Callum Walsh training with Freddie Roach and Tony Ferguson

Ireland’s Callum Walsh has found a new home in Los Angeles, CA, and is a talented fresh face in boxing’s welterweight division. 

Many people embark on journeys to chase a dream, and many end up in California. Unfortunately, most of their grandiose plans never materialize, but 21-year-old Callum Walsh has a legitimate chance of being part of the less than one percent that hits the jackpot.

Walsh (3-0, 3 KOs) wants to become a boxing world champion someday. Wanting and getting are two different things, but Walsh has proven boxing talent guiding his pursuits in the U.S.

Cork, Ireland, is more than 5,000 miles away from Los Angeles, CA, but that’s the distance Walsh traveled as a teenager to chase his boxing ambitions. That wasn’t the original plan, but the pandemic changed the course of Walsh’s life, as it has others.

Walsh was hoping to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but the onset of COVID forced a global lockdown. As time went on, Ireland’s gyms remained closed, and Walsh ventured to the U.S. to join his father, who was living here.

Things were starting to open up in the U.S., and Walsh thought he could resume training there. Walsh couldn’t go from Ireland to the U.S. directly. He traveled to Mexico first, quarantined, trained, and then came to the U.S.

His first stop was at Freddie Roach’s famed Wild Card Boxing Club.

“So I went to Mexico for 15 days because Ireland was actually banned from travel to the US,” Walsh said to FanSided. “So I had to quarantine in Mexico for 15 days. I went down there to do some training and some sparring in Mexico, and then came up here, and I showed up at the Wild Card.”

Roach is regarded as one of the best boxing trainers in history. He has built fighters like Manny Pacquiao and reshaped the careers of others like Miguel Cotto. Numerous fighters have walked into the Wild Card Boxing Club in Los Angeles, but very few boxers have had the talent to catch Roach’s eye.

Walsh’s in-ring performance made an immediate impact on Roach.

“Freddie asked me to spar on the first day I was there,” Walsh said. “I done some rounds with some of the pros that were there, and Freddie just wanted to keep me.”

Whatever Roach saw in the gym that day was good enough to make Roach persuade Walsh to stay and change career paths. Walsh’s aim to make the Olympics switched to turning professional.

It’s not hard to see what Roach saw in Walsh. Walsh started boxing when he was six and won several amateur national championships in Ireland, along with a European championship. It also helps that Walsh is youthful and a massive welterweight at 6 feet tall.

Oh yeah, Walsh also has an abundance of knockout power.

“I’ve always had a lot of power even in my amateur fights,” Walsh said. “I have a lot of knockouts in the amateurs. So I’ve always had power in my career. Now, as a pro, it’s more like natural. I’m not forcing.”

Watch Callum Walsh vs. Benjamin Whitaker on UFC Fight Pass on Thursday, Aug. 4

Walsh made quick strides at the Wild Card, sparing with prospects like Blair Cobbs and Elvis Rodriguez. As a fixture at the Wild Card, word of Walsh’s talent started making the rounds. He signed a promotional contract with Tom Loeffler’s 360 Promotions.

Walsh made his professional boxing debut in December 2021, winning via round 1 KO. He replicated that result in his next two bouts, and his fourth contest is on Aug. 4 against Benjamin Whitaker (15-8, 3 KOs) at the Quiet Cannon Country Club.

Walsh is now a featured fighter at the Quiet Cannon Country Club, and his events stream on UFC Fight Pass. The UFC’s president, Dana White, and Loeffler know each other well, but it is the first time they’ve worked together to broadcast boxing, and Walsh helps that alliance grow.

It seems wherever Walsh goes, he makes friends fast. White has taken a strong liking to Walsh and hosted him as a guest during UFC’s International Fight Week. Walsh also has other ties to the UFC.

While working out at Wild Card, Walsh befriended UFC lightweight Tony Ferguson.

“I always try to train as hard as I can in the gym, and I think Tony [Ferguson] noticed that because obviously Tony is known for his engine and how hard he works,” Walsh said. “And I was trying to keep up with him, and then we just became friends. We started rolling together, training together all the time. And I train with Tony now, like, three, four times a week.”

Walsh credits his work with Ferguson as a crosstraining wrinkle into his pre-fight preparation. It’s unconventional, but it’s working for Walsh.

Walsh has always been a fan of MMA but had no wrestling or Brazilian jiu jitsu experience, but Ferguson couldn’t tell that when they wrestled for the first time.

“I actually wrestled with Tony one time and for like an hour straight,” Walsh said. “After he was like, ‘Oh, you have some experience in jujitsu,’ and I was like, ‘No, not at all.’ I never even wrestled before. It’s good. I enjoy it. I’m learning some stuff off Tony and training like wrestling and stuff.”

Walsh is making the most out of his opportunities and having fun at the same time. His combination of skill and personality attracts everyone who comes into his orbit and has him well on his way to conquering his goals.