"I have to fight here more" – Nico Ali Walsh on fighting at Madison Square Garden

Nico Ali Walsh recently opened up about performing at Madison Square Garden. MSG is the world’s most famous arena and was home to some of the most iconic fights of his late grandfather, Muhammad Ali.

‘The Ghost’ made his Garden debut last December, where he defeated Reyes Sanchez on points. This is the only win in his budding professional career that has gone to the judges’ scorecards. All four of his other wins came by way of knockout.

In an interview with Combat Sports on Fanatics View, the 21-year-old said it was an honor to fight at the Garden. He also expressed wanting to fight more at the world-famous arena:

“I have to fight here more. It was an honor fighting here in December. And yeah I want as many times as I can fighting here. I'd love to [fight here more].”

Watch Nico Ali Walsh’s full interview:

Walsh (5-0) has been making a name for himself in a bid to come out of the bubble of being just 'Muhammad Ali's grandson.' He last fought in April at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, knocking out Alejandro Ibarra in the very first round of their middleweight affair.

Although his professional run has only just started, Walsh already has goals in mind. In the same interview, he also shared that becoming a world champion is definitely among his targets:

“That's where my goals were set in boxing, to make it to the top. So I'm gonna get to that title shot eventually, I have no idea when, that's up to my team and the people I worked with.”

---

Nico Ali Walsh’s boxing career

While he has admitted that emulating his late grandfather’s legacy is a tough act to follow, Nico Ali Walsh still refuses to use his famous family name to take any shortcuts in boxing.

After having a limited amateur boxing career of reportedly 30 bouts, Walsh decided to turn pro in early 2021. He has worked with world-renowned boxing trainers such as Abel Sanchez and SugarHill Steward.

The Chicago-born Walsh made his professional debut against Jordan Weeks in August 2021 where he won via first-round technical knockout. He followed it up with another TKO win against James Westley II two months later.

Walsh then scored his first decision win against Reyes Sanchez at the Garden and went back to putting his opponents to sleep in his fourth and fifth bouts.

With the superb performances that he has shown fans so far, Walsh is definitely giving the world another reason to watch the middleweight division closely in the coming years.

Watch Nico Ali Walsh secure his first professional win with a stunning TKO finish: