By Vince Dwriter: On the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Jamaine Ortiz undercard, Muhammad Ali’s grandson, 22-year-old prospect Nico Ali Walsh continued his boxing journey with a unanimous decision victory over Billy Wagner (5-3, 1 KO) at the Hulu Theater in Madison Square Garden.
Ali Walsh got off to a fast start by utilizing a hard stiff jab to the body and head of his opponent. He was also able to land some combinations and he controlled the pace of the first round. Ali Walsh closed out the opening round by landing a left hook that opened a cut on the bridge of Wagner’s nose.
After feeling Ali Walsh’s punching power, Billy Wagner started the second round in reverse as he spent the majority of the round fighting off his back foot. When Wagner finally decided to stand his ground in the final seconds of the round, he was able to clip Ali Walsh with a solid right hand.
The third round was a good round for Wagner as he was able to find his rhythm. During the course of the third round, Wagner hit Ali Walsh with the 1-2 combination on multiple occasions. Ali Walsh’s offensive attack was becoming predictable and he was displaying a bad habit of keeping his head on the line.
The fourth round was a competitive round as both boxers were able to be effective on the offensive end. Ali Walsh was able to close out the round by landing a big left hook, and a flurry of shots.
The left hook continued to be a good punch for Ali Walsh as he was able to land some flush left hand shots in both the fifth and sixth rounds. At the conclusion of the six round bout, Ali Walsh was awarded the unanimous decision victory.
The Top Rank prospect looked very good during the first two rounds, but he had a bit of difficulty in the third and the fourth. However Ali Walsh showed his ability to make adjustments as he closed the distance, and attacked Wagner’s body during the final two rounds.
Nico Ali Walsh (7-0, 5 KOs) is a young boxer who trains hard and he’s a student of the game. He is in the early stages of his professional boxing career, but he has shown growth, and he continues to add to his arsenal each time he steps inside the ring.