Muhammad Ali’s grandson marks professional boxing debut with a victory

The continuation of a legacy was how Nico Ali Walsh – the grandson of Muhammad Ali -- described making his professional boxing debut in the sport on Saturday.

Wearing a pair of his grandfather’s white trunks, the 21-year-old Walsh won his his middleweight bout against Jordan Weeks with a first-round stoppage at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Catoosa, Oklahoma.

“I’m blessed and honored to say that I continued history,” Walsh wrote on Instagram.

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone that supported me! I brought my grandfather in the ring with me by wearing his shorts for the first and final time as a professional fighter. I’m more than proud to say: The Legacy Continues.”

Dubbed “The Greatest,” three-time heavyweight champion Ali died in June 2016 after a lengthy battle against Parkinson’s disease.

July 5 1975: Ali fights Hungarian-born British boxer Joe Bugner in their title fight at the Merdeka Stadium in Kuala Lumpur. Ali won the fight to keep his world heavyweight title.

He had nine children, including daughter Laila, who, like her father, became a world champion boxer.

“I’ve never been able to escape my grandfather, no matter what sport I played,” Walsh, who is the son of Ali’s daughter Rasheda, recently told The New York Times.

“I’m starting to embrace it. It’s very hard to do, but you have to embrace the legacy, no matter what it is. Everybody becomes stronger when they embrace what they’re destined to do.”

September 5, 1960 -- As an 18-year old from Kentucky, Cassius Clay won a gold medal boxing in the light heavyweight division at the Rome Olympics.

February 18, 1964 -- Before they all reached worldwide fame, and a week before his shot at the world heavyweight title, Clay met The Beatles at Miami Beach's 5th Street Gym.

February 25, 1964 -- Entering the fight as a 7-1 underdog against Sonny Liston, Clay won the world heavyweight title declaring: "I am the greatest! I shook up the world. I'm the prettiest thing that ever lived."

March 6, 1964 -- In the wake of winning the world title, Clay announced his affiliation with The Nation of Islam, and after briefly becoming Cassius X, he changed his name to Muhammad Ali.

May 25, 1965 -- In the much-anticipated rematch, Ali knocked out Liston with a chopping right hand in the first round.

November 14, 1966 -- During a knockout win over Cleveland Williams, often regarded as his best performance, Ali reveals the "Ali shuffle" -- labeling it the best dance move since "The Twist."

April 28, 1967 -- Following his refusal to accept induction into the U.S. Armed Forces in Houston, Ali was arrested, while later that day boxing commissions began to suspend his licenses, banning him from the sport.

March 8, 1971 -- Film star Frank Sinatra photographed "The Fight of the Century" between Ali and Frazier for Life Magazine.

October 30, 1974 -- :The Rumble in the Jungle": Having lost to Joe Frazier and Ken Norton since his return to boxing, Ali was a huge underdog when he knocked out champion George Foreman in the eighth round in Kinsasha, Zaire, winning back the heavyweight title after seven and a half years.

October 1, 1975 -- "The Thrilla in Manilla:" After winning his final trilogy fight with Frazier due to his opponent's corner retiring him after the 14th round, Ali said it was the closest thing to dying that he had ever known.

July 19, 1996 -- After developing Parkinson's disease and withdrawing from the public eye, Ali lit the Olympic cauldron, appearing as the secret final torchbearer for the Games in Atlanta.

How Muhammad Ali transcended his sport

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Walsh is a boxer with Top Rank, which is headed by Bob Arum, who founded the company in 1966 when he began promoting Ali.

“What a magical night for this young man,” tweeted Arum after Walsh’s victory. “His grandfather would have been so proud of the way he’s honoring him in his own way.

“We at Top Rank are looking forward to leading him on his professional journey.”