Unbeaten Cork super-welterweight Callum Walsh (13-0) will take on Mexican contender Elias Espadas in California on Saturday night.
The 24-year-old is on a streak of four successive knockouts, the last three all coming in the first two rounds. His last fight, against Scotland’s Dean Sutherland, was a first-round stoppage victory at Madison Square Garden in New York in March.
Walsh is ranked in the top 10 of the division by two of the sanctioning bodies and is currently one of the highest ranked Irish fighters in professional boxing.
Walsh has enjoyed the backing of UFC CEO Dana White, with his fights being broadcast on UFC Fight Pass, the company’s streaming service.
White also travelled to Dublin for Walsh’s bout at the 3Arena last year, when he knocked out Polish fighter Przemyslaw Runowski in the second round.
Walsh was the first boxer to be supported by the MMA promoter and White has since announced he will co-promote the blockbuster fight between Canelo Alvarez and Terrence Crawford alongside Saudi Arabian billionaire Turki al-Sheikh, who has invested heavily in the sport.
Walsh’s opponent Espadas has won 23 contests, with six defeats and one draw. He has won 16 fights by knockout.
However, Espadas has only fought five times in the last four years, winning two, drawing one, and losing the other two by knockout.
The 34-year-old will be a heavy underdog in the contest, and Walsh will be hoping this fight is just another step towards a world title.
White is not the only high-profile member of Team Walsh, as he is trained by Freddie Roach of the Wild Card Boxing gym in Hollywood.
Roach has been living with Parkinson’s disease for nearly 40 years and has said the hand-eye co-ordination involved in training fighters helps with his symptoms.
The 65-year-old has trained legendary fighters like James Toney, Oscar De La Hoya, and, most famously, Manny Pacquiao, the eight-weight world champion from the Philippines.
Pacquiao, now 46, recently returned to train alongside Walsh at the LA gym ahead of a comeback world title fight which is scheduled for July.
