Fast-Rising Irish prospect ‘King’ Callum Walsh (5-0, 4 KOs), of Cork, Ireland, will face Spain’s Leonardo Di Stefano Ruiz, (10-1, 9 KOs), in his Boston debut on the Eve of St. Patrick’s Day, Thursday, March 16. The event will be hosted at the Agganis Arena on the campus of Boston University and broadcast live globally on UFC FIGHT PASS (10:00 p.m. PT / 7:00 p.m. PT).

The 10-round junior middleweight clash headlines ‘Hollywood Fight Nights – Boston: Walsh vs. Ruiz’ presented by Tom Loeffler’s 360 Promotions. Advance tickets priced at $200, $150, $100, $50 and $25 for the live event will go on-sale Monday, February 6 and can be purchased at www.AgganisArena.com. Student tickets priced at $25 can be purchased at the Agganis Arena Box Office with valid student ID.

Guided by Boston Hometown Heroes; UFC President Dana White, who specifically chose the 21-year-old Walsh to be featured prominently on UFC FIGHT PASS, and Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach, the hard-hitting Walsh has cultivated a massive Irish following on both sides of the pond. All five of his professional fights have produced sold-out, celebrity-filled crowds in his adopted hometown of Los Angeles. Prior to turning pro, Walsh was a six-time national Irish champion and European gold medalist.

Said Callum Walsh, “I’m honored to be fighting in Freddie’s hometown and in front of the huge Irish community in Boston, the night before St. Patrick’s Day. We’re deep in training camp at Wild Card Boxing Gym and I look forward to putting on a great show for fight fans on Thursday, March 16 at the Agganis Arena and live on UFC FIGHT PASS.”

Callum Walsh works mitts with Freddie Roaach. Photo by Brandon Rivas

“I am so happy for Callum. Fighting in Boston was always special for me, as a fighter and a trainer. Nothing compares to it. Now Callum will experience that excitement. Even better, he will be headlining an event the night before St. Patrick’s Day. That’s the boxing equivalent of winning the Irish Sweepstakes. It’s been five years since I’ve been in Boston. This will be one heck of a homecoming.” said Freddie Roach.

Said the upset minded Leonardo Di Stefano Ruiz, “I want to thank Callum Walsh and 360 Promotions for accepting the fight on UFC Fight Pass. It is a huge opportunity at this stage in my career because on March 16th in Boston, Walsh will definitely need the LUCK OF THE IRISH. I hope he brings his four-leaf clovers with him, because I am going to hit him with a force of a hundred drunken Irishmen. March 16th in Boston I will end his short reign.”

“Having promoted heavyweight world champions Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko along with longtime middleweight world champion Gennadiy ‘GGG’ Golovkin, I know the importance of building a fighter organically in front of true boxing fans. This was the main reason to bring Callum to Boston and its strong Irish community,” said Tom Loeffler. “Callum has all the attributes to become a world champion and we’re very excited to work with the Agganis Arena at Boston University for what will be a very special St. Patrick’s Celebration.”

Stated Kris Brassil, General Manager of the Agganis Arena, “We are excited to host big time boxing again at the Agganis Arena and to have Callum Walsh and his legendary trainer Freddie Roach here. This should be a great main event versus Leonardo di Stefano Ruiz in addition to having many local Boston fighters on the show.”

In Walsh’s most recent fight he stopped previously once-beaten Delen Parsley (13-1), on November 3, 2022, dropping the battle-tested veteran three times before earning the stoppage in round three.

Currently residing in Southern California, the upset minded and hard-hitting Di Stefano Ruiz has aggressively sought out Callum Walsh and will have his opportunity now to fight him on March 16.

Much more information on ‘Hollywood Fight Nights – Boston: Walsh vs. Ruiz’ will be announced shortly.