Nico Ali Walsh won again. And in the process, he gave a nod to his famous grandfather.
Muhammad Ali’s grandson knocked out Jeremiah Yeager on the Robson Conceicao-Xavier Martinez card in the second round of their scheduled four-round weightlifting match on Saturday in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Ali Walsh (4-0, 3 KOs) put down Yeager (1-2-1, 1 KO) and injured him with a big left with about 45 seconds left in the final lap. Yeager was able to stand up just to meet with an Ali shuffle and a combination that forced the referee to stop the fight.
“I did not plan [the Ali Shuffle]”It was emotional, of course. So much was going on, but yes, I did not plan to do it. It’s just something that happened.”
Ali Walsh, who had new coach Richard T. Slone in his corner for the first time, says he continues to improve.
“I think the most important thing was to stay calm, which I did,” he said. “Another thing was head movement and defense, on which I felt I had improved.
“I fought last month. So if I can make those small improvements in such a short time, who says what I can do in my next fight? ”
