Dana White and Triple H watch Irish fighter Callum Walsh climb off canvas in dog fight

10/11/2023 12:16

Callum Walsh emerged victorious in a tough fight against Ismael Villarreal with a number of famous faces at ringside.

UFC president Dana White, WWE president Nick Khan and wrestling legend Triple H were all in attendance for Walsh’s latest fight on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Villarreal proved to be a tougher test than Walsh was expecting, as he was dropped in round ten, but still went on to win the fight

Walsh is backed by White, who is slowly moving into the boxing space, with all of the Irishman’s recent fights having been shown on UFC fight pass.

White’s UFC recently merged with the WWE under the umbrella company TKO, meaning he is now working closely with Khan and Triple H.

And the three men got to see a great fight between Walsh and Villarreal, as the Irishman only just hung on to his unbeaten record.

It was a scrappy fight, as Walsh took a headbutt, a low-blow, and he was knocked down in the tenth and final round.

But, Walsh out-landed Villarreal over the course of the contest and came out on top by unanimous decision, much to the delight of his passionate Irish fanbase.

Walsh is tipped for big things and now at 9-0 and with the backing of White and being trained by Freddie Roach, the legendary trainer who previously worked with Manny Pacquiao, he is on the right trajectory.

And Walsh was pleased with his performance against Villarreal, as he said: “I was happy with the fight. I was happy we put on a good, entertaining fight. I was happy that the opponent wanted to fight and wanted to win.

“It was a good 10 rounds. You know, I'm gonna learn a lot from that. I'm only 22 years old and I'm fighting real fights. And he was definitely a real fighter."

As for the knockdown, he explained: “You know, these things happen, you get hit, but I wasn't hurt.

“You know, I think I got caught with maybe a shot and I tripped over, but I don't think I was dropped.

“He landed some good shots – don't get me wrong. But I have a good chin. I was never really hurt at any stage. I was very aware. Even you seen when I got back up, I was fine. So, I think it was more of a punch and I tripped more than a drop."