Biaggio Ali Walsh celebrates after knocking out Tom Graesser in their lightweight bout in the PFL Championships at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York, Friday, Nov. 25, 2022. (Cooper Neill / PFL)
MANILA, Philippines—There’s an unspoken privilege of being a descendant of the greatest boxer of all time.
There’s tantamount pressure too in living up to it.
Biaggio Ali Walsh, grandson of Muhammad Ali, is keen to show he’s built for it by blazing his own trail in the Professional Fighters League.
“It’s always going to be a challenge because I will always be Muhammad Ali’s grandson and I will always live in that shadow. However, my goal is to make a name for myself,” Walsh told INQUIRER.net.
“Just like every other fighter, I am here to create my own legacy and name in the sport of MMA. The only difference is I get that attention and platform because I have a famous grandfather. At the end of the day, it’s how I perform in the cage that really matters. I could be Muhammad Ali’s grandson and be a trash fighter… but I’m here to show that I’m not and I have that talent and work ethic,” he added.
So far, he’s in the right direction.
THIS IS OVER! Biaggio Ali Walsh gets it done in the 1st round!
[#PFLWorldChampionship | BUY NOW https://t.co/9tors6rrKk | TONIGHT | 8pm ET | ESPN+ PPV] pic.twitter.com/KVWqzP3DVV
— PFL (@PFLMMA) November 25, 2022
The 24-year-old Walsh introduced himself in style in the PFL, knocking out fellow American Tom Graesser in true Ali fashion. Walsh put a bloodied Graesser to sleep with a well-placed punch in the opening round of their lightweight bout.
“Like my grandfather said, ‘Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee,’” said Walsh on how he fights. “Cool, calm and collected and essentially floating. Then explosive, fast, and powerful when needed. Which would be the stinging part.”
Walsh, whose younger brother Nico is an up-and-coming middleweight boxer with a record of 7-0, 5KOs, said he expected to make short work of Graesser in his PFL debut recently.
“My expectations was to be calm, sharp, and explosive. Because I meditated and visualized a ton leading up to the fight, I felt like I had already been there. It was an amazing experience and I am ready for more of those. In short, it was everything I expected,” said Walsh, who is fighting out of Xtreme Couture MMA.
Walsh didn’t get into combat sports right away. He was a football star in high school before he dabbled into mixed martial arts.
“I had a successful high school football career but once I got into college it took a turn. I never got an opportunity for whatever reason and over time, I didn’t love the sport anymore. I never really wanted to go professional anyways. After that I joined Xtreme Couture MMA and just fell in love,” said Walsh.
Fighting really does run in the family.