T5ZiTl

— ESPN (@espn) August 15, 2021