The Fastest Rising Star in Boxing, ‘King’ Callum Walsh, (8-0, 7 KOs), of Cork, Ireland kept up his torrid pace of media obligations the day before his Madison Square Garden debut holding court with the UFC media on Wednesday afternoon. Joining Walsh at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square to speak with the media was his opposition on Thursday night, Ismael ‘The Beast’ Villarreal, (13-1, 9 KOs), of the Bronx, NY.
Below are quotes from the participants;
‘King’ Callum Walsh
‘Every fight is getting bigger and bigger. I’m knocking people out and the opponents haven’t been giving me tough fights. So, the fights have to be bigger and better. This is going to be another test to see how good I am.”
“Dana White only gets behind real fighters and that’s what I’m here to prove, that I’m a real fighter. I never turn down an opponent or a fight. I fight whoever they put in front of me and try to prove myself.”
“I know Villarreal’s not going to want to lose here in his hometown. He’s young and he’s hungry for victory, he’s had one loss and that was controversial. But I’m ready to show New York that I’m here to stay. This has been my best camp, I feel very strong and very fit.”
“I don’t think far ahead, just think one fight at a time and keep winning. There’s no pressure for me, just go out there and win the fight.”
“There’s going to be a lot of Irish in the crowd tomorrow night and a lot of fans for Villarreal as well. I could see it 50/50 in the crowd but the Irish will be loud.”
Ismael ‘The Beast’ Villarreal
“I’m clearly the underdog in the minds of many, but I’m here to showcase my skills and be victorious tomorrow night.”
“I love all the publicity and media attention this fight has gotten.”
“I can box and I can brawl and I’m prepared for both tomorrow night. Most people know me as a pressure fighter pushing the pace of the fight.”
“I can see why the hype is so big for him; strong, young and Irish kid. I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a split crowd tomorrow night, New York is a very diverse city.”
Walsh vs. Villarreal, the ten-round super welterweight main event is promoted by Tom Loeffler’s 360 Promotions in The Theater at Madison Square Garden and will be broadcast live globally on UFC FIGHT PASS. Walsh will be making the second defense of his WBC US Silver Super Welterweight Title headlining the seven-bout card.
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Fighting in the lightweight division, Knockout Machine Cain Sandoval, (10-0, 10 KOs), of Sacramento, CA faces Brooklyn’s Battle-Tested Wesley ‘El Bongocero’ Ferrer, (17-1-1, 8 KOs), in a scheduled eight-rounder.
Fighting in an eight-round light heavyweight battle, Undefeated Powerhouse Umar Dzambekov, (7-0, 5 KOs), of Los Angeles, CA faces Brooklyn, NY based, Hard-Hitting Frederic ‘The French Revolution’ Julan, (13-2, 10 KOs).
Undefeated Welterweight Crusher Gor Yeritsyan, (16-0, 14 KOs), of Yerevan, Armenia, will battle Luis Alberto ‘Lucho’ Veron, (20-7-2, 9 KOs), of Buenos Aires, Argentina in an eight-round clash.
New York City’s Brian Ceballo, (15-1, 7 KOs) faces Kenneth McNeil, (13-4, 10 KOs), of Birmingham, AL in an eight round super welterweight bout.
Omar Trinidad, (13-0-1, 9 KOs), of Los Angeles, CA clashes with Andrew Bentley, (5-7, 1 KO), of Irvington, New Jersey in an eight-round featherweight contest.
Opening the Hollywood Fight Nights event in the super featherweight division, Feargal McCrory, (14-0, 7 KOs), of Coalisland, Ireland battles Nikolai Buzolin, (9-6-1, 5 KOs), of New York, NY.
Remaining tickets for the Hollywood Fight Nights event priced at $205, $155, $105, $55, and $35 can be purchased online at www.msg.com or at the Madison Square Garden box office and via Ticketmaster locations. Accessible and companion seats are available via the Accessibility Department at 888.609.7599.