Muhammad Ali would have been “entertained” by the “circus” that some boxing bouts have become, according to his grandson. While many would assume that the greatest of all time would be furious at mega-money fights between some of the sport’s finest athletes and social media influencers, Biaggio Ali Walsh sees things differently.
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Sitting down in an exclusive interview with Mirror Fighting this week, Walsh said that his late grandfather was amazed by the amounts of money the likes of Floyd Mayweather Jr were making for fights in the 2000s, with Ali’s paydays in the 1960s and 1970s paling in comparison.
The 26-year-old explained: “You know, years ago when he was still alive, we were telling him how much Floyd was getting paid for his fights because Floyd was making a lot of money. He was making over 100million for his fights.
“And my grandpa was sitting in the chair. He’s like, ‘No, no, no.’ ‘Oh, yeah. Yeah, bro. He’s making 100million.’ And he’s like, ‘No, no way.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, dude, that’s where boxing is now.'”
And while many purists were disgusted at the prospect of Mike Tyson coming out of retirement in 2024 to take on YouTuber-turned-pugilist Jake Paul – given the 30-year age-gap between the two and the fact that ‘Iron Mike’ hadn’t competed professionally for almost two decades – Walsh believes that his grandfather would have been all for the contest.
He added: “In terms of the circus fights, that’s what I like to call them – it’s money orientated. It’s not like it’s not based on talent anymore, really. It’s based on, you know, just the biggest name versus the biggest name, regardless of your skill level.
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“But to make of that… I honestly don’t think he would disapprove of it, because the viewership in the eyes and people buying to watch the fight was the reason he even started trash-talking and brought out his personality anyway. Yeah, so in a way, I feel like he’d be supportive of it.
“You know, if you can fool millions of people to watch you fight, then you’re doing something right, right? So I feel like he wouldn’t disapprove of it.
“I feel like he would…it would be entertaining for him to see what’s next, like, who’s the next big name versus the next big name, you know? So I don’t think he would disapprove of it. In fact, I think he would be entertained by it.”
It came as very little surprise that Tyson suffered a unanimous decision loss to Paul when the two met at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, as fight fans watched live worldwide on Netflix. The 28-year-old picked apart the former heavyweight world champion at leisure for eight rounds to bolster his professional record in the squared circle to 11-1, largely thanks to his advantage in terms of speed and stamina.
Tyson also saw a wealth of criticism for entertaining such a fight with Paul in the first place, given that purists have been massively opposed to the impact that social media stars have had on the sport – with fighters participating in payday events instead of seeking tougher opposition to win world titles like boxers of decades past.
Ali will go down in the history books as one of the greatest fighters to ever step foot in the ring. A three-time lineal heavyweight champion, Ali beat a who’s who of opponents to build a stunning record of 56-5, with wins over the likes of George Foreman, Leon Spinks and Buster Mathis – not to mention his trilogy with Joe Frazier, which culminated in the 1975 Thrilla in Manila.
While Ali passed away at the age of 74 in 2016, Walsh appears to be following in his grandfather’s footsteps by carving out his own career in the world of combat sports, currently riding a flawless 2-0 record in mixed martial arts with the Professional Fighters League. The lightweight, who trains out of Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, Nevada, secured a unanimous decision win over Emmanuel Palacio in his debut with the organisation last February, before doubling down with a first-round TKO of Brian Stapleton just six months later.
He is next set to compete with the PFL come June 27, taking on Ronnie Gibbs at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. Speaking about his opponent for the evening, Walsh remained humble as he said: “And my opponent, Ronnie, he’s from Chicago.
“I think he had a pretty good amateur career. He was, I think, 7-1. He’s 1-0 as a pro now. Seems like a striker, but can grapple too. Just seems like a good matchup for this fight.
“I’m just super excited to be able to display all the stuff that I’ve improved on and all the things I’ve worked on since my last fight. And that’s just what I’m most excited about, is being able to show the people that.”
The Denver Broncos received tough news Friday afternoon.
As NBC Sports noted, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that running back J.K. Dobbins will amiss Sunday’s matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs due to a significant foot injury.
Rapoport added that Dobbins is “believed to be out for the foreseeable future.”
His placement on injured reserve remains a real possibility as the team evaluates its options.
“Dobbins is still working through options, and while there is no final determination, IR remains a possibility,” Rapoport said.
The report came from himself and Tom Pelissero.
The development marks a quick escalation from earlier in the week, when Dobbins missed Wednesday and Thursday’s practices.
At that point, the team had not revealed the full severity of the injury.
Dobbins’ injury stems from a hip-drop tackle last Thursday against the Raiders, a play that left him frustrated enough to take to X and call for the move to be banned.
Dobbins ranks fifth in the NFL with 772 rushing yards and has been a huge part of Denver’s offense so far this season.
While Dobbins has officially been ruled out for Week 11, the next major decision comes quickly.
The Broncos must determine by Saturday afternoon whether to place him on injured reserve.
If he is moved to IR before Sunday, the Chiefs game will count toward a required four-game absence.
Placing Dobbins on IR would sideline him for matchups against the Chiefs, Commanders, Raiders, and Packers.
He would be eligible to return Week 16 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Head coach Sean Payton acknowledged that discussions are ongoing.
“Nothing has been decided yet, and at some point there will be more clarity with him and some of these other players,” Payton said earlier this week.
Denver’s Week 12 bye gives the team a small cushion, but if the injury is significant enough to keep him out multiple weeks, the IR designation becomes more likely.
“With JK Dobbins potentially headed to Injured Reserve, all eyes turn to RJ Harvey,” Rapoport said.
RJ Harvey has already flashed his dynamic potential in limited work.
Payton praised Harvey’s running style, durability, and readiness to step into a larger role:
“When we drafted him, it was his running skillset, and he had a lot of touches at Central Florida,” Payton said.
“You are starting to see him grow in front of our eyes, and he will have more opportunities in this game.”
Tyler Badie will likely mix in as a third down guy, while Jaleel McLaughlin could be active as well.
Sunday’s divisional matchup against the Chiefs carries major playoff implications for both teams and Harvey has a huge opportunity to step up and flourish in the RB1 role.