Slink says he’s ready for Walsh rematch

A compelling fight on the June 29 super lightweight title card will be a rematch between Minnesota middleweight boxer Slink Proper and Nico Ali Walsh.

Slink defeated the then-unbeaten Walsh, Muhammed Ali’s grandson, by a decision last August in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Both fighters now are 9-1 and the rematch, set for Miami Beach, will be nationally televised on ESPN.

“I know I fought him before,” said Slink last week prior to his daily workout at St. Paul’s Element Gym. It’s his training base, owned by Quincy Caldwell’s Coach Q Training now located at the YWCA St. Paul at Western and Selby. 

Caldwell has been Slink’s trainer—the St. Paul Johnson grad and former college basketball player has trained many athletes such as NBA’s Jalen Suggs and Chet Holmgren, along with numerous college players, on being both physically and mentally ready for competition.

“I feel like I know him,” continued Slink on Walsh. “And I think that I’m just willing to go further. I’m willing to do more. I’m willing to push myself harder.”

Asked about any concern about ring rust after  not fighting for almost a year, the middleweight pointed out, “I feel like I’m in the gym nonstop. I’m always in the gym, so I don’t realize that time is still passing on outside.”

Slink’s last fight last summer was seen by many as a stunning upset. He was a virtual unknown going up against a member of boxing royalty.

“He felt like he knew me before we fought the fight,” recalled Slink on Walsh. “They wrote me off, just another step on his ladder to success. We proved them wrong because that ladder, that step broke. It caved in, and he plummeted all the way back to beginning.” 

On the upcoming rematch with Walsh in a couple weeks, Slink said, “Now he wants to take the next step again. And I think that this step is still going to be a step that he can’t take and is not ready for.”

The Cameroon native thus far has followed Caldwell’s training regimen almost to a T. “The preparation is winding down right now,” stated Slink. “We’re going to be able to taper it off and turn it down a little bit. I’m fully prepared for the fight.”

Slink says he believes he is on the right track on his way to one day going into the ring and winning a world title. “As long as I just stay consistent, I always keep getting better. 

“I have solidified myself at least in the boxing world as an official boxer. I’m just getting better and better and better and better.”

Slink Proper and Caldwell will hold an open workout before his rematch against Nico Ali Walsh on Tuesday, June 18, 1:30- 3:30 p.m. at Element Gym, 375 Selby Ave., YMCA St. Paul.