Garden Party – Callum Walsh moves into double figures with MSG stoppage
Callum Walsh enjoyed a Garden party on St Patrick’s weekend as he moved into double figures on Friday night.
The Cork fighter beat up the game and brave Dauren Yeleussinov, the older brother of an Olympic medal winner, and eventually secured a ninth round stoppage in Madison Square Garden’s Theater.
Walsh didn’t quite batter the Kazach into submission, his opponent was too gutsy to give in, ultimately it was the referee who saved Yeleussinov from himself.
It was patient and methodical rather than explosive from the Freddie Roach-trained fighter but the accumulative pressure told and eventually secured the ‘fastest rising star in boxing’ an eight-stoppage win.
The away corner fighter did frustrate and spoil in a learning fight of sorts for the Cobh native but he never looked threatening or causing any real problems.
Walsh cut a calm figure in the first, happy up on his toes and picking shots as Yeleussinov came marching in. A long uppercut to the body followed by a chopping left hand the go-to shot of the first three minutes.
Although Yeleussinov smiled throughout and nodded his head anytime anything of note landed.
His head shook rather than nodded early in the second as a beautiful combination looked to have him hurt. However, the experienced New York-based Kazach survived an onslaught before landing a right hook of his own, as if to keep the Cork man honest.
Yeleussinov switched styles for parts of the third going on the back foot looking for breaks. Walsh paid no attention and remained patient and landed some nicely picked and heavy-handed shots across the stanza.
It got a bit scrappy much to the referee’s frustration in the fourth and just when it looked like the Irish fighter might also begin to get frustrated he landed a big left hand on the bell.
Roach called for the Cobh man to increase the volume between the fourth and fifth but Walsh was happy to catch and counter with single shots for the most part.
While Yeleussinov was content to march forward and although never threatening anything too dangerous was asking questions and continued to take solid shots without blinking.
The start of the sixth followed a similar pattern, although the LA-based light middleweight did hold his feet more against a game foe.
The combinations did start to come as the round closed, suggesting a gear change was imminent.
It wasn’t quite first to fifth gear but the 22-year-old did up the pace, looked to hold centre of the ring, and continued to test the chin of his rouged marked-up opponent in the seventh, a round where Yeleussinov attempted a Floyd Mayweather versus Victor Ortiz.
A big left hand at the end of the round excited the Irish in the crowd and sent the New York resident flying to the ropes but the away corner fighter didn’t appear too hurt.
Yeleussinov ate some brilliantly timed southpaw right hooks throughout the eight but not only stayed standing but continued to look for work.
Still, the referee was concerned and asked the doctor to take a look between rounds, who allowed Yeleussinov to fight on.
With the referee looking for a reason to step in, Walsh pushed the pace in the penultimate round and the man in the middle eventually came to the rescue of the brave Yeleussinov.
The win sees Walsh move to 10-0 and it looks like he will be back out Stateside in early June.
