From Cobh to LA: Cork's Callum Walsh talks through his journey so far

IRELAND'S latest boxing star Callum Walsh has been on quite the journey, one that has taken him from the harbour town of Cobh to the beaches and stardom of life in Los Angeles.

With the undefeated pro boxer’s first title defence scheduled for August 26, Callum reflects on how it all started.

“It was actually my old man, he got me into a boxing and when I was like 6 years old, and I’ve just been there ever since,” he begins. “I played a bit of hurling alright for a while, but I had to pick one. You can’t mix the two of them especially with all the injuries and stuff, so I just went with the boxing.

“I was training here in Ireland, [and] I was trying to qualify for the Olympics. Then COVID happened and everything closed. So, I had nowhere to train, and I didn't know what to do.

“My old man was living in LA, and he told me that the gyms and stuff were still open over there. So, I was like, ‘great, I'm just going to go over there for a couple of weeks, train and come back then and try to get a place for the Olympics’.

“I got over there then and got in with Freddie [Roach]. I just liked the pro boxing and I feel like it just suited me better,” Callum explains. “Then I got a visa, so I stayed there for a year and a half to get more used to the pro style and stuff like that.” 

Learning from someone like Freddie Roach, who’s got years of experience working with names like Georges St. Pierre and Manny Pacquiao is invaluable to any fighter, and it’s something that Callum is extremely grateful for.

“Yeah, it's unbelievable to working with to be working with Freddie. He's had so many champions, and he has so much knowledge. Everything that he's taught me is unbelievable. It's still crazy to me, the fact that he's like 60 odd and he's still training fellas, young fighters like me.

“He's still holding the pads, doing everything!” Callum laughs. “It's not like he's just a face and everybody's doing stuff behind the scenes, Freddie does it all. it's unbelievable. He's off his game really!” 

While it can certainly be said that ‘King’ Callum Walsh is living the dream, even he sometimes struggles to grasp the reality of his life.

“I remember when I first got there, it's like, it was mad. Everything was crazy. When I was meeting all these like famous people and everything, it was mad.

I'm getting used to it, but when I sometimes sit down and I actually think about it and what I'm doing, and think about the people I'm meeting, the people I'm training with, it's still crazy.

“I'm just a young fella from Cobh like, and next thing I’m training with all these people, I'm talking with Dana White. When I sit back and actually think about it, it’s crazy. I don't think I will ever get used to it because the more I fight, the bigger it's going to get. It's going to keep getting bigger and bigger as long as I keep winning.” 

INCREDIBLE

Walsh’s incredible talent has been acknowledged by UFC president Dana White, who has been promoting the boxer since his arrival on the professional scene.

“Yeah, Dana, man he's unbelievable. He's actually one of the soundest fellas out there actually,” Walsh says. “From watching him on the telly for so long, to actually meeting the man in person.

“I was like, ‘oh, I'm actually sitting and laughing with Dana White’. The first day I met him, we went to the UFC. He showed me around, we got food down there and I was thinking, ‘I'm actually sitting here with Dana White!’ He’d seen me fight a couple of times, and then Howler Head Whiskey came on as my main sponsor.

“Next thing I'm being posted all over the UFC every time I fight. I didn't even know what was going on now when it first happened. I was looking at the UFC page [and] I was like, ‘that's actually me, on the UFC page!’ he laughs. “Dana and I have a good relationship. He knows what he's doing and having him part of the career is definitely a good push.” 

A boxer being promoted by the UFC isn’t something we see often, so does the Cobh native have any aspirations to fight in the UFC one day?

“Yeah, definitely. I feel like I couldn't go my whole career without having a UFC fight,” Callum explains. 

“UFC is something I've always watched since I was young, and [Conor] McGregor was in the UFC.

“I think I was like 12 years old when he when he started, so I've been watching it for years. Me and my friends though, we always watch UFC together, even more than boxing. I never really watched boxing, but I watched UFC. So definitely, I feel like I have to fight in the UFC before my career is over.” 

The boxing starlet headlines Commerce Casino on August 26 live on UFC Fight Pass. The title defence against Livan Navarro marks what will likely be the first of many for the young champion.