NEW YORK: Biaggio Ali Walsh used to think about fighting only when someone wanted to see if the grandson of 鈥淭he Greatest鈥� was any good himself.

Muhammad Ali is one of the biggest and best-known figures in boxing history. When kids in Las Vegas discovered he was also the grandfather of Biaggio and his brother, Nico, they鈥檇 challenge the siblings to put on the gloves.

鈥淧eople would find out who me and Nico were related to and they鈥檇 say, 鈥極h, can you fight?鈥� Ali Walsh said. 鈥淎nd I鈥檓 like, 鈥業 don鈥檛 know.鈥欌€�

The answer now is clearly yes.

These days, Ali Walsh can鈥檛 wait to fight, and he鈥檒l do so again Wednesday at Madison Square Garden with his next bout on a Professional Fighters League card.

Five fights into his MMA career, it鈥檚 the second time he鈥檒l be competing in an arena where his grandfather participated in some of its most memorable events. Ali lost to Joe Frazier there in the 1971 鈥淔ight of the Century鈥� but won his other seven bouts, including a rematch with Frazier, and was the guest referee in the first Wrestlemania.

Ali Walsh fought on his first PFL card at MSG, challenged as much by the historic setting as his opponent.

鈥淚 was super nervous but I went in there and just stayed calm, just got the job done and that鈥檚 how I want to be in every fight,鈥� Ali Walsh said.

Ali Walsh (4-1) still fights as an amateur, trying to make up for a somewhat late start to a combat career.

Two weeks shy of 25, he certainly lacks the foundation of his grandfather, who began boxing at 12 and was just 18 when he won a boxing gold medal at the 1960 Olympics in Rome.

But fighting at any age was never part of Ali Walsh鈥檚 plan. He was a running back at powerful Bishop Gorman High School, where he scored 65 touchdowns and rushed for more than 4,500 yards on teams that went 45-0 and won three consecutive Nevada state championships from 2014-16. He then spent two seasons at California before transferring back to UNLV to play for his high school coach.

While training to stay in shape as his football career was ending and working as an intern, he developed an itch to join the guys he was helping as a strength and conditioning coach.

鈥淚 just saw them putting in all this hard work and I was like, 鈥業鈥檓 21, 22 years old, I鈥檓 still young, I could do this,鈥欌€� Ali Walsh said. 鈥淟ike, I could just go for it. I don鈥檛 want to be 40 years old and think, 鈥極h, would I have been a good fighter?鈥� Like, I don鈥檛 want to have those kind of thoughts and regret, so I just said you know what, I鈥檓 just going to go for it.鈥�

But having never even wrestled in high school, Ali Walsh had to learn every aspect of his new sport.

Ali鈥檚 body was already too ravaged by Parkinson鈥檚 disease to have ever shown him his skills 鈥� not that the 鈥淎li Shuffle鈥� would do much use in a cage against guys who could go for his legs 鈥� so their time together was spent more on dinners and movies. But Ali Walsh was able to pick up something by watching old footage.

鈥淪tylistically, my grandfather had such a stinging jab,鈥� Ali Walsh said. 鈥淗e really used his jab to set up a bunch of stuff and I think that one of the biggest things that I pick up from him is how he sets up his right hand using his jabs, or he sets up other combos using the jab.鈥�

It鈥檚 working for Ali Walsh, who has won all three fights on PFL cards by first-round knockout on punches, including his most recent outing in June.

Still, he concedes he鈥檚 a long way from being able to match the experience of the PFL pros fighting for a $1 million prize. Even if he opts to turn pro next year, Ali Walsh said he still wouldn鈥檛 expect to go right into the PFL season.

But he鈥檚 come a long way already from the guy who lost his debut in June 2022, so overrun with nerves and anxiety that he wilted quickly and found himself in the hospital after the fight, with his family certain he wouldn鈥檛 want another one.

He鈥檚 come even further from the teenager who recalls being apprehensive when an older kid wanted to fight him.

鈥淗e just kept running his mouth, telling me he wants to box me and stuff, 鈥楢li鈥檚 grandkid, let鈥檚 box,鈥� and I kept saying no, no, no because I was kind of intimidated,鈥� Ali Walsh said. 鈥淭he dude was a senior. Like, he鈥檚 talking down on a 14-year-old. I was kind of intimidated, I don鈥檛 want to box, I鈥檓 tired. And then obviously the crowd peer pressured me, so I put the gloves on and just freaking whooped his (behind). It was fun.鈥�

It鈥檚 more fun now that he knows what he鈥檚 doing, believing he鈥檚 getting better with every bout. And with Nico an unbeaten pro boxer who has his next fight a few days later in Tulsa, Oklahoma, it鈥檚 safe to say none of those kids back home would be messing with Ali鈥檚 grandsons today.

鈥淭hey wouldn鈥檛 try it now,鈥� Ali Walsh said.