Considering the kind of legacy that he carries on his shoulders, it’s understandable that Nico Ali Walsh would be under constant scrutiny. It’s all right if an evaluation restricts itself to his boxing. But the reality is, even his mundane activities sometimes go through the critical lens of followers.

That’s what happened when a short video that featured him looking at a historic relic closely associated with his grandfather appeared. Three months after he defeated Charles Standford, the Chicago-born middleweight returned to the ring on the Teofimo Lopez–Steve Claggett card and avenged last year’s defeat to rival Sona Akale.

A throwback gem

@sourceofboxing shared the footage through an Instagram post. “Nico Ali Walsh reacts to the scale that his grandfather Muhammad Ali stood on,” their message read. Actually, it’s pretty old footage. Ali Walsh saw the artifact when he visited the Madison Square Garden.

The look on his face spilled the beans. Ali Walsh wondered whether it was the same weighing machine that once tipped the scale for his grandfather. “This is the same exact scale, is it?” he asked one of the persons accompanying him. “Yes, it is the same one,” a response came.

Just when thoughts were running deep in his mind, someone asked, “How are you feeling right now?” The middleweight boxer replied, “Oh my God! I mean, this looks ancient. I can’t believe.” Someone reassured him that it was indeed the weighing scale his grandfather stepped on ‘many times’.

But not a delight to experience in the present

For a grandson to get emotional about something deeply connected to his famous grandfather might be an understatement. Nevertheless, a few fans found an opportunity to dig a few holes in the footage.

To this fan, it was all down to Muhammad Ali‘s greatness. Considering the heights he reached, both in and out of the ring, even following generations of his line could enjoy their share of fame and respect. “Imagine how good his granddad was for him to be getting this amount of attention 2 generations down,” the fan said.

But another found the whole scene a bit funny. To them Nico Ali Walsh appeared stupefied as he came across a treasure from his grandfather’s era. This is what they wrote: “He’s shook and we understand why😂🔥🔥🔥👏👏👏💯💯💯👑.”

The next fan didn’t sound happy. They highlighted Ali Walsh’s statement about wanting to carve out his own legacy. However, instead of taking steps in that direction, they felt he persistently relied on his legendary grandfather’s name. The fan said, “Bro said he’s trying to make his own legacy, then mention his grandfather every 20 mins 💀.”

Though laughing out loud, the whole footage apparently left this follower perplexed: “I’m so confused about this clip 😂😂😂” The next user thought that Muhammad Ali’s grandson was least interested in the artifact and its history. They said, “Let’s be real; we all can see he doesn’t give a damn.” To one follower, the grandson did not resemble Muhammad Ali in any way. “Looks nothing like granddad.”

So some brick bats for young Nico Ali Walsh. However, maybe he just wanted to soak in the greatness of his grandfather, that’s all.

As far as his own legacy goes, the young fighter has been learning a lot. In his endeavor to hone his skills, he is even interacting with some of the contemporary greats. Footage of Ali Walsh discussing boxing with Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez went quite viral. As the time passes, hopefully he should be able to pull himself to the top rankings of his weight class. Reaching his grandfather’s level is a tall order. But that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t dream either.

Who do you feel Nico Ali should fight next to better his standings in the ranks?