Callum Walsh: ‘I Remember My Favorite Wrestler Was Rey Mysterio’

Before making the sweet science a career, junior middleweight contender Callum Walsh was a big fan of wrestling, specifically the WWE.

The 24-year-old Walsh (13-0, 11 KOs) from Cork, Ireland, is working tirelessly in getting ready for his fight on June 21, at the Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, CA, against veteran Elias Espadas (23-6-1, 16 KOs). During an interview with FightsATW, Walsh took a trip down memory lane as he began to discuss the things that caught his attention about the product from a young age.

This came up as Walsh has been seen appearing at multiple WWE Monday Night RAW shows in the past while also running into wrestling superstars while attending UFC events throughout the country. It was surprising to hear that Walsh grew up liking Mexican high-flyer and Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio rather than one of the bigger names like John Cena, Stone Cold Steve Austin, or Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

“I grew up watching WWE; probably everybody did back then,” Walsh told FightsATW. “It was massive. I remember my favorite wrestler was Rey Mysterio. The craziest thing is that I was sitting next to him at a UFC event about a year or two ago.”

While Mysterio is still active in some capacity, Walsh isn’t familiar with some of the new stars, with the exception being the ones from Ireland. Although being at a WWE event brings exposure to a worldwide audience, which is huge for his career, Walsh doesn’t appear at the events because he has to; he does it because he wants to.

“It’s not something I’m going along to because I have to,” said Walsh. “I wouldn’t go if I didn’t want to. It’s cool and entertaining. It’s a very fun night when you go there. The walkouts and everything are extra. It’s crazy (laughs).”

Walsh will look to continue his dominant ways when he faces Espadas on June 21, streaming live on UFC Fight Pass. Walsh’s highest ranking is number five with the WBC, with the champion Sebastian Fundora facing Tim Tszyu in a rematch as the co-main for Manny Pacquiao vs. Mario Barrios on July 19. Walsh could be in the position to face the winner or against the interim champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. in the very near future if he can get past Espadas.

For now, it’s Espadas on June 21, and then in between his next fight, you may see him at another WWE event if one stops in the Southern California region later this year.

Abraham Gonzalez

Abraham Gonzalez is the founder of FightsATW. His journalistic work has been published and used across several platforms to include online, network TV and promotional companies. He is an American Public University alumnus and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). Abraham was the Managing Editor for NYFights, Big Fight Weekend, contributed to FanSidedMMA and ProBoxTV.

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