‘They don’t tell me much’ – Callum Walsh opens up on trusting Dana White ahead of Zuffa Boxing 1

Callum Walsh is the face of Dana White’s first boxing show.

But even the man headlining Zuffa Boxing 1 isn’t entirely sure where the promotion’s future lies.

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Zuffa Boxing was founded by UFC president White in 2025 with the backing of Saudi Arabia’s rich finances.

Its first-ever main event was announced almost off the cuff when White appeared on Stephen A. Smith’s radio show earlier this month, sparking debate among fans about the long-term direction of the promotion.

Questions have already been raised over how Zuffa Boxing will operate, particularly following the signing of Jai Opetaia.

Opetaia has clear plans to chase unification fights as the IBF lineal cruiserweight champion, but White has said Zuffa Boxing will have its own world titles.

As things stand, it leaves the promotion in somewhat of a grey area, but for Walsh, the unknown is simply part of his journey and one he is more than comfortable embracing.

Callum Walsh trusts UFC-style model in Zuffa Boxing

“I’m the same as everybody else,” Walsh told talkSPORT.com.

“This is Zuffa Boxing, nobody really knows how big it’s going to go.

“Nobody really knows what else they’re going to do. All I know is I’m fighting soon and that’s it — they don’t really tell me much else.”

Walsh faces Carlos Ocampo at super-welterweight in the main event of Zuffa Boxing 1 on Friday night.

The pair will come to blows at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas as part of a stacked weekend for White, which concludes with Justin Gaethje‘ vs Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324.

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Getty Images - Getty

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In his last outing, Walsh claimed a unanimous decision win over Fernando Vargas in the co-main event to Terence Crawford‘s historic win over Canelo Alvarez last September.

While the Irishman wasn’t happy with his performance, he highlighted the valuable experience gained by sharing a card with two legendary fighters and competing in front of more than 70,000 fans.

Walsh described the Canelo-Crawford blockbuster as a ‘step in the right direction’ for White and Zuffa Boxing’s Saudi partner, Turki Alalshikh.

He said that having someone like White involved will make sure good fights happen and there’s no ‘picking and choosing,’ insisting, based on the success of his UFC model, that his boss will make boxing make sense again.

“There’ll be no like, ‘Oh, you lose this fight, you’re thrown to the back of the line,’” Walsh continued.

“You see it in the UFC — some champions have five or six losses. It gives fighters more opportunity, drive, I suppose, even if you lose a fight.”

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Walsh trains with Manny Pacquiao‘s legendary coach, Freddie Roach, and has been guided by White for several years now.

Despite headlining the promotion’s first card, he doesn’t expect special treatment going forward.

“I think they’ll still want to throw me in the deep end and see what I can really do,” he said.

For Walsh, that begins on Friday with Ocampo, who is 38-3 and has more career knockouts (26) than Walsh has fights.

“It’s an unbelievable opportunity,” Walsh added.

“There’s only going to be one first. I’ll be the first ever main event for Zuffa Boxing, which is unbelievable.

“When you look back on the UFC, and you see the first fighters that were in the UFC and where that is now, how far Dana has taken that — to be the first main event for Zuffa Boxing, it’s something that will go down in history.

“It’s something that people will look back on in years to come and be like, ‘This was the beginning of like a new era of boxing.’ 

“So I’m really looking forward to it, I’m really grateful to get the opportunity, I’m looking forward to just going in there and performing.”

Walsh tipped the scales on Thursday at a career-high 159.5lbs, matching Ocampo exactly ahead of their 10-round main event clash.

All eyes will be on both super-welterweights when they step into the ring on Friday night, including Conor McGregor, who Walsh has admitted was an inspiration for him growing up.

“Super excited for the inaugural Zuffa Boxing card headlined by Irish heavy hitter Callum Walsh!” McGregor wrote on X on Friday.

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“Let’s go Callum!”

Walsh has discussed how much it means to represent his country on the biggest stage and will no doubt be hoping to deliver a statement at Zuffa Boxing 1.