Callum Walsh is aware of what it means to earn a dwelling together with his fingers. Earlier than throwing hooks and jabs within the ring, he spent his days lifting cargo on fishing boats within the port of Cobh, beneath the chilly Atlantic wind in his native Eire.
He was solely 16, however he already understood laborious work. In the present day, at 24, he continues to work simply as laborious, though his stage has modified — now he does it beneath the brilliant lights of a boxing ring.
On Saturday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Walsh (14-0, 11 KOs) could have the evening he all the time dreamed of.
He’ll combat on the co-main occasion of a card headlined by Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez and Terence Crawford, an enormous platform for his younger profession, and it will likely be broadcast on Netflix, the place he’ll danger his undefeated file in a 10-round tremendous welterweight bout towards one other hungry teen, Fernando Vargas Jr. (17-0, 15 KOs), inheritor to the surname of a former world champion.
Eire’s Callum Walsh punches Scotland’s Dean Sutherland throughout an excellent welterweight boxing match on March 16 in New York.
(Frank Franklin II / Related Press)
Removed from attempting to overlook his days on the docks, Walsh is grateful for them.
“Training is tough, yes, but I enjoy it. It’s much better than getting up at dawn to go to the port,” Walsh stated with a smile.
The work ethic he displayed as a loader on fishing boats additionally helped set up Walsh as probably the most promising prospects in world boxing.
The Irish southpaw has fought 3 times at Madison Sq. Backyard and stuffed Dublin’s 3Arena final yr. His aggressive and quick type units him aside, with a quantity of punches that not often diminishes and a braveness that leads him to trade blows with out backing down.
“I’ll be opening up to a much wider fan base. There will be a lot of people watching the fight,” stated Walsh, who needs folks to be glad with the competition, in contrast to the final Netflix present wherein Jake Paul upset tens of millions of viewers by having a really restricted opponent, 58-year-old Mike Tyson.
“I want to show them what real boxing is all about. There will be a lot of people watching for the first time, and I want them to become fans,” stated Walsh, an admirer of his compatriot, Conor McGregor, a UFC star.
Walsh is coaching at Wild Card Health club in Los Angeles beneath the watchful eye of Freddie Roach. There, the Irishman is combining his strong novice basis of greater than 150 fights with the legendary coach’s offensive type.
“I couldn’t have chosen a better teacher,” Walsh stated.
On the opposite aspect of the ring, Walsh will face Vargas, a southpaw with a strong punch who made his debut in 2020 however already boasts 17 victories — 15 of them by knockout. Nevertheless, the chances in Las Vegas favor the Irishman.
“I don’t care about Las Vegas. Las Vegas loses all the time,” Vargas Jr. stated on “The PorterWay Podcast” when requested about not being favored.
Undefeated junior middleweight boxers Callum Walsh, left, and Fernando Vargas Jr., proper, face off whereas UFC’s Dana White appears to be like on throughout a information convention at T-Cell Enviornment on Thursday.
(Steve Marcus / Getty Pictures)
The combat won’t solely be a duel between undefeated fighters. It’s going to even be an enormous showcase. The highly effective boxing promoter and organizer of the Canelo vs. Crawford combat, Turki Al-Sheikh, will probably be watching Walsh carefully, as will UFC president Dana White, who has shared a rising curiosity in boxing.
“The lights can’t shine any brighter than that night,” warned Tom Loeffler, Walsh’s promoter.
However Walsh says he doesn’t really feel any stress. Not from the stage, nor from defending his good file.
“Everyone can lose at some point. The important thing is to face real fights and give the public what they want,” Walsh stated. At 24, he is aware of he nonetheless has a protracted method to go.
The story of the younger man who left the boats for the ring could have a brand new chapter this Saturday in Las Vegas. It is going to be as much as his fists to impress the world and ensure that he’s not a prospect, however a actuality.
This text first appeared in Spanish by way of L.A. Instances en Español.
