The Fight That Shaped Nico Ali Walsh

MALABO, Equatorial Guinea — When Muhammad Ali arrived in Africa in 1974, he had already suffered two losses. Many boxing writers and much of the public thought his career was all but over.

Now, over 50 years later, his grandson Nico Ali Walsh finds himself in a similar position, entering the ring with two losses, his legacy on the line, and an undefeated opponent. To be fair, his adversary, Ghanaian fighter Ebenezer Sowah, is no George Foreman, and there is no title at stake.

Still, Walsh believes this bout in Equatorial Guinea is the biggest fight of his young career.

With the crowd famously chanting “Ali, bomaye!” (“Ali, kill him!”), Muhammad Ali knocked out George Foreman in the legendary Rumble in the Jungle on October 30, 1974, in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo). Nico Ali Walsh has watched that fight countless times.

BACK TO THE MOTHERLAND!! HISTORY REPEATS, INSHALLAH‼️🌍🦋 pic.twitter.com/F65yt6tn3F
— Nico Ali Walsh (@nicoaliwalsh) April 17, 2025

“That was on replay for the whole family growing up,” Walsh said.

He added that he had several opportunities to watch both the fight and the accompanying documentary When We Were Kings with Ali himself—more than any other bout.

Before the Rumble in the Jungle, Ali was already a global icon. He was famously swarmed in the streets of Kinshasa and elsewhere in Africa. But it was during that fight that he became, arguably, the most famous person on the planet. He embraced that role like never before, and Walsh understands the weight of that history.

Walsh easily made weight at the final weigh-in before the fight.

In the build-up, he also took time to visit underprivileged children, continuing his family’s long-standing humanitarian legacy.

While Walsh’s fight won’t be broadcast on ESPN+, it will air on Canal+ in France and be shown across the African continent, helping to globalize his brand in much the same way his grandfather once did. Already, he’s seeing the momentum.

“I am getting requests to fight all over,” he said.

After the final press conference, Walsh returned to the lush seaside golf resort where the fighters are staying and treated himself to one of his grandfather’s favorite indulgences—an ice cream sundae.

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