Ali Walsh Rejects $3M Jake Paul Fight: "I'm an Ali, Not Here to Play in the Mud"

Walsh stands firm on legacy over money, criticizes Paul’s circus act and upcoming Tyson bout

Jake Paul offered a significant offer to box Ali Walsh but Ali turned it down / ALI NICO WALSH ON X.

Jake Paul, a popular YouTube influencer, has fought ten professional fights, losing only to Tommy Fury. Ali Walsh, Muhammad Ali's grandson, has had similarly successful professional battles, with his most recent fight against Sona Akale, in which he suffered his first professional loss despite dislocating his shoulder during the fight. Jake Paul offered a significant offer to box Ali Walsh but Ali turned it down and explained why.

"Morally it was an easy choice. I said no before I even heard the numbers," Ali said in media reports. "I believe it was upwards of $3m, Of course, that would be money that I've never made in my career. That would be money that I've never even seen before. But is everything really money? That's how I was raised. You've got to ask yourself how much does your pride cost? How much are you willing to sell out for? Because that's exactly how it is, at least in my book. Anyone else can do it. But for me, I'm an Ali, I hold my name in such higher weight, I don't believe I should be playing in the mud with the likes of Jake Paul,” he added.

Furthermore, Jake publicly stated he had made an offer to Ali Walsh on social media: "I been trying to fight this fraud and now he admitted he ducked me but calling me a circus act." "It is a circus," Ali Walsh said of Paul and influencer boxing. "People like the circus… But it's not something you want to mix with a deadly sport like boxing. We’re in a serious sport and it's not a sport to be taken lightly. I just don't think playing games, the way Jake Paul is doing, should be mixed in a sport that's so deadly," he added

The bout between Paul and the legendary Mike Tyson, on the other hand, has been rescheduled for November following Tyson's medical emergency on a flight in May. Tyson is a heavyweight legend in the sport, but he is 58 years old and Paul is 27.

Ali went on to express his thoughts on the rescheduled battle between Tyson and Jake. "I don't like that fight. I don't think anyone at that age should be fighting, let alone fighting someone who's half their age. It shows Jake Paul's character. He has no shame in what he does. He just lives to be viral. He's just going off whatever will market the best. It's not honorable and it's not admirable at all. To be able to say I beat Mike Tyson when he's almost 60 years old - that's not an accomplishment. It's not an accomplishment at all. I’m fighting for my bloodline and he's fighting for headlines. That's the difference between me and him," Ali said in media reports.