Zuffa Boxing
Callum Walsh | Ready To Perform
Undefeated Irish Star Plans On Making History In The First Main Event In Zuffa Boxing.
If familiarity is any advantage, “King” Callum Walsh has a trump card up his sleeve on Friday night.
Ireland’s Walsh is set to feature in the main event of the inaugural Zuffa Boxing event, Zuffa Boxing 01, which takes place Friday at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, and the 24-year-old feels very much at home during fight week.
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“I’m enjoying it, you know? I love being here. I love being part of Zuffa,” Walsh told UFC.com ahead of fight night in Las Vegas.
“It's like being here for (UFC) fight weeks when I’m with Tabatha (Ricci, Walsh’s girlfriend and UFC women’s strawweight contender). I know the UFC, I'm used to how it goes (during fight week), and I enjoyed every minute of it. I was just waiting for the day that it would happen with boxing… I've seen how it was with the UFC, how the fight weeks are so organized. Everything is perfect, and I was always just waiting for the day that it would come over the boxing. And here we are.”
Walsh might be feeling comfortable during fight week, but there’s nowhere he’d rather be than inside the squared circle, throwing leather. He stepped through the ropes as a pro 15 times so far in his career, and he’s won each and every one, with 11 of those victories coming inside the distance.
It’s a record that earned him a reputation as one of boxing’s rising stars, and he plans on showcasing his skills against 41-fight veteran and 3-time world title challenger Carlos “Chema” Ocampo.
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“I think he's a dangerous opponent. He has a lot of knockouts. He has three losses in title fights, so he's definitely seasoned,” said Walsh.
“He's got a lot of experience, so I'm not underestimating my opponent at all. I just think I'm the younger, fresher, stronger fighter, and I'm gonna go out there and perform.”
That word – perform – perfectly encapsulates Walsh’s mindset heading into the fight. He knows the eyes of the combat sports world will be on this first Zuffa Boxing event, and as one half of the main event, he admits he feels he has a duty to deliver.
“Anytime I fight, I try my best to perform,” he explained.
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“I try my best to excite the fans, and that's what I'll do. I show up and fight, and Friday night you're definitely gonna see a fight.”
The old adage states that you’re only as good as your last fight. And, while Walsh claimed the victory, his September 2025 win over Fernando Vargas Jr. left him feeling less than happy with his performance.
“It was a good fight (but) I was not really happy with the result,” he explained. “I wanted to knock him out, I wanted to perform better. And I've made a lot of adjustments this camp. I feel like I'm a lot better this time around and a lot more prepared.
“My last camp was very short too. I had a cut on my eye, and there was a lot of things going on. But this time I've prepared well, I'm feeling very good, and I'm ready to just get the win.
“I feel like in the last fight, I wasn't performing, you know? I didn't feel my best. And I feel like I put a lot of pressure on myself.
“Then when I would come back to the corner between rounds, it’s like, ‘Oh, you need to perform. You need to do this…’ And I think for this next fight (the aim) is to just go out there, enjoy it, get back to doing what I always done. And whether I knock him out or not, just go out there and really enjoy the fight.”
It’s a mature response from a fighter who is sure to garner plenty of attention from the worlds of both boxing and MMA. But while Walsh has enjoyed fighting on UFC Fight Pass as the featured attraction in the past, he’s excited to help fly the flag for Zuffa Boxing and hopes that one day he’ll be able to wear championship gold in the organization.
“Anywhere I’m fighting, I just want to win belts, you know?” he stated. “I want to prove that I’m the best, and not even just prove that people, to prove to myself, and just know that if I win this belt, I’m the best fighter. and if I can’t win it, at least I’ll know I wasn’t the best.
“I want to end my career and sleep knowing that I didn’t avoid anyone. If someone beats me, they beat me because I just wasn't good enough. And if I win the belt, at least I know I was the best.
“That's my ultimate goal, really. To win the Zuffa belt and be the best fighter in the world.”
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