For a country that has a population smaller than London, Ireland has produced some truly elite boxers and combat sport champions over the years, as well as iconic trainers who have tutored many boxing greats, and portrayed on the big screen by some of the most recognizable Irish actors of their era. There’s always a market for Irish stars to take their skillsets to the UK as well as across the pond and face off against some of the best in the world.
The two gentlemen we’re discussing today have done just that. Callum Walsh and Aaron McKenna are two of the brightest prospects that Irish boxing has produced in a generation, and with just one weight class currently separating these two lads, could we potentially have an all-Irish mega showdown on the cards at some point in the next few years?
Mapping the Irish influence
You don’t have to dig too deep beneath the surface to find the extensive influence of Ireland throughout the world of sports and entertainment. While McKenna and Walsh have moved their HQ over to the States, they are very much Irish fighters with a staunch Irish following.
It’s a market that unveils its global appeal in the most unexpected places, and as the presence of the online betting market helps to amplify the noise surrounding many of these boxing matches, we’ve seen more markets open up to the idea of the big Irish showdown.
Irish influence is deeply rooted in the world of betting, particularly when it comes to combat sports, where Irish fighters have long attracted strong interest from punters around the world. As online sports betting continues to grow, platforms like Ozoon are helping to bring fans closer to major boxing matchups by offering dedicated markets on rising stars, future title contenders, and potential grudge fights. With Irish names consistently drawing attention in the betting markets, bouts involving fighters like Walsh and McKenna naturally generate early speculation, odds movement, and debate long before contracts are ever signed.
However, with this big bout bubbling beneath the surface, do the bookies think it’ll get made, and who do they give the edge to at this early juncture?
Making it big in the States
Callum and Aaron aren’t the first Irish boxers to relocate to the US, nor will they be the last. Many in the industry believe that moving to the US, as long as they are moving to the right stable and with the right trainer, will be a beneficial move. The sparring is better, there are more cards they can fight on, and the global exposure is an entirely different level than fighting on Irish cards.
For instance, Callum’s last outing was on the undercard of the Canelo vs Crawford megafight, which aired on Netflix and attracted an audience of 40 million. As the co-main, it done wonders for Callum’s profile, but critics would argue that he is yet to face off against a genuinely world-class opponent in the 154 division, whereas the same cannot be said for his Irish counterpart, and potential future rival, Aaron McKenna.
The acid test
Many in the boxing world have proclaimed that Aaron McKenna’s one-sided win against former world champion Liam Smith was a big breakout win on the undercard of the Benn vs Eubank bonanza. This win showcases he has what it takes to mix it with the biggest and best names at 160 pounds.
Some believe Smith is damaged goods, a once-solid world-level fighter who put in a dismal display against Chris Eubank Jr. In any event, the dominant 12-round drubbing that McKenna dished out has undoubtedly got the boxing world on notice.
It puts him within a whisker of a major world title challenge, and with middleweight one of the most open divisions in the sport at the moment, it’s not outside the realms of possibility that the Monaghan man could get his hands on a belt.
A big fight on the cards?
Although Walsh is currently competing at 154, he has signed with Dana White’s new promotional outfit, Zuffa Boxing, headlining the promotion's very first US show. This has led to exposure on some of the biggest cards of the decade so far, and a direct line to an American audience on Paramount+.
Walsh is likely to step up to middleweight at some stage. If McKenna can get his hands on a title, or maybe even more than one title, and Walsh can dispatch one or two world-level fighters at 154, then this is a fight that could do huge numbers in Ireland between now and the end of the decade.
However, as is often the case in boxing, it can be hard to predict fighters' trajectories, and one or two bad performances could scupper this huge multi-million-euro showdown.