I’m related to the most famous boxer of all time, but I kept it a secret – people would try to fight me when they found out

BIAGGIO Ali Walsh has the most famous fighter surname of all time – but he did his best to keep it a secret.

The former college football player prevented anyone from finding out he was the grandson of boxing icon Muhammad Ali.

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But after Biaggio’s family ties were revealed, his cover was blown forever – and from then on a target was placed on his back.

“It was always a secret who we were related to,” Biaggio told SunSport.

“My parents – especially my mother – she never went around telling people who her father was.

“And the same thing with us, being her children and his grandchildren, we never go around telling people.

“The only people who knew were my closest friends who would come to my house and see the Muhammad Ali memorabilia and then connect the two dots.

“Yeah, it wasn’t something we told anyone, no one really knew. When they found out, we’d get people saying, ‘Do you know how to box? Do you know how to fight? Let’s train.’ All that kind of stuff.”

Biaggio remembers having to teach one athlete a lesson in particular.

“There was one time, freshman year of high school, I was at a party with a lot of older kids and one of the seniors said, ‘Yeah, let’s box.’ Saying that all day,” he said.

“I was kind of intimidated: ‘I was like, I’m tired. Come on, I’m just trying to get out.’

“But eventually I thought screw it; I put on the gloves and spanked him.

“It’s so strange that certain things like that happened in my life because it was almost a foreshadowing of my career and I never thought I would fight or be where I am today.

“It’s funny how life works and how God plans things.”

Biaggio initially intended to distance himself completely from the family business, despite his aunt Laila being a boxing champion and his brother Nico also becoming a professional.

He dreamed of playing in the NFL after getting a scholarship to play in California, but in 2019 he hung up his cleats and picked up his gloves.

But not the boxing gloves that bequeathed so much to his family – as Biaggio began training in MMA and in 2022 had his first fight.

He debuted as a professional in February in Saudi Arabia after a successful 7-1 amateur career in the Professional Fighters League.

Biaggio now returns on Friday against Brian Stapleton at PFL Hollywood as he looks to build on his record.

“Get the cage experience. Win fights, it’s always right that you want to win fights,” he said.

“So win the fights, gain as much experience as you can, stay calmer and more composed with each fight and keep getting better.

“The fighting journey is a learning journey, you will have ups and downs and you just have to move forward and stay committed.

“The rest of this year will be about getting as many wins as possible and going into next year just doing the same thing. Just acquire this experience and, as you gain more experience, the challenges will become increasingly difficult.