“Everyone is afraid of pain”: Muhammad Ali’s grandson about a boxer’s career, a visit to Grozny, the death of Dadashev and the battles of Nurmagomedov

- In honor of your grandfather Muhammad Ali was named the avenue in the city of Grozny. Your mother, Rashida, told us that she was not very surprised. How did you feel about this?

- I was surprised. I know that my mother, according to her, is not particularly, but I - very much. After all, when my grandfather is somehow paid tribute even 60 years after he began his professional career, it is an honor. For me it was a big surprise.

- Your mother said that she accepted the invitation of Ramzan Kadyrov to visit Grozny and personally look at the avenue named after Muhammad Ali. Will you go with her?

- Yes, I think we will come as a family: mom, dad, brother and me. I look forward to this, because I have never been to Russia before.

- Did grandfather talk about his visit to the USSR in 1978?

- Not. I know that he visited the USSR long before my birth, but did not hear his stories about this trip. Only saw photos taken at that time.

- You said that in 2020 you are going to start a professional career in boxing. When to wait for your debut?

- I am sure it will be held between July and October this year.

- What category do you plan to perform in?

- I haven’t decided yet. My physique is large, so I will perform either light heavyweight or second middleweight.

- Do you already know something about the first opponent?

- Not yet. We learn about my opponent closer to the date of the match.

- In your video message to Ramzan Kadyrov, you said that you would like to fight in Chechnya one day. Can you expect that you will decide to do this in the near future?

- Yes. I would love to speak in Chechnya whenever possible. Similar decisions are made by my team. I myself would very much like to travel around the world, and to speak in Russia would be generally great.

- Given the legendary status of your grandfather, you will probably be expected to see serious success in your boxing career. Does it put a lot of pressure on you?

“Yes, but I'm gradually getting used to dealing with it.” I started with amateur boxing and gradually adapt to it, but still the pressure is serious. I try to direct this energy into a useful channel.

- Your mother said that she did her best to protect you from boxing. Why did you decide to go this route?

“I was always keen on him.” Of course, because of my family, I have been immersed in this world all my life. But I was always interested in boxing outside my family, say, when I was fooling around with friends ... I felt that he would give me joy and was not mistaken.

- How great was the influence of your grandfather?

- It is huge. Muhammad pushed me to follow this path. Of course, if not for his approval, I would not have taken up boxing at all.

- Once you admitted that Muhammad came to you in a dream and asked to follow in his footsteps. Was that really so?

- Yes. I had a dream about boxing with my grandfather, but he really advised me to follow this path. It was in 2015 when I just started boxing. Once we were sitting with him in a car, and I showed him a record with my sparring. He asked if it was mine, whether it was worth doing this further. He answered “yes” to both questions, which motivated me to continue to move in this direction.

- Was his opinion decisive?

- Of course. If my grandfather told me not to do boxing, I would not.

- He gave you some advice, took part in the training process?

- I would like, but unfortunately this did not happen. Nevertheless, he provided me with very great psychological support, mainly after the battles. After my first defeat, I immediately visited him at home. Grandfather said that failure does not mean anything, especially as long as you compete at the amateur level. After all, all the champions once lost. He gave me a lot of advice.

- How close were you with your grandfather?

- Very close. We lived in neighboring states: he is in Arizona, and I - in Nevada. Very often I went to him, sent videos from sparring and battles. Boxing united us very much.

• Nico Ali - about his grandfather Muhammad Ali

- Everyone knows how Muhammad was in public, but how was he in personal communication?

- In the ring, he was cocky and funny, but as a grandfather, I remembered him very humble, caring and still so funny.

- What is your most vivid memory of Muhammad?

“There is not one.” Every year on Thanksgiving, we gathered at his house, and I still have memories of each such holiday. And every grandfather’s birthday we met with him. Gathered by the whole family. I warmly recall each of those moments.

- One of the most striking episodes in the career of Muhammad was the confrontation with Joe Fraser. What did your grandfather tell you about him?

“He talked not so much about Joe with me as he did with my mother and other family members.” But we all know that he treated Fraser with great love.

- In your opinion, what was the greatest duel in the career of Muhammad Ali and why?

“My favorite fight is Crashing in the Jungle.” I like that it took place in Africa. It was like repeating a fight with Sonny Liston: no one believed in Ali's success. And an ambulance crew was on duty on the spot, because someone thought that George Foreman would kill him to death. For me, this battle is like a movie. I adore him and consider him the greatest in his grandfather's career.

- Surely, the success of Muhammad Ali makes you think about your boxing path. What are your goals?

- I started boxing to become the best. Now my goal is to become a champion in that weight category, which I will determine for myself. After that, I will decide in which direction my sports career will move on.

“Do you feel that you are capable of reaching the same heights as your grandfather?”

“I think it would be foolish to say that there is something impossible.” Muhammad never used this word and would not be glad if I said it now. Therefore, I will answer that there is nothing unrealizable. God willing, I can achieve half what my grandfather did.

- As your mother said, you are also interested in mixed martial arts ...

- It's true. I am a big fan of MMA. I watch all the fights and watch the athletes.

- The confrontation between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor has become one of the most striking in recent years. How do you feel about these fighters?

- I really like both Nurmagomedov and McGregor.

- It is possible that in 2020 the UFC will organize a rematch between them. Who do you prefer?

- Everything can turn as you like. For me, the fighting style of both is perfect, so it's impossible to predict the result. In the first fight, Habib dominated, but the outcome can be any. But if the battle takes place, I will definitely follow him.

- On April 19, Nurmagomedov will hold the third defense of the lightweight title in a duel with Tony Ferguson. What do you expect from this fight?

“I like Tony Ferguson, but I bet on Habib, since we have been rooting for him for a long time.” At the same time, both are excellent fighters.

- You yourself did not think to build a career in MMA?

- No, boxing has always been my sport, and I didn’t have any thoughts of going into mixed martial arts.

- Doesn't it seem to you that boxing is currently inferior in popularity to MMA?

- It seems to me that this happened in certain periods. During McGregor’s clashes with Habib or Jose Aldo, mixed martial arts definitely enjoyed great success. But thanks to the battles of the caliber Tyson Fury - Deontay Wilder boxing regains the attention of the audience again. I think boxing is still more popular now.

- As far as we know, UFC President Dana White intends to create her own promotional company in boxing. Would you be interested in speaking under her auspices?

- I will make a similar choice after consulting with my family and team. Whatever decision is made there, everything will be wonderful.

- Your favorite boxers?

“Besides my grandfather, this is Mike Tyson.” And of modern times, I would mention Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua - all from a heavy weight.

- At one time, Tyson admitted that he considers Ali a real giant and said that, unlike Mike himself, he was ready to die for victory. Is this really so?

- I think so, because for my grandfather, boxing was more than just a sport. He symbolized everything that happened in those days and was a kind of platform. I think he meant the willingness to die for his people.

• Nico Ali - about the best boxers of our time

- Who do you consider the greatest boxer of our time?

- Having watched the recent fight with Wilder, I would say that now Fury is number one boxer.

- You were surprised by the result of this fight?

- Yes. But in the battles of the heavyweights, everything is extremely unpredictable and you can expect anything. And even more so in such a fight. I did not expect to see this from Fury, but he looked great.

“Don't you think that Wilder’s team did the wrong thing by throwing away a towel and depriving Deontay of the opportunity to fight for the belt to the end?”

“I don't think so.” In recent years, many boxers have died, and so the Wilder team took care of him. Deontheus is a real fighter, a warrior, and he himself said that he wanted to fight to the end. But his seconds must take care of him and his health. I think they did the right thing.

- Last year, after the fight, the Russian boxer Maxim Dadashev died. Have you heard about this?

- Yes, it shocked the whole boxing world. Many people generally became afraid of boxing. It made me realize how serious this is. He was a rising star, his career went uphill. He had fourteen fights, in eleven of which he won by knockout. So he performed remarkably. Therefore, what happened in his last duel especially saddened people.

- Not scary yourself?

- I understand the risk I take on myself, going into professional sports. Everyone is afraid of pain. This is normal for any sport. But I'm not afraid of boxing. I hope that in the future, nothing of the kind will happen to me or to anyone else. That no one else’s life ends like that.

- Do not you think that the coaches began to play it safe in order to prevent the recurrence of that tragedy?

- Yes, it would be irresponsible for them not to take into account fatal outcomes. Such cases shock the boxing community and make them more cautious. Sometimes even throw away a towel. Sometimes it is necessary to make such reasonable decisions.

- However, in the third fight, your father fought with Joe Fraser for 14 rounds. Muhammad himself received enormous damage, and his opponent did not see anything at all. In your opinion, what is more correct - to fight for 14 rounds and risk your health, or think about your life and give up the fight in the seventh?

- Of course, thinking about your life is more important. That fight between my grandfather and Joe Fraser was extremely fierce throughout the 14 rounds. But they both controlled everything. It seems to me that during the whole battle there was not a single moment when it could be stopped. None of them staggered and looked disoriented. The same Wyder got a lot: he staggered and looked like he didn’t know where he was.

- Could you continue to fight?

- It was dangerous - he started having problems with balance. This is a prime example of when to throw a towel.

- In one of the rounds, Fury hit the back of the head to Wilder and he fell to the knockdown. Don't you think that subsequently, precisely because of this, Deontay was unable to fight properly?

- Quite possible. When the vestibular apparatus suffers, you lose control of the body, legs begin to braid, and so on. Maybe with Wilder it was, you need to look closely at the replay.

“Do you think Wilder has a chance of a rematch?”

- Deontheus always has a chance, as he is an incredibly athletic and strong boxer. He is able to deliver a knockout blow in any battle. I hope that during the next fight he will focus on what Fury focused on - boxing and movement. I think this is the key to victory in any battle. Especially when it comes to Tyson’s technique.

- Anthony Joshua compared Fury to Ali. Do you agree?

- If we talk about a sense of humor, then yes. Fury is a very charismatic and funny person. Look at his exit to the ring - he was sitting on the throne, which was carried by several people. My grandfather really enjoyed seeing this. In this respect, they are definitely similar.

- And what about the style of warfare?

“He has his own for Fury.” I know that some boxers are trying to adopt something from others, but I have not seen anyone with the same boxing style as my grandfather. Yes, Sugar Ray Leonard imitated him a bit, because they had the same coach.

- What match would you like to see in 2020?

“You know what, most of all, I would like a rematch between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor.” This is what I understand.

- Last year, much has been said about a possible duel between Mayweather and Nurmagomedov. Would you like to see her?

- It would be an extremely interesting fight. I know that Nurmagomedov has a very good striking technique, but he is more likely to be a fighter in the stalls, so for such a fight he would have to seriously work on his boxing. In a duel with Mayweather, he would have supported Habib.