LAS VEGAS — Undefeated Callum Walsh earned a wide unanimous decision over Carlos Ocampo in the main event of Zuffa Boxing’s inaugural event at the newly renovated Meta Apex.
Walsh (16-0, 11 KOs) got the better of the fight by leading and finishing exchanges with Ocampo while breaking through repeatedly with a lunging left hand. The judges scored the bout 98-90, 98-90 and 97-91.
“I rise to the occasion,” Walsh said. “I take every opportunity given to me, and yeah, a hundred percent the better opponent will bring a better Callum Walsh. I’m up for anything.”
Few jabs were thrown between Walsh and Ocampo as they took turns lunging forward with a volley of power punches. Walsh would land the cleaner punches while Ocampo failed to counter when it seemed that he had openings and allowed his opponent to run away with the fight.
Walsh was comfortably ahead but had to deal with a questionable knockdown called in the sixth round when a cuffing shot on his shoulder knocked him off balance and caused his glove to touch the canvas. That was made up for later by an equally questionable call to dock Ocampo for an accidental low blow in Round 9.
Fighting out of Ensanada, Mexico, Ocampo (38-4, 26 KOs) had fallen short whenever he took a step up in competition, losing to Tim Tszyu, Sebastian Fundora and Errol Spence Jr. Since losing to Tszyu in 2023, Ocampo had rung up three consecutive knockout wins, albeit against lesser opposition in Mexico, before getting the call to fight Walsh.
Walsh, 24, has long been lauded by White for several years, with many of Walsh’s fights featured on UFC Fight Pass before he formally signed with Zuffa Boxing. He was coming off a wide unanimous decision over Fernando Vargas Jr. in the co-main event of the Terence Crawford vs. Canelo Alvarez card in September and felt good about his performance against Ocampo.
“I feel like I’ve improved since the last fight,” Walsh said. “Cardio wise, I felt a lot better. I’m never happy with the performance unless I knock him out. I feel like getting the 10 rounds is good. The opponents are getting tougher and tougher. He’s been in there with the best of them. It was a good experience. It was a good night all round. I’m happy to get the win.”
The clash of middleweights headline White’s highly anticipated entry into the world of boxing. After teasing the launch of a boxing promotion nearly a decade ago, it finally came to fruition last year when White announced that the UFC’s parent company, TKO Group Holdings, would enter the boxing industry under the name Zuffa Boxing in partnership with Sela Sport, with the backing of Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia.
The event was held the night before UFC 324, which will take place a few miles away from the Meta Apex at T-Mobile Arena. UFC fighters, boxers and WWE Superstars were in attendance for Zuffa Boxing’s debut on Paramount+.
