Junior middleweight Callum Walsh has built a strong fan base, including the UFC faithful, which is rare for a boxer. That could be because his fights are available on UFC Fight Pass and MMA fans see a Conor McGregor in Walsh.
Under the tutelage of Freddie Roach, Walsh handily defeated Carlos Ortiz in two rounds in the main event on Friday night at Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, California.
360 Promotions has high hopes for Walsh (11-0, 9 KOs), who is one of the hottest prospects yet to emerge. The 23-year-old has made a name for herself in both boxing and MMA without having competed in the latter sport, as Holly Holm has done. Walsh commented on the appeal of the crossover:
“I know UFC loves Irish fighters,” Walsh told Boxing Scene , “We have the best fans in the world and the Irish come together and it's probably because of McGregor. He paved the way for us. Ask anyone in the world and they'll say Irish and they'll say Conor McGregor. So it brings them together as UFC fans wait for what's next.”
Walsh himself started watching UFC because of McGregor, and believes some Irish MMA fans also started watching boxing because of him.
“I started watching UFC because of McGregor,” Walsh said, humbly expressing his desire to follow in the path McGregor has blazed for other Irish fighters, adding: “Hopefully I can do that too.”
Although McGregor is a big influence, Walsh is inspired by Irish boxers in general and said he has trained with some of today's best boxers.
“All of them, all the Irish fighters,” Walsh said. “I've trained with a lot of the fighters that are fighting now, fighters like Katie Taylor and Michael Conlan, fighters that are still fighting.”
Walsh's next goal is to win the title, and Loch believes he can achieve that within a year. The crowd-pulling Walsh is eager to take the next step and won't be satisfied until he has the belt in his hands.
“I feel like I’ve been working towards this my whole life,” Walsh said. “I’ve been boxing since I was six years old. [win a title]And I don't think I'll be happy until I win a world title.”
