Preview, TV Info for Muhammad Ali's Grandson Nico Ali Walsh vs. Jordan Weeks

It's not often that a boxer's first professional fight is a featured bout on a televised card. But then again, not many boxers are descendants of all-time greats.

Nico Ali Walsh, grandson of three-time world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, will make his professional debut against Jordan Weeks (4-1, 2 KOs) in a four-round middleweight bout Saturday night in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Ali Walsh's bout is the co-main event of a Top Rank card that will start at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+. The main event is a trilogy title bout between Joshua Franco and Andrew Moloney.

Most promising young boxers spend their first few fights in relative obscurity, tucked away on undercards as they build up their skills and try to string together a few wins. Ali Walsh won't have that luxury. He's going to have to deal with the limelight from the get-go. Fortunately, the 21-year-old college student with a world-famous grandfather is used to the pressure, per Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole:

"I see the pressure living up to the name. Unfortunately, well, fortunately for me, actually, I've had to live with this pressure my whole life. So whether it's boxing or school or anywhere in life, I'm always compared to my grandfather. Obviously, I'm more heavily compared to him if I'm picking the same, exact sport that he was in, but I've felt this pressure my whole life."

Ali died in 2016, when Ali Walsh was 15 and just starting out in his amateur career. He says he wouldn't be fighting as a pro if he hadn't gotten approval from his grandfather.

"Once he gave me the blessing, I asked him multiple times if I should continue boxing and get ready for the pressure that comes with it," said Ali Walsh, per TalkSport's Michael Benson. "He said yes every time I would ask him. He never wavered in that decision, so I didn't either."

Ali Walsh will have plenty of help as he looks to carve out his own legacy in the sport. Top Rank is led by Bob Arum, a legendary boxing promoter who also worked with Ali starting in the mid-1960s. Per Top Rank, Ali Walsh will have SugarHill Steward, the trainer for WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, in his corner on Saturday night.

If that weren't enough, Ali Walsh says Fury has already given him some of the best advice of his nascent career, per Top Rank Boxing:

Ali Walsh is young and only fought about 30 times as an amateur. It will be up to Steward and the Top Rank team to help him grow as a fighter and deal with the intense scrutiny he's going to face during his career. His early opponents will be jumping at the opportunity to make a name for themselves in prime-time slots they likely wouldn't have otherwise had.

If Ali Walsh can stay focused and perhaps tap into some of the pugilistic magic that made his grandfather one of boxing's greatest talents, his career will be something generations of boxing fans can enjoy together.