Super welterweight prospect Callum Walsh will continue his run toward a potential world title on March 15 when he returns to action at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York to take on Dauren Yeleussinov in the 10-round main event of a 360 Promotions card. The bout will be streamed live on UFC Fight Pass.
Walsh is 9-0 with seven knockouts. UFC CEO Dana White has been high on Walsh and believes he has star potential. Walsh is coming off of a 10-round unanimous decision win on Nov. 9 at MSG over tough veteran Ismael Villarrreal. Yeleussinov, the brother of 2016 Olympic gold medalist Daniyar Yeleussinov, is 11-3-1 with 10 KOs.
"The thing I like about Callum is that he's willing to fight anybody," White told KevinIole.com. "This kid doesn't care. He isn't trying to build up a padded record. He's fighting tough guys with real records early on in his career."
Walsh trainer Freddie Roach has been hoping to see the competition level step up significantly because the 22-year-old Walsh has been steamrolling most of his opposition. He's won seven of his nine fights in four rounds or less.
Roach said Yeleussinov is the perfect type of opponent for Walsh at this stage.
"[Yeleussinov] is a very good opponent and Callum needs to be fighting guys at that level," Roach said. "He's been blowing everybody else away. [Yeleussinov] is a very good fighter and should give us some good work."
White believes that Walsh's talent and exciting style combined with the passionate Irish fan base he's built will help Walsh become a star. He fought in Boston on St. Patrick's Day weekend last year and is doing the same in New York in 2024.
Later this year, White said he'll bring Walsh to Ireland.
"I'm definitely bringing him to Ireland this year," White said. "I don't know when yet, but he'll definitely go this year and that will be a big gate."
Promoter Tom Loeffler of 360 Promotions believes Walsh is on a strong developmental course and compared him with Top Rank's elite super welterweight prospect, Xander Zayas. Zayas, 21, is 18-0 with 12 KOs. He turned professional at 17 years old and has become one of the sport's best prospects.
Loeffler believes they're running neck-and-neck.
"Zayas has more fights, more professional fights, than Callum but he also turned pro a lot earlier," Loeffler said. "If you look at Callum's level of opposition, especially with only nine fights, he's above the level of opposition where Zayas is, at least up to this point. It looks like they're kind of on a collision course. ... Callum is making his mark, especially headlining his own shows."
Lina Baker/360 Promotions
Callum Walsh and promoter Tom Loeffler celebrate Walsh's unanimous decision victory on Nov. 9 in New York over Ismael Villarreal.