Walsh set the tone early. He was quicker to the spot and sharper with his punches. His footwork spun Ocampo, and his southpaw left hand landed cleanly from the opening round. The Irish fighter controlled distance and pace and piled on rounds without taking much return fire. Ocampo tried to push forward but struggled to cut the ring or get his offense going.
The only real upset came in the sixth round. Walsh went down after an odd sequence that appeared to involve upper body contact rather than a clean takedown. The referee called it a knockdown, turning the round into a rare swing on the cards. It briefly injected life into a fight that was drifting to one side. Walsh later admitted it forced him to reset and focus.
That moment did not change the overall direction. From the seventh round Walsh reasserted control. He went back to working combinations, mixing in body shots and using volume to keep Ocampo on the defensive. Ocampo showed toughness and durability, absorbing heavy shots without going down, but he couldn’t build sustained offense or close the gap consistently.
The performance was skilled rather than explosive. Walsh has built a reputation on knockouts, and this fight never moved in that direction after the early rounds. Still, it was a clear step in terms of composure and rounded driving. Against a seasoned opponent who had only been stopped once before, Walsh remained disciplined and avoided mistakes.
Workmanlike could be seen as code for a painfully boring performance by Walsh, who put in the same lackluster effort he showed in his previous contest last September. Dana White has to second guess his decision to sign Callum to his Zuffa Boxing stable as he hasn’t shown that spark he needs to not embarrass the company with his performances.
The bout capped off a debut night for Zuffa Boxing that produced some surprises on the undercard and plenty of curiosity about what comes next. Walsh remains one of the promotion’s central figures as it finds its footing.
