Biaggio Ali Walsh: The most valuable lesson my grandfather Muhammad Ali taught me
In an exclusive interview with Olympics.com, the PFL fighter reveals how mixed martial arts helped him overcome depression, and how Muhammad Ali used magic and art to communicate with him.
Boxing
Growing up as the grandson of Muhammad Ali was a double-edged sword for rising mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Biaggio Ali Walsh.
On the one hand, he was inspired and proud to spend time with one of the greatest boxers in history - Rome 1960 Olympic gold medallist, who overcame barriers well beyond the ring and remains an inspiration to millions around the world.
But with status came jealousy, and it also made Walsh, whose mother was Ali’s daughter, a target for others at school.
“We never walked around telling people who we were related to. It was always a secret,” the 25-year-old told Olympics.com. "But if somebody found out, which happened in fourth grade, a sixth grader would challenge me to box them on the street.”
A young Biaggio Ali Walsh with his grandfather Muhammad Ali.
But Walsh was no fighter. At least, not initially.
Athletically gifted, he excelled in American football and made a name for himself as a star running back. However, after competing at college level, no further opportunities to play were forthcoming.
After dedicating so much to the sport, this rejection sent him into a spiralling depression.
“I got the short end of the straw, I think. I never really got the opportunity. I was confused as to why I wasn't getting the opportunity and why my hard work wasn't getting paid off," Walsh said.
“When I was done with football, I didn't care about anything. I didn't have any obligations. I was living in Las Vegas, Sin City, where it is very easy to access going out, alcohol, drugs and all these crazy things. They’re in your face here in Vegas."
“I didn't realise at the time, but what I was doing was trying to numb the pain that I had deep down. I was trying to cover the frustration with something that made it worse. It ultimately made me more angry, and more frustrated,” - Biaggio Ali Walsh to Olympics.com
How MMA helped Biaggio Ali Walsh overcome depression
Walsh started working in a retail store while he studied to get a real estate licence.
Despite no longer competing, the former football player still wanted to keep himself in shape and decided to join a friend at MMA training. It was a decision that would change his life forever.
“I was like, 'Oh, I like this place. I'm gonna stay, I'm gonna keep training because I like staying in shape'. And who doesn't want to learn how to fight. Right?” Walsh continued.
“I liked competing and working towards something and while I was figuring my life out I also noticed that the only thing that made me excited was going to the gym and training every day.
“Deep down something told me to put all my eggs in this basket, take MMA serious, and just see where I went with it.”
Biaggio Ali Walsh turned his life around by starting MMA training.
Simply put, something clicked.
Walsh relished both the combat side of martial arts, as well as the pressure of competing individually.
“In individual sports you always get a chance to display your hard work. Nobody's forcing you to wake up and go to the gym. If you don’t go, see how that works out for you. I liked that I was now more accountable for my own actions while competing. There was no more suffering from someone else’s failure, only my own," he said.
Perhaps it is not such a surprise that Walsh became passionate about a combat sport, given his lineage.
“It's weird. When I look back at my childhood and I remember certain thoughts that crossed my mind throughout life, it definitely adds up," he said. “When kids used to challenge me to fight on the street, it's almost like it was destined for me to be where I'm at today.”
Biaggio Ali Walsh lands a punch during a PFL bout against Ed Davis.
Walsh’s progress was as fast as his hands, and in September 2022 he signed with the Professional Fighters League promotion.
In February 2024, he made his professional debut in Saudi Arabia on the same card as former boxer, two-time Olympic gold medallist and fellow MMA convert Claressa Shields, with both fighters sealing victory.
“It's changed my life. Spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically. It's a tough job. It's a blood sport, and you travel the world to just fight some dude in a cage. But I told my coach in Saudi that I wouldn't want anything else,” Walsh said.
“I get to do what I love to do, and the money and everything comes after. I've completely fallen in love with MMA, I'm obsessed with fighting. I'm obsessed with getting better. I'm obsessed with picking everyone's brains and it's just something that's changed my life in every single aspect.”
Muhammad Ali taught his grandson to be humble
Despite his brilliant start to life in combat sports where trash talking to sell fights is prevalent, Walsh is staying grounded.
It was, he says, one of the most valuable lessons his grandfather taught him.
“The biggest thing I've learned from him directly was to be humble,” Walsh shared. “He was the greatest of all time. He had such confidence and his trash talk was amazing. But he was also the most humble guy you'll ever meet, never saying 'no' to a fan or refusing to sign an autograph.
“You might not expect that because of the way he presented himself. But he was someone that was willing to give up everything for what he believed in, and that’s what inspires me the most - what he did outside of the ring.
“He was the people's champ for a reason. When I was a kid and we walked into restaurants, the entire place would stand up and start clapping and man, I've never seen anybody get respect like that before,” - Biaggio Ali Walsh to Olympics.com
Communicating through art and magic
Ali was one of the finest boxers in history, but he fought a well-known battle against Parkinson’s disease in his later years.
It is this, more frail version of the great man that Walsh remembers from his childhood.
But while he had lost his speed, Ali was still able to communicate his famous warmth and wit through other means.
“We would colour, we would draw, we would do magic tricks. My grandfather loved magic. That was our way of communicating,” Walsh said.
“We would sit down and watch movies. Maybe we'd read a picture book of him and his old fights. We'd be reading a book about the fight he had with (Tokyo 1964 Olympic gold medallist) Joe Frazier and say, ‘Poppy, what was it like fighting Smoking Joe?’. It was great.”
Biaggio Ali Walsh (L) with his grandfather, Muhammad Ali.
Building his own legacy
As an American football player, there wasn’t much pressure on Walsh to live up to his grandfather’s sporting legacy. But that all changed once he switched to a combat sport.
The extra attention suddenly placed a target on his back, just like it did when he was a child.
“Absolutely (my name) plays a part. But the one thing I do know is nobody's gonna be able to live up to what he did. There's never gonna be another Muhammad Ali," Walsh said.
“All I can do is follow his example the best way I can. He set the bar really, really high for not just me but every athlete and person.
“The sense of pressure is insane and it's only gonna get elevated, but I welcome all the pressure in the world because I know pressure makes diamonds.”
Biaggio Ali Walsh makes his entrance at Madison Square Garden.
Although his famous name could help him make fights, Walsh is very much forging his own path as an athlete. And while he wants to heed his grandfather’s example and represent something bigger than himself, Walsh has a different purpose to Ali.
Tapping into his own previous struggles, Walsh wants to show others who have experienced something similar that they can not only overcome these issues but thrive.
“I can make my own legacy in MMA and, at the end of my career, I want to be a mentor. I want to be somebody that could help athletes and people who might have been in my situation or worse. I want to help people in fighting and in life as well," he said.
“That's going to be my way of giving back, showing people that they can go down a road that might change their life forever.
“I don't care too much about my record or belts or things like that. It’s about the bigger picture, which my grandfather knew. We as humans have a purpose. I want to be that guy that could really change somebody's life.”