Nico Ali Walsh fought through a dislocated shoulder in the final round of his victory over Sona Akale in Miami on Saturday, before explaining he had passed on the chance to face social media star Jake Paul in a big-money fight
Sunday 30 June 2024 13:31, UK
Nico Ali Walsh revealed he turned down an offer to fight Jake Paul as he returned to winning ways with a victory over Sona Akale on Saturday night.
Ali Walsh, a grandson of the great Muhammad Ali, avenged his previous defeat to Akale by coming through six tough rounds to edge the contest on the scorecards.
The 23-year-old produced a third-round knockdown from a left hook before fighting through a dislocated shoulder in the final round.
Speaking in his post-fight interview, he cited recent comments from the night's headline fighter Teofimo Lopez before explaining he passed up the opportunity to take on YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul.
"One thing for sure I gotta clear, Teofimo Lopez said in an interview a few weeks before this fight - he disrespected my family saying that I'm only in boxing because I'm desperate for money and fame and I thought that was real wrong for someone I used to look up to to say," said Walsh. "But, you know, it is what it is.
"I just wanna let everyone know that I chose the path of boxing, I chose the path of legacy. If I wanted to, I could be a millionaire right now.
"Before this fight, I denied a multi-million-dollar contract from MVP Promotions, to fight Jake Paul, and I'm fighting a real fighter tonight. I'm not a part of that circus league of boxing. This is the real league of boxing and this is what I'm gonna do."
Ali Walsh, who moved to 11-1 as a professional with his win over Akale, played down the prospect of a third fight between the pair, reiterating his belief that he deserved victory in the first meeting.
"I don't know what happened [with his shoulder], I've never been through anything like that, and it popped out, but I survived and I definitely beat him. I don't know what he's getting upset about," he said.
"It feels like if it happened to him, he would have cried like a baby and sat on the ground and quit the fight, but it happened to the right person and I'm just happy for the victory. It feels like I'm winning twice now, because the first time they awarded him the decision but I felt like I won."
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