It has been a long, lonely climb toward recognition for “The Wolf” Conah Walker.
A 16-3-1 (7 KOs) welterweight from Wolverhampton, UK, Walker didn’t come up through glittering arenas or with lucrative promotional deals in hand. He turned professional in 2018 at Walsall Town Hall, a million miles from the bright lights, and spent his early years fighting in leisure centers, clubs and small venues across the Midlands. There was no big contract from one of the leading promoters coming his way, so Walker had to take his opportunities in the away corner.
In 2022, Walker received his first real chance on a televised card, challenging Samuel Antwi for the English title in Cardiff, Wales, live on Sky Sports. He came up just short on the cards that night. A year later, he suffered another narrow defeat, this time to Kane Gardner on Channel 5. But that loss would open the most important door of his career: a call from Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing.
Placed in the away corner again, Walker was expected to provide a solid test – and a safe win – for rising prospect Cyrus Patterson. Instead, Walker tore up the script, dropping Patterson three times before the corner saved the then-unbeaten favorite after eight one-sided rounds.
It was just the beginning of Walker’s journey with Matchroom.
He was then given an opportunity 12 months later to face highly touted Irishman Lewis Crocker. Again, Walker wasn’t supposed to win, and again he refused to follow the script, pushing Crocker to the wire in a fight many felt Walker deserved to edge. Although Crocker walked away with the victory, that would be the final time Walker entered as the opponent.
What followed was a run of decisive wins over Lewis Ritson, Harry Scarff and Liam Taylor, each more polished than the last, culminating in Walker lifting the British welterweight title.
Now, this Saturday in Monaco, the 30-year-old Walker steps in with another Matchroom hopeful – 2020 Olympic silver medallist Pat McCormack. But this time he isn’t the sacrificial opponent. He’s the established titleholder.
“I spoke to Eddie [Hearn] yesterday, just on WhatsApp, and I jokingly said, ‘Look, I'm going to beat one of your golden boys once again,’” Walker told BoxingScene. “And he says, ‘No, you're a golden boy as well.’ Which was humbling for me because, you know, he's only ever brought me in to get beat in the past. But he's on a level playing field here and he hasn't got an agenda. So for me, it's nice to hear that. So, yeah, there's no agenda there, and he might be an Olympic silver medalist, but I'm the British champion. I've done things in the pros. His accolades are in the amateurs, mine are in the pros.”
McCormack turned pro in 2022 after the delayed Tokyo Olympics but has boxed only eight times, with promotional issues and injuries slowing his progress. Saturday’s bout marks his first time fighting three times in a 12-month period since his debut year.
“I think that'll be his downfall,” said Walker of McCormack’s inactivity. “If you look at my BoxRec, you'll see that I've been an active fighter from the day I signed the paperwork to become pro. And win, lose or draw with me, I've gone back to the gym and I've polished the edges. I've learned from the mistakes that I've made in the fight. And I've only ever lost by a point here, a point there, which is, obviously, it's nothing to worry about, in my opinion. Like I say, I was expected to take losses when I started my career – it's because of the way I fight – but I've been learning on the job.”
McCormack is one of Team GB’s most decorated amateurs, but Walker believes the pro game is a different world, and the Olympian still has to learn what he did on his climb through the ranks.
“He's coming in as a polished amateur, but a polished amateur doesn't always make the best pro,” said Walker. “You've got to do things in order to be a good pro. You have to have these tests. You have to have these guys that are going to test you in more ways than just skill. You know, the rough-and-ready guys, the guys that are going to take you the distance, the inside fighters, the outside fighters. So I believe that he hasn't had his apprenticeship. I think it would be a mistake for him to use me as a step up.”
Walker argues that the transition is often mishandled, particularly for fighters who spend years on Team GB.
“A lot of GB fighters stay on the GB squad too long,” said Walker, “and they have to stay around their weight, and they have to do vigorous training three times a day, which in my opinion you don't have to do. There's also the aspect of when you're a decorated amateur, you're expected to jump because you are so good. But what you're doing there is you're jumping valuable lessons that you need to push on. … That's what I believe will give me the beating of Pat.”
Some might say that the atmosphere – or lack of it – that the locals of Monte Carlo, Monaco, will generate may suit McCormack, who spent much of his amateur career boxing around the world in front of small crowds. However, Walker insists that the venue won’t be quiet with his West Midlands crowd around.
“I've got a hundred-odd coming over and they're not the bunch to sit down and be quiet,” he joked. “So the energy in there is going to be electric. I'm fully backing my lot to be the loudest and the proudest, as always. It's going to be something new to Monaco, because they're going to have my army. They're going to have Johnny Fisher's army, and I know Shabaz [Masoud] and [Peter] McGrail will bring a few. Yeah, I don't think you've got to worry about the atmosphere.”
Though Walker holds the British title, it won’t be on the line in Monaco. Instead, he’s chasing something bigger. McCormack is highly ranked across the governing bodies, and a win would propel Walker toward world level.
“I'll get the win first and then we'll talk about that, but it's massive,” he said. “I'm a young lad who's come from nothing, I started at 18, which is late, and I've done things that people said I can't. So let me get that win – which I will – and then we can discuss what's next.
“But I believe I can win a world title.”
From leisure centers to Monte Carlo, from opponent to British titlist, Walker has made a habit of defying expectations. Few believed he would rise this far. Fewer still believe he can climb higher.
But on Saturday night, Walker intends to prove – once again – that the doubters are just fuel for the fire.
Tom Ivers is an amateur boxer who has a master’s degree in sports journalism. He had his first bout in 2013, joined BoxingScene in 2024 and is now a key part of the UK and social media teams.
