Muhammad Ali’s grandson Nico DRAWS in Thrilla in Manila 2 fight 50 years on from iconic Joe Frazier bout
MUHAMMAD ALI’s grandson Nico was held to a DRAW on the 50th anniversary of the Thrilla in Manila.
Ali famously defeated Joe Frazier in their 1975 trilogy bout in the Philippines in the sweltering 49 degrees heat.
And in the same arena – thankfully renovated with air conditioning – Ali’s grandson Nico Ali Walsh stepped between the same ropes five decades on.
Filipino great Manny Pacquiao, Philippines president Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Ali’s daughter Rasheda and Joe Frazier Jr were all in attendance.
But the nostalgia of event failed to inspire Ali Walsh to victory – escaping with a majority draw against Thailand’s Kittisak Klinson over eight rounds.
Thanking the crowd, the 25-year-old said: “I wouldn’t be here today if not for God and my grandfather.
READ MORE IN boxing
“I want to thank my grandfather for putting on an amazing show 50 years ago in this arena. Thank you guys for having me.
“I hope to be back soon. I don’t agree with the decision, I know you guys saw the real victor tonight.”
Ali Walsh started the opening three rounds fast, using his jab to set up left hooks to the body and right hands upstairs.
But midway through the fight, he began to slow down and let Klinson back into the contest.
Klinson was the more active down the stretch, rifling jabs home to the midsection and up top.
The American pulled it back in the final two rounds by pouring on the pressure – with Klinson even forced to tackle him to the ground.
But as the fight went to the judges scorecards, went 77-74 in favour of Klinson with the other two having it a 76-76 draw.
So Ali Walsh – who turned down $3m to fight Jake Paul last year – walked away without defeat, having already lost twice in his 16-bout career.
He initially drew with Danny Rosenberger in 2023 before it was overturned to a no-contest after his opponent failed a drug test.
A stunned Ali added: “I thought it was a clear victory. I’m happy that it felt like the crowd enjoyed the fight.
“I thought it was purely dominant performance. I’m shocked by the decision.”
Unfortunate reality might be setting in for Harrison Brunicke
The Pittsburgh Penguins dropped their Saturday matinee to the Winnipeg Jets 5-2 in which they started slow and could never recover in time. But there was more than just a slow start and a defeat to one of the Western Conference's best teams, that was a tough pill to swallow.
The Penguins will have to make a tough decision soon on if they should send 19-year-old defenseman Harrison Brunicke back to his junior team or keep him in the NHL. But after Saturday's game, it feels like that decision might have been made already.
In the contest, Brunicke just generally looked lost in his own zone and was the direct cause of the Jets second goal of the game which came early in the first period. Brunicke was doing his best to block a cross-crease pass and did not get his stick down in time. So, Jets forward Brad Lambert had a backdoor tap-in to make it 2-0 Jets early in the first.
Defenseman like Brunicke are going to want to do everything they can to get their sticks down and in position to block the cross-crease pass. Brunicke did not and the result showed. He also did not have inside positioning on Lambert so Lambert was able to box him out and score the goal.
It definitely seems like with the way head coach Dan Muse has been scratching Brunicke and playing him every now and then, that sending him back to his junior team is becoming inevitable. That kind of load management does not bode well for his chances of staying with the Penguins.
It might be ideal for him to get one more year in juniors and then be fully ready next season. That is for Muse and general manager Kyle Dubas to decide, but the answer seems like it might be in the cards for Brunicke.
