Nico Ali Walsh overcame real adversity to secure an important win on Saturday night.
Muhammad Ali’s grandson took on Sona Akale in a rematch of their six-round contest from last year, which Akale won on points in a major upset.
Akale handed Ali Walsh the first defeat of his career, but motivated him to take the rematch.
And the grandson of The Greatest started the second fight well, using his range to have success.
In round three, he even scored a knockdown and clearly hurt Akale.
However, Akale showed a lot of heart as he battled back into the contest.
He rocked Ali Walsh in the fifth and nearly had him out on his feet at one point.
Ali Walsh weathered this storm, but the worst was yet to come.
Early in the sixth and final round, his left shoulder popped out causing the commentator to shout: “You can see the bone sticking out.”
Ali Walsh tried to fix the dislocation while fighting, but was unable to do so.
In the end, he was fortunate that Akale seemed to have expended most of his energy in the previous round and so the final bell rang.
Ali Walsh was awarded the victory by unanimous decision with scores of 58-55, 57-56, 57-56.
“I don’t know what happened, I’ve never been through anything like that,” Ali Walsh said post-fight, though he seemed more concerned with his opponent’s complaints about the decision.
“It popped out, but I survived and I definitely beat him.
“I don’t know what he’s getting upset about, he needs to chill.
“If it would have happened to him, he would’ve cried like a baby and sat on the ground and quit the fight.
“It happened to the right person and I’m thankful for the victory.”
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