After back-to-back fights at New York’s Madison Square Garden, Los Angeles-based “King” Callum Walsh makes his first ring appearance in California this year with a risky WBC Continental Americas super welterweight title defense against Mexican knockout artist Carlos Ortiz on June 7. They are scheduled to go 10 rounds at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez.
UFC FIGHT PASS, the world’s leading digital subscription service for combat sports, will broadcast the card globally.
A Cork transplant, the world ranked-Walsh is regarded by many as the fastest rising star in boxing. He’s 23-year-old with a 10-0 [8 KO] ledger but in Ortiz faces a 14-5 banger out of Torreon who’s won all his fights by knockout.
“Callum has proven to be the most popular fighter in New York City over the last six months with his two tremendous victories in front of huge crowds at The Mecca of Boxing,” said Tom Loeffler, whose 360 Promotions backs Walsh and is presenting the card. “Returning to the ring in Southern California for the first time in ten months against upset minded Carlos Ortiz provides another tough challenge as he continues to rise in the world rankings.”
Walsh is currently ranked #14 by the WBC and #13 by the IBF.
Trained by Hall of Famer Freddie Roach, Walsh returns to action following a dominant ten-round unanimous decision points over Kazak veteran Dauren Yeleussinov on March 15 in The Theater at Madison Square Garden. The victory headlined a huge St. Patrick’s Day weekend event in New York City. Four months earlier at the famous arena, the hard-hitting Walsh, a southpaw, had bested the game Ismael Villarreal – out of the Bronx -- also via a 10 round unanimous decision.
In his last California appearance on August 26, 2023, Walsh stopped Juan Jose Velasco after four rounds at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles.
Carlos Ortiz has won his last three fights, two by first round knockouts. Fighting at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA on June 11, 2022, he knocked out previously undefeated top prospect Evan Anthony Sanchez, [11-0] in the fifth round. Most recently he stopped Brian Mora Munoz in the first stanza on October 28, 2023.
MILLION DOLLAR SHOT
Middleweight Aaron “The Silencer” McKenna gets a shot at a million dollar payday when he meets Puerto Rican Jeovanny Estela in a battle of undefeated prospects in the revived “Prizefighter” series in Japan on July 15. The card will be shown live on DAZN (excluding Asia).
Also based in Los Angeles, the County Monaghan native is 18-0 with nine KOs. Estela, at age 23 is a year younger than “The Silencer,” is 14-0 [5 KOs].
The McKenna-Estela scrap is one of four quarterfinal bouts [all middleweight] in the Prizefighter tournament scheduled for Osaka’s Yamato Arena.
The other bouts pit hard punching hometown favorite Kuzuto Takesako [16-2-1, 15 KOs] against Britain’s Mark Dickinson [6-0, 2 KOs]. Also, Riku Kunimoto [11-1, 5 KOs] squares off with arch-rival Eiki Kani [8-4-3, 4 KOs] for the Japanese middleweight title. And Britain’s reigning WBA Inter-Continental 160-pound titlist Kieron Conway (20-3-1, 5 KOs] faces China’s Ainiwaer Yilixiati [19-1, 14 KOs].
The four winners advance to the semi-finals with the ultimate winner bagging $1million.
“We are thrilled at the return of Prizefighter,” said Matchroom Boxing CEO, Frank Smith. "The reaction so far has been brilliant. It is an exciting line-up of middleweight fighters from all around the world. With the winner taking home $1million, it really is a life-changing opportunity for these fighters. May the best man win.”
