WATCH – Callum Walsh Scores Devastating KO of the Year Contender
In front of a packed house of Irish boxing fans on Sunday night at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, The Fastest Rising Star in Boxing, âKingâ Callum Walsh, (13-0, 11 KOs), of Cork, Ireland delivered on St Patrickâs Day weekend with a stunning first round knockout (2:45) of Scotlandâs Dean Sutherland, (19-2, 7 KOs), broadcast globally on UFC Fight Pass. The stoppage is a sure-fire candidate for âKnockout of the Year.â
Walsh vs. Sutherland headlined The Biggest Irish Boxing Card in New York City History, promoted by Tom Loefflerâs 360 Promotions. Currently world ranked #6 by the World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation, Walsh defended his WBC Continental Americas Super Welterweight Title for the third time and headlined at the famed venue for the third occasion. Among those in attendance at ringside was UFC President Dana White to watch the Freddie Roach charge.
Said the victorious Walsh, âI feel very good. He was a great opponent, I know at this weight every opponent is going to be tough and I keep getting stronger and better. I am destined to be one of the best fighters in the world. I could fight again tonight. I could fight next week. Whereâs Dana White? Nobody beats the Irish, Especially on St. Paddyâs Day!â
âCallum Walsh is as advertised, no other young fighter in boxing is selling thousands of tickets in multiple locations (New York City, Dublin, Los Angeles, Boston) and impressing fans with these types of knockout performances,â said promoter Tom Loeffler. âWe have big future plans for Callum and they definitely include fighting at Madison Square Garden on St. Patrickâs Day Weekend.â
Co-featured in the super lightweight division, former world title challenger Feargal McCrory, (17-1, 9 KOs), overcame a fourth-round knockdown to stop veteran Keenan Carbajal,
(25-5-1, 17 KOs), of Phoenix, AZ in the eighth stanza.
In an exciting back and forth battle, the southpaw McCrory dropped Carbajal in the seventh round from a flurry of punches. Following up in the eighth, Carbajal hit the canvas again as referee Arthur Mercante Jr. called a halt to the onslaught at the :23 mark.
Stated McCrory, âItâs St Paddyâs day, we all need a little drama in here. The knockdown occurred when he hit me with a good shot. My team did a great job from there on. In the gym they taught me how to deal with adversity. We had a great game plan for this fight that we worked on in the gym and tonight we executed it to perfection. Keenan, thanks for coming and thanks for putting on a great show. Youâre a great fighter. I will keep working and keep winning and I canât wait to get a world title shot.â
Fighting in a crowd-pleasing super welterweight rematch, Emmet Brennan, (6-0, 1 KOs), of Dublin, Ireland was once again too strong against Kevin Cronin, (8-3-1, 4 KOs), of County Kerry, Ireland. Scores over ten rounds were unanimous for Brennan on all three scorecards.
â8 rounds to 2â I called it before it was announced,â said Brennan. âThe first fight wasnât a robbery. Heâs a warrior and he came to get it again. This fight was a lot easier than I thought it would be. It was our game plan. We were more prepared for this fight. The first one seems like we were not prepared at all.â
âNow Iâm 6-0 it was my first ten rounder and now Iâm looking for bigger fights and bigger opportunities. Hopefully Dana and TKO Boxing will see that Iâm ready and they can make it happen. The first fight didnât feel like a win with all the noise that went on afterwards. Iâm glad I had the chance to prove myself.â
Opening the main card, heavyweight Thomas Carty, (9-1, 8 KOs), of Dublin, Ireland sustained a bad left leg injury in the second round against Dajuan Calloway, (12-3, 9 KOs), of Cleveland, OH. The bout was called to a stoppage after the second round as the ringside physician ruled Carty could not continue. Calloway was awarded a technical knockout victory.
Longtime local favorite, Cletus âThe Hebrew Hammerâ Seldin, (29-1, 23 KOs) won an eight-round majority decision over game Yeis Gabriel Solano, (15-5, 10KOs), in the super lightweight division. Scores were 76-76, 77-75 and 78-74. âI have a lot of respect for my opponent, he was super durable. But I stuck to my game plan and deserved to win.â Seldin and his wife Jessica announced her pregnancy in the ring following the victory.
Pro debuters Sean OâBradaigh of New York, NY and Jefferson Almeida of Campo Grande, Brazil fought to an entertaining four round majority draw. Scores were 39-37 (OâBradaigh) and 38-38, twice.
Opening the show featherweight Donagh Kerry, (1-0), of Ireland, swept all four rounds in his professional debut against Geral Alicea-Romero, (0-2), of Naranjito, Puerto Rico. Scores were 40-36 on all three scorecards.
