The first Zuffa Boxing event is in the books. Callum Walsh took home a comfortable decision on Friday night in the main event of Zuffa Boxing 01 over Carlos Ocampo at the Meta Apex.
Walsh, 24, moved to 16-0 as a pro with the win despite suffering a questionable flash knockdown in Round 6 when he was caught by a hook that appeared to land to the back of his shoulder. By the rules, the referee was correct to score the knockdown, since a punch did land, even if Walsh's gloves only grazed the canvas as a result of being off balance.
The knockdown was ultimately not an issue, as the Irishman turned things around quickly, taking the next four rounds fairly comfortably despite Ocampo pushing him a bit in the later stages of the fight. Ocampo was also docked a point in Round 9 after repeated low blows throughout the fight.
Walsh was forced to fight off his back foot more with Ocampo pushing the pace, but Walsh countered beautifully each time he was forced to the ropes or corner, landing the more significant punches round after round.
Elsewhere on the card, Misael Rodriguez picked up a strong win over Austin Deanda when the ringside doctor saw something he did not like in Deanda after the fourth round. The biggest win of the night went to Julian Rodriguez, who outpointed Cain Sandoval in a terrific fight as the betting underdog.
CBS Sports will be with you throughout the entire way on Friday with live updates and results throughout the fight card.
No doubt how this one would go on the scorecards beyond questions of how the knockdown would be scored by the official judges. It appears all three gave Ocampo the 10-8 round. But, other than that, it was a near shutout for Walsh, who landed a lot of heavy punches throughout, even if he couldnt stop Ocampo.
In between rounds, Ocampo's corner was begging their fighter to take the fight to Walsh. Walsh landed a big right hook. Walsh then drilled Ocampo with a straight left. Another Ocampo punch landed low but there was not another point deduction. Another few Walsh hooks landed as Ocampo tried to come forward.
Another low blow landed for Ocampo in the early stages of the round, leading to a recovery break for Walsh. Ocampo was deducted a point for his repeated infractions. Walsh landed a hard left hand and another after. A good left to the chin landed for Walsh and a right to the body came right behind it.
Walsh connected with several sweeping hooks in the opening moments of the round. Walsh landed a hard straight left, and then landed it again moments later, but Ocampo continued to absorb the punches well. There's not much intrigue as the rounds tick by. Walsh lands the bigger punches, Ocampo eats them but doesn't fire back often.
Walsh landed a hard right hand after the fighters traded shots to open the round. Walsh landed a good overhand left. Both fighters tried to land two-punch combinations, with neither really connecting. Things have slowed considerably, but Walsh is still in control aside from the strange, fluke knockdown.
Ocampo connected with a few left hooks early. Walsh responded by showcasing the speed and technique that had dominated the fight to that point. Out of nowhere, Ocampo landed a punch and Walsh slipped just enough that his gloves touched the canvas, forcing the referee to call it a knockdown. It wasn't a huge punch or a clean knockdown, but it was a knockdown by the rules.
Ocampo tried to make a little something happen with more forward pressure, but it was still Walsh who was able to pull the trigger first. Walsh has landed a lot of clean punches throughout, but none have seemed to have had much of an effect. Ocampo did land a good right late in the round, but it was just a single punch.
Walsh connected with both hands in the opening seconds of the fight. A sweeping left hook connected after. Ocampo did push Walsh to the ropes and was able to land a few good shots before Walsh slid out. Walsh's shots continued to land seemingly at will, with both hands finding their way to Ocampo's head. Ocampo is showing plenty of heart, taking a lot of clean shots from Walsh.
Walsh came out with a heavy straight left. Ocampo landed a heavy low blow, drawing a "hard warning" from the referee. Walsh landed another sweeping lead right hook. Walsh dug hard to the body. Walsh landed a straight left but the third was a rather slow round until the final seconds.
The pace slowed in the first minute until both men exchanged wide left hands. Walsh appeared to be baiting Ocampo in to open up some counters, and a counter did land well for Walsh. Both men exchanged shots in a flurry but Walsh was the man who connected with the harder shot, ending the flurry with a left hand. Walsh continued to land the more telling blows, starting to mix in his lead right hand a bit more as well.
Walsh landed a big left to the chin and a right later. Another left came for Walsh as he looked to just test Ocampo's chin early. Ocampo was also throwing with some heat, though Walsh's punches were getting there quicker and cleaner. A right landed for Walsh and a short left behind, though Ocampo just missed with a right hand in between those Walsh shots. Walsh cracked with a wind-up left hand.
Callum Walsh -700 vs. Carlos Ocampo +450, middleweights
Walsh was hand-picked to be the main atttraction in this first-ever Zuffa Boxing card and now he has a chance to make a statement against a man in Ocampo who has only lost to elite fighters (Tim Tszyu, Sebastian Fundora and Errol Spence Jr.). Can Walsh put on a performance that shows he operates at that level? We will soon see.
The ringside doctor stepped in to check on Deanda between rounds and moments later the fight was waived off. A very sudden end to the fight, but it was unlikely things were ever going to turn around for Deanda.
More of the same this round. Rodriguez isn't shifting into another gear because Deanda isn't making him, and Deanda is stuck in first gear, so it's just Rodriguez easily working through each round.
After taking a few shots, Deanda started to try and work the jab, though he wasn't sitting down and delivering it with any real intent. After Rodriguez started to land gain, Deanda clinched and received a warning. This appears to be a fight where Rodriguez can do anything he wants because Deanda doesn't really have a gameplan beyond trying to move and occasionally jab.
