Latest news with #EliasEspadas
The 42
22-06-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Callum Walsh apologises to fans for nature of technical decision victory
CALLUM WALSH BEAT Elias Espadas by unanimous technical decision to take his record to 14-0 but the Cork native apologised to fans for the nature of the victory. A bad cut to his right eye during the second round forced the bout to be stopped in the fifth. An accidental headbutt was the cause of Walsh's impaired vision and, after failed attempts at easing the problem at the start of the third and fourth rounds, all three judges scored the WBC Continental Americas Super Welterweight title defence 50-46 in his favour. The 24-year-old is set to feature on the undercard of the Las Vegas showdown between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford this September but, speaking afterwards, he said: 'First of all, I want to apologise to everybody that paid to come and see me fight. There were some good fights tonight, so at least you still got to see some action. I'm very disappointed to win a fight like this. Advertisement 'I think it was growing into a very good fight. Both of us were enjoying it. We were enjoying putting on a show for the fans. And yeah, just apologies to everybody. I don't know, it's not the best way to win, but I'm sorry. I'll put on a show again for you, definitely.'
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Unbeaten Ventura resident Callum Walsh will fight on Chumash Casino card on June 21
Ventura resident Callum Walsh will fight Elias Espadas at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez on Saturday night. Callum Walsh could be a win or two away from fighting on a major platform. Elias Espadas stands in his way. The unbeaten Ventura resident will square off against Espadas on Saturday night at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez. The 10-round junior middleweight bout will headline a 360 Boxing Promotions card that will stream live on UFC Fight Pass at 7 p.m. Advertisement Walsh (13-0, 11 knockouts) last fought on March 16 in New York City, knocking out once-beaten Dean Sutherland in the opening round. Espadas is coming off a close majority decision draw against unbeaten Sadriddin Akhmedov on April 19. The 24-year-old Walsh is the betting favorite going into Saturday's clash, but is not overlooking Espadas. '(Saturday) would be a good win for me, considering he's coming off a draw against a prospect,' Walsh told The Star at a recent open media workout at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, where he trains. 'If I could win and get the job done, it'll show I'm levels above.' Walsh has fought at Chumash before, dropping Mexico's Carlos Ortiz three times en route to a second round knockout victory on June 7, 2024. Advertisement Originally from Ireland, where he was a multi-amateur champion, Walsh recently moved to Ventura. While he enjoys the amenities of the weather and surroundings, a move to Ventura was in play for personal reasons. Walsh is dating MMA star Tabitha Ricci, who resides and trains in Ventura and is an instructor at Paragon Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Ricci is trained by Joseph 'Hoss' Janik at Knuckleheadz Gym in Ventura. 'Ventura is a nice place,' said Walsh, who is trained by Freddie Roach. 'The weather is great. I like living there.' The southpaw Walsh is rated No. 6 by both the IBF and WBC, two of boxing's major sanctioning bodies. A win over Espadas could see Walsh move higher in the rankings and position himself for a possible world title fight next year. Advertisement Besides Ricci, Walsh has a stellar team around him, including promoter Tom Loeffler and UFC President Dana White. Walsh has marketed himself well, appearing at UFC events as a guest of White and at WWE events, as well. Walsh is confident an impressive win over Espadas will position him closer to elite level of the 154-pound division. 'I believe I'm one of the best junior middleweight fighters in the world. I truly believe that. People don't know it yet,' he said. 'I'm looking forward to improving and showing that on a big stage. I will keep fighting those they put in front of me.' Espadas (23-6-1, 16 KOs), who resides in Merida, Mexico, knocked out journeyman Ramon Barajas on Dec. 7, 2024. Prior to the win over Barajas, the 34-year-old Espadas suffered back-to-back knockout losses to Xander Zayas and Fiodor Czerkaszyn. Advertisement In the co-feature, unbeaten junior welterweight Cain Sandoval (15-0, 13 KOs) of Sacramento will face Argentina's Jonathan Eniz (36-22-1, 17 KOs) in an eight-round bout. Daniel Barrera (8-1-1, 4 KOs) of Eastvale will square off against Basilio Franco (10-3, 8 KOs) of Norwalk in an eight-round junior bantamweight bout. Barrera suffered his first loss as a pro to Christopher Rios on Feb. 21. The 23-year-old is managed by Ray Chaparro, who owns Cafe Amri in Oxnard. Jenelyn Olsim of Santa Paula will make her professional debut, facing Jessica Radtke Maltez (1-2-1) of Waconia, Minnesota, in a four-round featherweight bout. Olsim is trained by Janik at Knuckleheadz Gym. Advertisement The Olsim-Radtke fight will stream live on the UFC Fight Pass YouTube page at 6 p.m. Francisco A. Salazar covers boxing for The Star. He has also covered the sport for Ring Magazine and Boxingscene. He can be reached on X/Twitter at FSalazarBoxing. This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Unbeaten Ventura resident Walsh ready for fight at Chumash Casino
Irish Times
19-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Cork boxer Callum Walsh closing in on world title fights with backing of UFC's Dana White
Unbeaten Cork super-welterweight Callum Walsh (13-0) will take on Mexican contender Elias Espadas in California on Saturday night. The 24-year-old is on a streak of four successive knockouts, the last three all coming in the first two rounds. His last fight, against Scotland's Dean Sutherland, was a first-round stoppage victory at Madison Square Garden in New York in March. Walsh is ranked in the top 10 of the division by two of the sanctioning bodies and is currently one of the highest ranked Irish fighters in professional boxing. Walsh has enjoyed the backing of UFC CEO Dana White, with his fights being broadcast on UFC Fight Pass, the company's streaming service. READ MORE White also travelled to Dublin for Walsh's bout at the 3Arena last year, when he knocked out Polish fighter Przemyslaw Runowski in the second round. Walsh was the first boxer to be supported by the MMA promoter and White has since announced he will co-promote the blockbuster fight between Canelo Alvarez and Terrence Crawford alongside Saudi Arabian billionaire Turki al-Sheikh, who has invested heavily in the sport. Walsh's opponent Espadas has won 23 contests, with six defeats and one draw. He has won 16 fights by knockout. However, Espadas has only fought five times in the last four years, winning two, drawing one, and losing the other two by knockout. The 34-year-old will be a heavy underdog in the contest, and Walsh will be hoping this fight is just another step towards a world title. White is not the only high-profile member of Team Walsh, as he is trained by Freddie Roach of the Wild Card Boxing gym in Hollywood. Roach has been living with Parkinson's disease for nearly 40 years and has said the hand-eye co-ordination involved in training fighters helps with his symptoms. The 65-year-old has trained legendary fighters like James Toney, Oscar De La Hoya, and, most famously, Manny Pacquiao, the eight-weight world champion from the Philippines. Pacquiao, now 46, recently returned to train alongside Walsh at the LA gym ahead of a comeback world title fight which is scheduled for July.
