Muhammad Ali’s grandson Nico Ali Walsh turns down fight against Jake Paul: “I’m not apart of that circus”
Nico Ali Walsh has no interest in a boxing match with YouTuber-turned-fighter Jake Paul.
The 23-year-old grandson of Muhammad Ali is an interesting story. Nico Ali Walsh currently holds an 11-1 boxing record, returning to the ring over the weekend in New York. There, the middleweight prospect avenged his sole defeat to Sona Akale by unanimous decision. Following the victory, Ali Walsh revealed that he was approached to fight Jake Paul.
‘The Problem Child’ currently has two boxing matches booked at the moment. On July 20th, Jake Paul will face Mike Perry in the main event of a DAZN pay-per-view offering. In November, the YouTuber-turned-boxer will then face the legendary Mike Tyson on Netflix. ‘Iron Mike’ was set to face Paul this summer but was forced out due to health issues.
However, while Jake Paul wanted to add Nico Ali Walsh to his list of opponents this year, the latter has no interest. Speaking following his win on Saturday, the 23-year-old revealed that he turned down a million-dollar offer from Most Valuable Promotions for the bout. The middleweight prospect explained that he’s fighting for legacy, and not paydays.
.@NicoAliWalsh just called out Teofimo Lopez and Jake Paul 😮 pic.twitter.com/2L6R3W7Tim
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) June 30, 2024
Nico Ali Walsh explains his decision to turn down a boxing match against Jake Paul
“Teofimo Lopez said in an interview a few weeks ago before this fight, he disrespected my family. He said I’m only in boxing because I’m desperate for money and fame.” Nico Ali Walsh stated in his post-fight interview. “I thought that was real wrong for someone that I used to look up to say. But it is what it is. I chose the path of boxing, I chose the path of legacy.”
He continued, “If I wanted to, I could be a millionaire right now. Before this fight, I denied a multi-million dollar contract from Most Valuable Promotions to fight Jake Paul. I’m fighting a real fighter tonight. I’m not apart of that circus league of boxing, this is the real league of boxing and that’s what I’m going to do.”
After Nico Ali Walsh’s post-fight interview, Jake Paul targeted the middleweight on social media calling him a “fraud”. In response, the 23-year-old joked that he was going to fight George Foreman next, instead. With that, it’s safe to say that these two won’t be stepping into the boxing ring anytime soon.
What do you make of this boxing news? Do you want to see Jake Paul vs. Nico Ali Walsh?
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
Topics:
Boxing News Jake Paul
