Nico Ali Walsh held to majority draw at IBA Pro 11 in epic ‘Thrilla in Manila 2’ showpiece
Nico Ali Walsh, grandson of the legendary three-time heavyweight king Muhammad Ali, was forced to settle for a Majority Draw against Thailand’s Kittisak Klinson in their highly-competitive, action-packed eight round middleweight match-up at the ‘Thrilla In Manila 2’ IBA Pro 11 show in Manila, Philippines.
Competing in the very same arena as his grandfather’s iconic trilogy bout with heavyweight rival Joe Frazier in 1975, Ali Walsh (11-2-1, 5 KOs) overcame a slow start against his rough and rugged opponent, weathering an early storm before closing the stronger of the two and salvaging a draw in-front of a raucous Manila crowd.
Klinson (10-2-1, 6 KOs) began the contest in formidable fashion, pressuring Ali Walsh back to the ropes and landing a series of heavy overhand rights that bounced off of the chin of crowd favourite Ali Walsh.
With the packed arena cheering his every move, Ali Walsh would showcase some of the notorious Ali showmanship – even performing the famous ‘Ali shuffle’ – much to the delight of the watching audience.
However, despite a seemingly strong finish from Ali Walsh, scores of 77-75 (Klinson) and 76-76 (x2) would see him suffer a disappointing draw. Nevertheless, the watching audience rose to their feet to commemorate the Las Vegas-native, with chants of “Ali, Ali, Ali” reverberating around the world-famous Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“First off I want to thank God for this opportunity,” said Ali Walsh following the conclusion of the bout.
“Thank you to everyone for coming out. The Filipino fans are amazing. Thank you to my opponent, to [IBA President] Umar Kremlev and Manny Pacquiao for the opportunity.
“I wouldn’t be here today if not for God and my grandfather – so I want to thank my grandfather for putting on an amazing show fifty years ago in this arena. I don’t agree with the decision, but I know you all saw the real victor tonight.”
Melvin Jerusalem vs Siyakholwa Kuse
In the main evening on the card, WBC Minimumweight World Champion Melvin Jerusalem battled his way to a fiercely-contested unanimous decision win over brave South African challenger Siyakholwa Kuse after twelve high-quality rounds of action.
In a fight with several shifts in momentum, a late rally from Jerusalem (25-3, 12 KOs) saw him retain his title in-front of his adoring home fan-base, though the visitor, Kuse (9-3-1, 4 KOs), leaves Manila with his reputation enhanced after an impressive display of southpaw skill.
However, it would be the cleaner, more effective shots of Jerusalem that saw him awarded the victory by scores of 115-113 and 116-112 (x2).
Eumir Marcial vs Eddy Colmenares
The chief support of the evening saw middleweight pair Eumir Marcial and Eddy Colmenares serve up a titanic ten round tussle – worthy of the ‘Thrilla in Manila’ moniker – in one of the best fights of 2025 so far.
Former Philippines amateur star Marcial (7-0, 4 KOs) got down to business in typically fast fashion, unloading a series of menacing hooks to head and body from the southpaw stance. However, a dynamite third round from Venezuelan visitor Colmenares (11-3-1, 11 KOs) saw Marcial sent tumbling to the canvas.
The middle rounds produced more blistering two-way action, with both men hurt repeatedly in a seismic battle of wills – showing levels of grit and determination not seen in Manila since Ali and Frazier stood toe-to-toe fifty years ago.
With the WBC open scoring showing Marcial in a narrow lead entering the final stages, there was still time for another twist in the tale; with Colmenares scoring a second knockdown with just twenty seconds remaining in the fight. Marcial would drag himself back to his feet once again, surviving the closing stages to cling on to a remarkable Majority Decision victory that brought the legendary Manny Pacquiao to his feet at the sound of the final bell.
Carl Jammes Martin vs Aran Dipaen
Elsewhere on the undercard, rising Filipino star Carl Jammes Martin overcame the biggest test of his career with a hard-fought ten round unanimous decision win over former world title challenger Aran Dipaen.
Entering the bout unbeaten in twenty-six professional contests, Manny Pacquiao-promoted Martin (27-0, 20 KOs) was sent tumbling to the canvas in the third round after an innocuous looking right hand from his Thai opponent. However, replays showed the fall was more of a balance issue. Undeterred, the 26-year old super-bantamweight prodigy came roaring back in the fourth and stamped his authority on the bout with a volley of solid shots from the southpaw stance.
Dipaen (21-5, 18 KOs), however, stayed competitive throughout the remainder of the bout, landing a number of thudding right hands that bounced off of the chin of his younger opponent. Nevertheless, Martin continued to apply pressure on the front-foot, scoring a knockdown of his own in the eighth before seeing out the fight and extending his unbeaten record in impressive fashion.
Chris Thompson vs Georgiy Yunovidov
South African heavyweight Chris Thompson picked up a career-best victory in upsetting Russia’s Georgiy Yunovidov in a fiercely-competitive eight round IBA Pro heavyweight bout.
Southpaw slugger Thompson (16-6-1, 9 KOs, 1-0 IBA Pro) set a ferocious pace from the outset, landing a series of heavy blows to the head and body of Yunovidov (11-1, 7 KOs, 1-1 IBA Pro) en route to a comfortable points win.
Vadim Tukov vs Sena Agbeko
Unbeaten Russian super-middleweight prospect Vadim Tukov outpointed Ghana’s Sena Agbeko over eight rounds in the IBA Pro category.
With both men intent on landing heavy leather from the opening bell, it was the cleaner work of Tukov (16-0, 9 KOs, 2-0 IBA Pro) that secured the victory on the judges scorecards against the teak tough Agbeko (29-4, 23 KOs, 0-1 IBA Pro).
Marlon Tapales vs Fernando Toro
Filipino fan-favourite Marlon Tapales proved a level above Venezuelan underdog Fernando Toro in their scheduled ten round contest.
Tapales (41-4, 21 KOs), a former unified world champion at super-bantamweight, showed his superior technical ability in an entertaining-yet-one-sided showing, dropping the game Toro (11-3, 9 KOs) with a heavy right-hook in the sixth round to score an emphatic knockout victory.