On Saturday night at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tulsa, middleweight Nico Ali Walsh (4-0, 3 KOs) returned to the venue where he made his pro debut last August and once again scored a stoppage victory.
Ali Walsh, the grandson of heavyweight legend Muhammad Ali, took care of Jeremiah Yeager (1-2-1, 1 KO) in the second round, knocking him down for the first time with a right-left combination.
Just before the second knockdown, Ali Walsh broke out his grandfather's patented Ali Shuffle and finished things off with a left hook.
“I didn’t plan [on using the Ali Shuffle]. It was emotional, of course. So much has been going on, but yeah, I didn’t plan on doing that. It’s just something that happened,” Ali Walsh said.
The bout was the first for Ali Walsh with new head trainer Richard Slone.
“I think the main thing was staying calm, which I did. Another thing was head movement and defense, which I felt like I did improve on. I fought last month, so if I can make those small improvements in this such a short amount of time, who’s telling what I can do in my next fight?
“It’s been a super tough time. That’s no excuse. When you get in the ring, everything zones out with me. I’m just very happy with this performance.
“I have a new best friend. Jeremiah Yeager, thank you to him and his team. He’s a warrior, and [I have] so much respect for people who enter the ring and talk like he did. It’s entertaining, so I love it.”
