Muhammad Ali's grandson believes Tyson Fury is among the best heavyweights ever to have laced up a pair of gloves - but not better than his legendary grandfather.
Nico Ali Walsh is pursuing his own career in the ring and recorded his fourth victory with an explosive second round knockout victory in January. His next test will come this weekend in Las Vegas against Alejandro Ibarra on the undercard of Oscar Valdez's unification clash with Shakur Stevenson.
Ali Walsh believes Fury ranks in the top-five heavyweights of all time after his victory over Dillian Whyte last weekend. "Tyson Fury, he's one of my idols," he told Sky Sports. "I truly think he ranks among the greatest heavyweights of all time. I think he's a top-five heavyweight of all time. I didn't say No.1. Nobody can beat my grandfather.
"Yeah, I'm biased in saying that. I don't think anybody can beat my grandfather from now, to before, to the future, but Tyson Fury, he's Tyson Fury, he speaks for himself. For the people in the UK, they're the biggest boxing fans in the world,
"I know they were huge fans of my grandfather and he was fans of them, so I'm doing this for the people in the UK and my fans in Vegas. I've never been to the UK. I need a fight in the UK. My promoter is on board with that. It's going to happen soon and I'm really looking forward to that fight."
His grandfather Ali twice fought on British shores after growing a legion of fans on domestic shores, beating Henry Cooper at Arsenal's old Highbury stadium and Brian London in 1966. Ali Walsh has shown tributes to his late grandfather during his early fights including wearing his shorts for his maiden appearance under the Top Rank banner.
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In his latest fight, Ali Walsh replicated his grandfather's famous 'Ali shuffle' prior to the winning punch in Tulsa which sent the watching fans in to chants of 'Ali'. Despite the tributes to his grandfather, the 21-year-old wants to continue his legacy while treading his own path in the ring.
"It's impossible," Ali Walsh continued when questioned about the possibility of emulating his grandfather. "I want to continue my grandfather's legacy in the ring and outside the ring but while doing so I want to create my own path, a legacy of my own. Nobody will be able to do what my grandfather did, nobody will be able to reach the heights that he did, I don't think.
"So that's not what I'm trying to do, I'm not trying to do the impossible. But even better, I'm trying to build off it and create my own thing. I feel the pressure of being a fighter in general. You put your life on the line every time you step in the ring, literally. Everyone feels that pressure, I'm no different to anyone else fighting."
