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Las Vegas Native Nico Ali Walsh Makes Hometown Debut On
Oscar Valdez vs. Shakur Stevenson Apr. 30
Las Vegas native Nico Ali Walsh, grandson of “The Greatest,”
hopes to make a statement for the hometown fans. Ali Walsh
will fight Denver’s Alejandro Ibarra in a four-round
middleweight attraction Saturday, April 30, at the MGM Grand
Garden Arena.
Ali Walsh-Ibarra will open the televised broadcast featuring
the world junior lightweight title unification showdown
between WBC champion Oscar Valdez and WBO king Shakur
Stevenson.
Valdez-Stevenson, an eight-round lightweight co-feature
between U.S. Olympic silver medalist Keyshawn Davis and
Esteban Sanchez, and Ali Walsh-Ibarra will be broadcast live
on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
Ali Walsh said, “Las Vegas is home, and the MGM Grand Garden
Arena has hosted so many legendary fights. This is a dream
come true. I’ve gotten to know Oscar and Shakur, and it’s an
honor to fight on their card. I’m focused on my fight, as
Ibarra is a capable veteran. He wants to be the guy to knock
off Muhammad Ali’s grandson. I won’t let that happen,
especially in front of my family and friends.”
Ali Walsh (4-0, 3 KOs) graduated from Las Vegas’ Bishop
Gorman High School and is currently a student at UNLV, where
he is on track to graduate later this month with a degree in
business entrepreneurship. He turned pro last August with a
headline-grabbing first-round knockout. Ali Walsh fought
twice more in 2021, including a four-round decision over
Reyes Sanchez at Madison Square Garden, the site of many of
his grandfather’s most memorable ring battles. Ali Walsh
last fought in January in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he knocked
out Jeremiah Yaegar in two rounds. He now turns to Ibarra
(7-1, 2 KOs), a 28-year-old who has won four straight since
the lone loss on his ledger.
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