By Scoop Malinowski
Rising Super Welterweight star King Callum Walsh will make his Madison Square Garden debut on Thursday night vs. Ismael Villareal.
Ticket infoWalsh is 8-0 with 7 knockouts and trains under Freddie Roach at the Wildcard Gym in Los Angeles. I asked Roach of all the great fighters he’s been around in his five decades in the sport, which one most reminds him of Walsh and he answered, “Irish Steve Collins, because of how how hard he works and his intensity.”
Hollywood Fight Nights Promoter Tom Loeffler says Walsh isn’t picky about choosing opponents and he’s got the backing of Dana White of the UFC, “Dana couldn’t be more supportive of Callum, he sees the same potential and talent that we see in him. This will be Callum’s fifth fight in twelve months. Any opponent we give him he says he’s ready to fight.”
The 22 year old from Cork County, Ireland, may be more of a finisher than former Middleweight champion Collins, as only one opponent has lasted the distance. Benjamin Whitaker is the sole survivor but Walsh is confident he would have gotten his eighth stoppage if the fight was longer than six runds, “I didn’t have enough time to stop him. He was tired, he was running. I ran out of time.”
Walsh will have ten rounds to dispose of Villareal on Thursday.
Walsh, who has a similar fierce warrior facial expression as Ricky Hatton, was spotlighted at the Knicks game last night. “They showed me on the big screen, they gave me a Knicks jacket, it can’t get better than that. I will thank you all for coming today by putting on a great show for you on Thursday night. And I will thank you at the after-fight party here (Legends Bar on West 33rd Street).”
The action I’ve seen of Walsh vs. Carson Jones, I saw flashes of Monzon, Hagler, Golovkin and Pavlik. The question is will Walsh be able to sustain that level of form vs. tougher competition, or will it inspire even greater performance?
Walsh’s opponent Ismael Villareal, age 26 from the Bronx, has boxed on Showtime and has more experience in his 13-1 record. Villareal did not attend the pre-fight press conference today.
Former World Heavyweight title challenger Gerry Cooney will work the TV broadcast on Thursday. Former World Heavyweight Champ Larry Holmes will be a special guest of the show. The action-packed card will be streamed live globally on @UFCFightPass. @360BoxingPromos
The fastest rising star in Boxing, Ireland’s “King” Callum Walsh will make his New York City debut on November 9 when he faces off against hard hitting Ismael Villarreal at The Theater at MSG.
The highly touted 22-year-old native of Cork, Ireland is led by Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach. Walsh will be looking for his fourth consecutive knockout of 2023 when he steps into the ring to take on Bronx’s Villarreal.
10 ROUNDS – WBC U.S. SILVER SUPER WELTERWEIGHT TITLE
CALLUM WALSH vs. ISMAEL VILLARREAL
Cork, Ireland Bronx, NY
8-0 (7 KOs) 13-1 (9 KOs)
SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT
Cain Sandoval vs. Wesley Ferrer
10-0 (10KOs) 17-1-1 (8KOs)
Sacramento, CA Brooklyn, NY
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
Umar Dzambekov vs. Frederic Julan
7-0 (6KOs) 13-2 (10KOs)
Los Angeles, CA Brooklyn, NY
WELTERWEIGHT
Gor Yeritsyan vs. Luis Alberto Veron
16-0 (14KOs) 20-7-2 (9 KOs)
Los Angeles, CA Buenos Aires, Argentina
SUPER WELTERWEIGHT
Brian Ceballo vs. Kenneth McNeil
15-1 (7KOs) 13-4 (10KOs)
New York, NY Birmingham, AL
FEATHERWEIGHT
Omar Cande Trinidad vs. Andrew Bentley
13-0-1(10KOs) 5-7 (1KO)
Los Angeles, CA Irvington, NJ
SUPER FEATHERWEIGHT
Feargal McCrory vs. Nikolai Buzolin
14-0 (7KOs) 9-6-1 (5KOs)
Coalisland, Ireland New York, NY
Ring Observer Boxing by Scoop Malinowski
