Irish southpaw Callum Walsh has exchanged heavy winds, rolling deck and cargo cranes for the limelight of boxing, but the hard work he learned when working seven days fishing is still behind Walsh's rise to 13-0 (11 KOs). On Saturday at California's Chumash Casino, 24-years-old Walsh will feature in the main event of a UFC Fight Pass card against rugged Mexican veteran Elias Espadas (23-6-1, 16 KOs) in a ten-round junior-middleweight fight that is more likely to bring risks than the off-swell.
Walsh’s resume sparkles with early nights - he has delivered three consecutive stoppages in under two rounds - and he has been rated No. 6 in the world with both the WBC and IBF. Espadas is buoyed by an April draw against hot prospect Sadriddin Akhmedov and the recent experience of sharing the ring with Xander Zayas. Durable, experienced and fighting against the clock in his career, the 34-year-old will certainly have Walsh answer questions that his most recent opponents have been too fast to ask.
Walsh’s trainer Freddie Roach believes that Walsh's long hours in the gym - similar to the dawn-to-dusk hours unloading steel sheets back in Cork - are the reason for the kid's rapid progression. Promoter Tom Loeffler and UFC CEO Dana White believe in his star potential and will look at putting him on the Canelo - Crawford mega event in September should Walsh shine again. Walsh plans to put the request in, stating the idiom, "A closed mouth don't get fed!"
To take advantage, Walsh must mix the punching power that dropped Dean Sutherland in 95 seconds over the St. Patrick's weekend with the restraint that Roach espouses. Espadas will press, fight, survive and then press back - Walsh must show he can finish a fight, the hard way, if the most direct path is closed.
Big work, big results, Walsh's motto, has taken Walsh off the leaps of heck from day jobs to Hollywood's Wild Card. Another disciplined, 48-hour shift on Saturday, and it could be his payoff for breakthrough on boxing's biggest stage.
Fight card:
▪️Callum Walsh vs. Elias Espadas, 10 rounds, super welterweight
▪️Cain Sandoval vs. Jonathan Jose Eniz, 8 rounds, super lightweight
▪️Umar Dzambekov vs. Roamer Alexis Angulo, 8 rounds, light heavyweight
▪️Gor Yeritsyan vs. Vernon Brown, 8 rounds, welterweight
▪️Daniel Barrera vs. Basilio Franco, 8 rounds, super flyweight
▪️Iyana Verduzco vs. Celene Roman, 8 x 2 rounds, featherweight
▪️Jenelyn Olsim vs. Jessica Radtke Maltez, 4 x 2 rounds, featherweight
