Nico Ali Walsh Has No Doubt What Muhammad Ali Would Do to Mike Tyson if They Fought
Like his legendary grandfather, Nico Ali Walsh may find some of the biggest fights in his career taking place overseas. Walsh last fought in Equatorial Guinea this May, where he handed Ebenezer Sowah the first loss of his professional career. “I am traveling the world through boxing,” Walsh told KO On SI while attending IBA Pro 9 in Istanbul alongside his mother, Muhammad Ali’s daughter. Since turning pro in 2021 at the age of 20, Walsh has been carving his own path in the sport, fully aware that no one can replicate, or even come close to, the legacy his grandfather left behind. And his belief in that unmatched legacy was evident in a recent interview.
Recently, Daily Mail Sport shared a post on Instagram with a caption that read, “KNOCKOUT with Nico Ali Walsh 👀🥊.” In the clip, the 24-year-old played a rapid-fire game where he had to choose between two boxing names. When asked to pick between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, Walsh didn’t hesitate and he chose Tyson Fury.
The next round of rapid-fire questions put Nico Ali Walsh in the spotlight once again. When asked to choose between Mike Tyson and Oleksandr Usyk, Walsh paused briefly before siding with Tyson. Then came Lennox Lewis vs. Muhammad Ali; this time, Walsh didn’t even blink: “Oh, Ali,” he replied with pride. Asked to pick between Wladimir Klitschko and Joe Frazier, he went with Klitschko. But when the question shifted to Tyson Fury or Mike Tyson, the 24-year-old hesitated only slightly before stating, “I have to go with Mike Tyson, I’m sorry.”
Toward the end of the segment, the reporter dropped another big one: Muhammad Ali vs. Wladimir Klitschko. Once again, without a moment’s hesitation, Walsh chose his grandfather. And finally came the ultimate hypothetical: Mike Tyson vs. Muhammad Ali. Nico Ali Walsh answered with quiet pride, “My grandfather.” Truth be told, Mike Tyson himself idolized Ali and famously avenged his loss to Larry Holmes in 1988, a tribute to the respect he held for “The Greatest of all time.”
Even if the prime versions of both legends clashed in a parallel universe, the outcome would hinge on a few critical moments. If Muhammad Ali managed to survive the early storm and frustrate Tyson, much like Buster Douglas did, he could outbox him over the distance. But if Mike Tyson landed clean and consistently in the early rounds, Ali would be in serious danger. Ultimately, Ali’s adaptability, endurance, and ring IQ might give him the edge in a late-round decision or even a stoppage. Sadly, we’ll never know for sure. But it seems there’s one more person who already has a clear idea of how his fight would end with Mike Tyson, despite never having stepped into the ring together.
Butterbean issues chilling warning to Mike Tyson decades after missed fight
The 58-year-old Butterbean, who has competed across various combat sports over the years, recently joined Ariel Helwani on the widely followed The Ariel Helwani Show. During the conversation, Butterbean didn’t hold back while discussing a potential showdown with Mike Tyson, one that never materialized despite years of fan demand. While expressing interest in facing names like Brock Lesnar and Jake Paul, the veteran unleashed a verbal barrage aimed at boxing’s youngest heavyweight champion.
“I’ll be honest, after the fight Mike had with Jake, I don’t think it would even be a close fight,” Esch told Helwani when asked about the long-discussed Tyson matchup. “I think I would destroy him that quick, if that’s actually how he’s going to fight,” he added, pointing at the November bout last year. Later, when pressed on why the bout never happened, Butterbean didn’t mince words: “I’ll be honest, I think because Tyson does not have a chin. Mike cannot take a punch.” Referencing Mike Tyson’s knockout losses to Buster Douglas and Kevin McBride, he moreover claimed those defeats hinted at a deeper vulnerability. Butterbean then highlighted his own indirect link to Tyson through shared opponents.
“Funny thing is, I fought a guy that knocked both them guys out, and I knocked him out—Louis Monaco,” Esch said, referencing his 1995 first-round KO of Monaco. Though Monaco technically lost to Douglas via disqualification in 1997 after a knockout blow landed post-bell, Butterbean still sees the result as validation of his power. “I think after I knocked Monaco out, it ceased to exist; they had seen the power.” While the 58-year-old may not be pursuing another fight, one has to wonder, will Mike Tyson, provoked by such bold claims, feel compelled to finally answer the challenge? What do you think?
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