Unbeaten Irish contender Callum Walsh fights former European champion Tyler Denny at the 3Arena in Dublin on Saturday live on Sky Sports. Walsh is aiming to break through into the highest level of the middleweight division. He welcomes the test against a dangerous opponent.
Walsh told Sky Sports that he is ready for anyone in the sport. "I'm ready for anybody. I love to challenge myself. I love to fight," Walsh said. "Just tell me when. That's it."
The 25-year-old is returning to the 3Arena for his first fight in Dublin since knocking out Przemyslaw Runowski in two rounds in 2024. Walsh described that night as one of the best of his life, saying the walkout in front of the crowd was insane. "It looks like there was 20,000 people there and it felt like there was 20,000 people there," Walsh said. "It was crazy. I can't even describe it."
Walsh predicted an electric atmosphere for his return on the Zuffa Boxing 10 card. Danny O'Donoghue from The Script also looked ahead to Walsh's Dublin bout on the bill. The event is headlined by Aaron McKenna against Etinosa Oliha, with McKenna aiming to target Eubank Jr and others after a dream world title fight.
Commercial fishing career in Cork
Before entering professional boxing, Walsh worked on fishing boats as a teenager in Cork. He took the job randomly because he did not want to work indoors. The work required seven-day weeks starting at four o'clock in the morning.
Walsh called it hard work but described it as the best job ever during sunny summer days when he could swim off the boat. However, he noted that the worst part of the profession was the storms.
His daily tasks involved hauling crab and lobster pots onto the deck, rebaiting them, and dropping them back down to be anchored on the sea floor. Walsh explained that stacking the pots incorrectly created severe hazards on deck.
"If you stack them in the wrong order, you're [in trouble]. The whole boat is going to go. Crazy. It's dangerous work," Walsh explained. He added that misplaced ropes could tangle workers and drag them overboard, requiring complete focus even at four or five o'clock in the morning.
Walsh recalled a specific incident where he stacked pots incorrectly and got his leg trapped between the rope and the boat side. The crew quickly put the boat in reverse, allowing him to free his leg before suffering serious injury.
Amateur success and Wild Card gym
Throughout his time working at sea, Walsh built a decorated amateur boxing career, winning medals domestically and internationally. He eventually chose to turn professional and moved to Los Angeles to train at Freddie Roach's famous Wild Card gym.
Roach put Walsh into sparring on his very first day to test his ability. "If you want to train here, you have to spar," Roach told him, asking the young fighter to return the following day. Walsh spent a full year sparring anyone in the gym before making his professional debut.
Walsh explained that Roach takes pride in the Wild Card gym's global reputation for tough sparring. When visitors arrive who do not belong, Roach instructs fighters to show them they should not be there. Walsh stated that he knocked out many sparring partners in the gym, causing many never to return.
Walsh believes combining his extensive amateur background with Roach's aggressive professional style provides the ideal foundation. "Being able to go over to Freddie and learn that aggressive pro style from someone who's had so much experience, I think it's the perfect mixture," Walsh said.
Ahead of his Saturday bout against Denny, Walsh remains confident in his training. "I just believe in my own ability," Walsh said. "I just believe if I've trained and prepared to my best I can beat anybody."
