The big reveal happened on Friday as Zuffa Boxing released a trailer for their upcoming Paramount+ debut on January 23, the televised fight card and the signing of IBF and Ring Magazine cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia (29-0, 23 KOs).
Beginning with the trailer, Dana White is seen walking through the arena tunnel as Max Kellerman narrates. Images of boxing legends appear, emphasizing that Zuffa Boxing aims to restore the glory they believe has been lost in the sport. White is shown holding what appears to be the Zuffa title, though only glimpses of it are visible, hidden in the scene’s shadows. In the end, White is seen wearing a suit, which contrasts with his usual T-shirt and jeans, and he sports a slight smile.
Shortly after the trailer hit social media, the fight card that will make up the Paramount+ portion of the event was posted, headlined by undefeated junior middleweight Callum Walsh (15-0, 11 KOs) going up against veteran Carlos Ocampo (38-3, 26 KOs). The other two fights are Misael Rodriguez (15-0, 7 KOs) vs. Austin Deanda (17-0, 11 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round middleweight bout and, finally, Julian “Hammer Hands” Rodriguez (24-1, 15 KOs) vs. Cain Sandoval (17-0, 15 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round welterweight bout. These aren’t names that casual fans would easily recognize, but they are familiar within the hardcore boxing community.
The biggest news came after the fight card, which was the announcement of Opetaia signing with Zuffa Boxing. He has been the most sought-after name in the cruiserweight division, as he holds the coveted Ring Magazine title. Opetaia then released a video about his signing, but it sent mixed messages because he talked about pursuing the other champions, which contradicts the model Dana White and Nick Khan have established—focusing on not working with the sanctioning bodies and having fighters compete only for the Zuffa title. It will be interesting to see how that unfolds or if there was simply a miscommunication within Opetaia’s team.
Below is the press release sent out by Zuffa Boxing on Friday night.
Zuffa Boxing will present its first live event, ZUFFA BOXING 01: WALSH vs. OCAMPO, from Meta APEX in Las Vegas on Friday, January 23, with the three-fight main card starting at 9pm ET/6pm PT, exclusively on Paramount+. The event will be headlined by undefeated middleweight Callum Walsh against Mexican knockout artist Carlos Ocampo in the 10-round main event.
Tickets for ZUFFA BOXING 01: WALSH vs. OCAMPO will go on sale Monday, January 19 at 3pm ET/12pm PT and are available at AXS.com. Ticket sales are limited to four (4) per person.
Ahead of UFC 324 on Saturday, January 24, also live from Las Vegas, the eight-fight Zuffa Boxing card launches the first-ever combat sports weekend on Paramount+. Fans can stream all the action from the boxing ring to the Octagon with a Paramount+ subscription.
“The first Zuffa Boxing event is filled with the best up-and-coming talent, hungry and excited to prove that they will be future world champions,” said UFC President and CEO Dana White. “The top three fights feature four fighters who are undefeated, including 15-0 Callum Walsh as he takes on the 38-3 Carlos Ocampo, who has more knockout victories than Callum has total professional fights and his last three wins have come by knockout. I’m looking forward to bringing great fighters and incredible fights back to fight fans.”
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