Walsh wins on Zuffa Boxing opening night
Ireland's Callum Walsh beat Carlos Ocampo on points to kick off Dana White's Zuffa Boxing in Las Vegas on Friday.
It was a low-key opening night for a promotion that may well have a significant impact on boxing in the US and how it operates.
Walsh, who was boxing on UFC Fight Pass before signing with Zuffa Boxing which is headed by UFC president White, was tasked with delivering a knockout start but struggled to find his flow against a resilient Ocampo.
It was a steady performance, even though the Cork man was adjudged to have been knocked down in the sixth round following what appeared to be a loss of balance rather than a genuine flooring.
Walsh landed repeatedly with his left hook throughout the 10 rounds, but never seemed to put a dent in the 30-year-old Mexican.
"I'm never happy with the performance unless I get a knockout," said Walsh, whose record is now 16-0.
All three judges awarded Walsh a wide decision – 98-90, 98-90 and 97-91.
But at 24, Walsh is still learning his trade and now he finds himself at the centre of a boxing promotion also finding its feet in the sport.
The newly renamed Meta Apex hosted the event, open only to VIPs, media and some of TKO's – owners of the UFC and WWE – biggest hitters.
At ringside, White was joined by UFC chief Hunter Campbell, WWE president Nick Khan and respected promoter Tom Loeffler, who is the vice president of boxing operations of Zuffa Boxing.
UFC legend Nate Diaz and American comic Theo Von were also in attendance, along with UFC star Alex Pereira and Zuffa Boxing's big-name signing and crusierweight world champion Jai Opetaia.
The 500-seater venue was intimate but lacked the buzz of a small hall event with seemingly much of those in attendance there by invite.
Much of the noise was coming from Ocampo's corner, although Walsh's best shots drew loud cheers.
But it would be foolish to even consider writing off Zuffa Boxing as a big player in boxing after one event.
White and the Ferrita brothers built a $ 4bn (£2.93bn) empire with the UFC and Zuffa Boxing appears set to follow a version of that model.
Walsh and Ocampo both wore Zuffa-branded apparel, but fighters are permitted to wear whatever gloves or shoes they like.
Ocampo wore Zuffa gloves, but Walsh opted for his usual gloves and shoes.
The fight card moved at pace with majority of bouts competitive, and the ringwalks clocked in at under a minute as the boxers made the short walk from backstage to the ring.
Fight bonuses of £37,000 were handed out and three of the eight fights featured undefeated fighters matched together, which Loeffler says that will be a hallmark of Zuffa Boxing.
"The great thing about Zuffa Boxing is if you have a loss on your resume but you're an exciting fighter who put on a good show for the fans, you're going to be right back on two, three months later just like in the UFC structure," he told BBC Sport.
"Fighters aren't going to be afraid to take a competitive fight because they know they're not going to be cut from the roster."
In many ways, the Meta Apex – the home of the UFC and its performance institute – is a fitting starting point for Zuffa Boxing as White aims to build it out of the same framework as the MMA promotion.
But there are no plans to make the Meta Apex the permanent home of Zuffa Boxing.
"The first few shows will be here and then we'll go on the road," Loeffler said.
Once the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act passes through Congress into law, Zuffa will be able to operate as it prefers, crowning its own world champions.
The prospect has made seemingly every major player in boxing take notice – including a pessimistic Eddie Hearn – and driven some like sanctioning body the WBC to publicly label White and Zuffa Boxing as "bullies" and "aggressive".
But Loeffler, who helped populate the first Zuffa event with fighters signed to his 360 Promotions, is envisioning the promotion having a transformative effect on boxing.
"What's different about Zuffa Boxing is the energy that Dana White is bringing, all of his experience and success with building the UFC," he said.
"You combine that with Nick Khan and all the success he's had with WWE. You put those two powerhouses together [and ] it's really going to revitalise and rejuvenate the sport."
