Nico Ali Walsh

Bio

Right then, Nico Ali Walsh carries the heaviest surname in the history of the sport and has handled it with a good deal more grace than most people would. The grandson of Muhammad Ali, he is a 26-year-old American middleweight with a record of 12-2-1, and he has done the whole of his learning in public with a camera on him.

As a fighter he is honest, well-schooled and hard-working rather than spectacular, and he has never once pretended otherwise. He boxes behind a decent jab, he is comfortable at range, and he has taken real fights rather than padding a record with easy nights for the name value. That deserves respect.

What has made him genuinely interesting in 2026 is what he has done outside the ring. He has gone public in opposition to the Muhammad Ali Revival Act, been to Washington to argue the case with senators, and accused the promoters behind it of exploiting his grandfather's name. Very few active fighters will say anything at all about how the sport is run. He has said plenty, and he has more to lose by saying it than almost anybody.