The Zuffa Boxing era is officially underway.
Ireland’s Callum Walsh both checked in at a career heaviest weight and was still under the contracted limit for his showdown with Mexico’s Carlos Ocampo. Both boxers were 159.5lbs, just under the full 160lbs limit for their scheduled 10-round middleweight contest.
The bout headlines Zuffa Boxing 01, the company’s launch show which will stream live this Friday on Paramount+ from Meta APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event is part of a long-term deal between the streaming platform Zuffa Boxing, whose sister company UFC officially begins its seven-year deal with Paramount+ this Saturday at nearby T-Mobile Arena.
Walsh, 15-0 (11 KOs), an Irish southpaw who now lives in Southern California, never previously weighed more than 156lbs for a pro contest. That is mainly due to the fact that he has campaigned at the junior middleweight limit since his December 2021 pro debut.
Ocampo, 38-3 (26 KOs), has fought primarily at welterweight and junior middleweight. However, the now 30-year-old former title challenger has officially weighed as heavy as 163.25lbs as recently as last January. He enters the fight having won three in a row since a 1st round knockout loss to Tim Tszyu in their June 2023 WBO interim 154lbs title fight in Australia.
The weight designated for Friday’s main event is in line with Zuffa’s vision to largely recognize just the original eight weight classes, rather than the junior and super divisions as well. It remains to be seen how this – along with its intention to not work with the sanctioning bodies – will affect recent IBF cruiserweight titlist signee Jai Opetaia, whether he will just compete for the Zuffa heavyweight title or if exceptions will be made along the way.
For now, Friday’s show moves forward with eight bouts whose weights all take place at the “traditional eight”.
The co-feature pits unbeaten prospects Misael Rodriguez, 15-0 (7 KOs), and Austin Deanda, 17-0 (11 KOs), also in a scheduled 10-round middleweight contest.
Mexico’s Rodriguez weighed 159lbs, his lightest since July 2022. Virginia’s Deanda checked in at 158.5lbs for what represents by far the biggest step-up in his otherwise club level career.
Opening the three-fight main card, Sacramento’s Cain Sandoval, 17-0 (15 KOs), takes on the resurgent Julian “Hammer Hands” Rodriguez, 24-1 (15 KOs), in a scheduled 10-round welterweight affair.
Sandoval, primarily a junior welterweight before following Walsh and promoter Tom Loeffler into Zuffa’s world, weighed 144.5lbs. New Jersey’s Rodriguez weighed 144lbs for his first fight since an upset, 10th round knockout of Avious Griffin on the Jake Paul-Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr undercard last June 28 in Anaheim, California.
Main card, Paramount+, 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT
Callum Walsh (159.5lbs) vs. Carlos Ocampo (159.5lbs) – 10 rounds, middleweight
Misael Rodriguez (159lbs) vs. Austin Deanda (158.5lbs) – 10 rounds, middleweight
Cain Sandoval (144.5lbs) vs. Julian Rodriguez (144 lbs) – 10 rounds, welterweight
Preliminary undercard, Paramount+, 6:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. PT
Omar Trinidad (125.5lbs) vs. Max Ornelas (125.5lbs) – 10 rounds, featherweight
Floyd Diaz (117.5lbs) vs. Guillermo Gutierrez (116.5lbs) – 8 rounds, bantamweight
Emiliano Cardenas (117.5lbs) vs. Marcus Cortez Harris (117lbs) – 6 rounds, bantamweight
Robert Meriwether III (132lbs) vs. Cesar Correa (133lbs) – 6 rounds, lightweight
Troy Nash (128lbs) vs. Jaycob Ramos (128lbs) – 6 rounds, featherweight
