Anticipation Builds Ahead of Callum Walsh’s First Pro Bout in Ireland

Born in Cork, a city in the south of Ireland, in February 2001, Callum Walsh (11-0, 9 KOs) is about to box as a professional for the first time in his native land.

Walsh takes on Poland’s Przemyslaw Runowski (22-2, 6KOs) at the 3Arena in Dublin on September 20. For Walsh, now residing in California, USA, and boxing in the junior middleweight (154-pound) division, Friday presents an opportunity to showcase his skills in front of a large crowd in Ireland’s capital city.

Since turning pro in 2021, Walsh has boxed exclusively in the United States. An interesting career path has developed for him, with the fighter nicknamed “King” having some highly influential boxing people working with him. The Irishman is trained by Freddie Roach and is promoted by the experienced Tom Loeffler. Thanks to Loeffler’s 360 Promotions having a broadcasting arrangement with the UFC Fight Pass streaming service, UFC CEO Dana White also gets involved to assist the promotion of Walsh’s bouts. In fact, it was White who announced Walsh’s Irish debut, posting a video with the September 20 details. The video garnered one million views in the first 24 hours online.

It’s fair to say there is a high degree of Irish media interest in Walsh’s return to his homeland. According to the official ticket seller’s website, tickets are also selling well. FightsATW takes a closer look at Walsh’s journey to this point and some of the pre-fight coverage the event has been receiving in Ireland.

Making Quick Connections In California

Walsh traveled to Los Angeles, CA, to visit his father in 2021. At this point, his boxing club, Riverstown Boxing Club in Cork, was closed along with every other boxing gym in Ireland due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.

Hungry for a boxing workout, Walsh presented himself at Roach’s Wildcard Gym and asked to train. Roach agreed on the condition he sparred right away. On that day, Walsh went six rounds with American welterweight Blair Cobbs. Roach liked what he saw, and Walsh began training at Wildcard daily. Promoter Loeffler got involved after Roach told him about the young Irishman training in his gym. “Freddie mentioned to me he was training a young Irish fighter who he was very impressed with,” Loffler said, according to The Irish Independent newspaper for an article which supported the announcement of Walsh’s Dublin date.

The promoter continued, “Freddie rated him as one of the best young fighters he had worked with and one of the hardest punchers. I watched Callum sparring a few times and gave Callum his pro debut on one of my shows in LA.” That show was a December 2021 card at the Quiet Cannon Country Club. Walsh would win by first-round stoppage. The Irish boxer would have his next four bouts at Quiet Cannon – three stoppages, and one points victory – slowly building a fanbase in Southern California.

Securing Dates On UFC Fight Pass

During the early days of Walsh’s pro career, Loeffler took him to Las Vegas to meet with UFC boss White. Loeffler had an unofficial deal with the MMA organization’s streaming service – some of his shows had run on the UFC Fight Pass platform. After meeting Walsh and taking a liking to him, White agreed to give him four dates on UFC Fight Pass. The ratings were good, and UFC Fight Pass extended its deal with Walsh beyond the original four fights.

During this time, Walsh has continued to win. He was taken around the United States, as Loeffler had secured fight dates for him in Boston and at the Madison Square Garden Theater in New York City. The Irishman boxed four times in 2022 and 2023. Friday’s Dublin bout will be his third fight of 2024. Boxing regularly benefits his development – evidenced by Walsh already winning two regional titles, one of which he will defend on September 20.

Looking at Walsh vs. Runowski

As with any homecoming sporting event, the idea is for the home athlete(s) to prevail. We all know that complacency is a fighter’s worst enemy in boxing and overlooking an opponent can lead to trouble. Assuming Walsh, an athletic 6-foot-tall southpaw, isn’t approaching the contest with a nonchalant attitude, he should win comfortably. Walsh could even become the first boxer to defeat Runowski within the distance.

With a handy height and reach advantage, not to mention youth and the better skill set being in his favor too, Walsh should be able to put on a show for his fans in Ireland on Friday and defend his WBC Continental Americas 154-pound title. Runowski’s ceiling seems to be European level at best – the two times he faced boxers slightly above that status, Josh Kelly in 2019 and Michael McKinson in 2021, he was handily beaten on the scorecards. Another aspect Walsh has to deal with as he heads into Friday’s ten-round contest is increased media interest. The newspapers and online outlets in Ireland are all giving Friday’s fight extensive buildup coverage. Walsh has been doing the media rounds to help build interest.

A piece in the tabloid newspaper, The Irish Mirror, caught my eye. In it, Walsh discusses future bouts in Ireland and a true homecoming for him in Cork. “Getting a fight back in Cork would be a goal for me,” Walsh was quoted as saying by the publication. He added: “Right now, fighting up here for the first time in Dublin, and the 3Arena is the perfect place for it. If everything goes well, we’ll do Madison Square Garden in March and then try to do a Cork show. The goal for me would be to do a show once a year in Ireland.”

It’s good to have plans, but don’t look too far ahead of the here and now. It’s also good to promote your event, but care needs to be taken not to do too much in case it becomes detrimental to the fight preparations.

Walsh Puts Runowski ‘In Focus’

This is probably a good time for Walsh to be returning to box in Ireland. He is experienced enough now to deal with the pressure and expectations that come with a homecoming event. Walsh was recently interviewed on UFC Fight Pass by Doug Fischer: “Since the start of my career, I wanted to go and fight in Ireland, and it’s been a long time coming,” the boxer said while attending a UFC event. Walsh was also asked about the burden of boxing at home: “It just makes it more fun for me. It’s going to make it a lot more enjoyable to have a big Irish crowd there, and hopefully there’ll be some alcohol in the crowd,” Walsh stated.

Ominously for Runowski, Walsh focused on delivering an explosive ending to the bout as the interview with Fischer concluded. “I’m gonna go in there, and I’m just gonna knock him out. He hasn’t ever been finished. On September 20, there’s a first time for everything, and it’ll be the first time he gets knocked out.” Interest is high for this event, and Walsh has the tools to make it a homecoming to remember for himself and his growing number of fans in Ireland.

Callum Walsh vs. Przemyslaw Runoeski will stream live on UFC Fight Pass.

Colin Morrison

A boxing fan since his teenage years, Morrison began writing about the sport in July 2016. He appreciates all styles of boxing and has nothing but respect for those who get in the ring for our entertainment. Morrison is from Scotland and can be found on Twitter @Morrie1981.

See author's posts