Callum Walsh eyes huge Cork homecoming in the future but will take care of business at 3Arena first
Walsh will fight Poland's Przemyslaw Runowski at the 3Arena on September 20.
Home is where the heart is for Callum Walsh as he eyes a big bout Cork in 2025.
But before any talks of a fight on Leeside can take place, the undefeated Walsh must first take care of business next month as he headlines an event at the 3Arena against Przemyslaw Runowski.
Walsh’s story is remarkable—he famously knocked on the door of legendary trainer Freddie Roach, asking for a chance. Fast forward a few years, and he now boasts an 11-0 record and is headlining Dublin’s top boxing venue.
READ MORE: Callum Walsh v Przemyslaw Runowski tickets for the 3Arena fight night
“Getting a fight back in Cork would be a goal for me," said Walsh. "Right now, fighting up here for the first time in Dublin and the 3Arena is the perfect place for it.
“Obviously, in the future, I look forward to getting back to Cork and putting on a show down there for the Cork people.
“If everything goes well on September 20, we’ll do Madison Square Garden in March and then try to do a Cork show. That would be a goal for me to put a show on there and once a year in Ireland would be perfect for me.”
An interesting tidbit in Walsh’s story is that he has the backing of UFC boss Dana White, who will be in Dublin for the fight next month, and Walsh is well aware that his influence will help amplify the event.
He said: “With Dana White being involved and bringing a show back to Ireland it makes it ten times bigger than anything. He has a massive history with the Irish fighters. You saw what he did with Conor (McGregor). He came here with Conor, felt the buzz, felt the Irish fighting spirit.
“With me, he's seen a young Irish boxer, different from what he's seen with the young MMA fighters. He's enjoying it and hopefully, we'll put on a good show.”
Growing up in Cobh, GAA-mad Walsh has been forced into early retirement from his national sport, with all his focus now on boxing. Training out of Los Angeles, Walsh was told in no uncertain terms to pack away the boots for the foreseeable future.
“I had to stop in case I got injured at the weekends," he explained. "I played hurling when I was growing up then started playing some football when I first arrived in LA, but I'm retired now.
“They're keeping a close eye on me because I was playing a bit but they told me I had to stop you're going to headline the 3Arena. There are big things I am going to do and if I were to get an injury playing football with the lads at the weekend it would put me out of the job.”
Never getting too far ahead of himself, Walsh wouldn’t be drawn into discussing world title prospects. However, his manager, Tom Loeffler, had no such reservations.
“This is the trajectory he needs to be on and the types of opponent he needs to face if he's going to challenge for a world title," said the promoter. "I’d say realistically by 2026, he could challenge for a world title. We would expect if he continues to win and continues to defend his WBC Continental title, then by 2026, when he has 18-20 fights he could challenge for a world title.
“He's got that Irish charisma and confidence, and an exciting style in the ring. The fans gravitate towards his boxing style. The fans want to see an exciting fight, they don't want to see a 12-round decision where someone out-points the other person. He understands this is the entertainment business.”
And with big-time boxing slowly and steadily returning to Dublin, Loeffler insists his team have done their due diligence regarding security risks.
He added: “We don't have any fighters on the show who are controversial, so we made sure there were no issues in that regard. No associations with people that would pose a security risk or anything like that. We understood the dynamics coming here and we feel comfortable.”
Callum Walsh makes his highly anticipated homecoming to Ireland on Friday, September 20 at Dublin’s 3Arena. Tickets go on sale from 10 a.m. on Wednesday, August 21 via Ticketmaster. 3Arena presale tickets will be available to purchase from 10 a.m. on Monday, August 19. The ten-round main event will be broadcast globally on UFC FIGHT PASS®.
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