Callum Walsh vs. Fernando Vargas Jr. | NETFLIX - September 13, 2015

[Ruthless-RKO]

CHRISTIAN MBILLI VS. LESTER MARTINEZ, CALLUM WALSH-FERNANDO VARGAS JR. ADDED TO CANELO-CRAWFORD UNDERCARD

The undisputed super middleweight title fight between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford will feature a terrific clash between surging and unbeaten knockout artists when Christian Mbilli and Lester Martinez slug it out in a matchup that carries significant stakes in the division.

Mbilli (29-0, 24 KOs) vs. Martinez (19-0, 16 KOs) was identified as a flagship fight earlier this summer, and now they will star on one of the most anticipated events of the year when they square off Sept. 13 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Netflix.

With a strong showing, the winner should emerge to be on the shortlist of opponents to face the winner of Canelo-Crawford in the future.

Mbilli is coming off a masterful first-round knockout victory against Maciej Sulecki in June to win the WBC 168-pound interim title. Before the fight, Turki Alalshikh expressed his desire and intent to feature Mbilli on the Canelo-Crawford card.

Martinez, meanwhile, must remain healthy. The 29-year-old from Guatemala has a recent history of health issues that have forced him to abruptly pull out of fights.

Last month, Martinez withdrew from his fight against Pierre Hubert Dibombe five days before the matchup because of migraines.

In September 2024, Martinez successfully weighed in for his fight against Joeshon James but pulled out soon afterward with an illness. The fight was rescheduled for February, but Martinez pulled out of the bout once again during fight week with an illness.

Martinez finally fought James in March and scored a fourth-round knockout. It was his most recent fight, and he has fought twice each of the past two years.

Martinez, who is coached by Crawford’s trainer Brian McIntyre, is not ranked by The Ring in the top 10 but is very much a threat to the Cameroonian French-Canadian. Martinez is rated No. 3 (WBA), No. 7 (WBC) and No. 15 (IBF).

Mbilli is The Ring’s No. 1 fighter at 168 pounds.

In the co-main event slot, unbeaten Callum Walsh will take on Fernando Vargas Jr. in a 10-round junior middleweight bout. The Irishman has impressed throughout his 13-fight career, scoring 11 knockouts since turning pro in 2021. He's promoted by Tom Loeffler's 360 Promotions and hopes to be a main fixture of TKO Group's Zuffa Boxing over the coming years.

Elsewhere on the card, Mohammed Alakel will face John Ornelas over six rounds at lightweight.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Callum Walsh-Fernando Vargas Jnr set as co-main to Canelo Alvarez-Terence Crawford

Callum Walsh has been teased as the potential face of upstart promotional outfit Zuffa Boxing.

A grander stage could not be provided for his first step towards living up to those expectations.

The wildly popular junior middleweight contender has landed a premium slot as the co-feature to the highly anticipated Saul “Canelo” Alvarez-Terence “Bud” Crawford superfight on September 13. Ireland’s Walsh will face second-generation boxer Fernando Vargas Jnr in a scheduled 10-round contest.

Both fights will air live on Netflix from Allegiant Stadium, home to the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders, as the first-ever boxing event to take place at the venue.

Walsh has already emerged as the most prominent fighter on 360 Promotions’ Hollywood Fight Night series on UFC Fight Pass, headed up by his career long promoter, Tom Loeffler.

The 24-year-old southpaw from Cork, Ireland made his pro debut in December 2021, a few months after relocating to California to train out of Hollywood under Hall of Fame cornerman Freddie Roach. All but one of his 14 pro bouts have taken place in the U.S., where he has become a reliable ticket seller both in California and New York.

His lone fight abroad actually took place at home, a second-round knockout of Przemyslaw Runowski last September 20 in Dublin. Two wins have followed, including a technical unanimous decision over veteran spoiler Elias Espadas on June 21 in Santa Ynez, California.

The victory ran Walsh’s record to 14-0 (11 KOs) on the night. His simple message ahead of this fight is to add one more to the win column.

“It’s showtime,” Walsh said in response to the biggest news of his career to date. “15-0.”

Naturally, his well known opponent has something to say about that.

Vargas, 17-0 (15 KOs), takes an overdue step up in competition in accepting this assignment.

The namesake of former two-time titlist Fernando Vargas Snr is the oldest of three fighting brothers in the pro ranks, all of whom hail from Oxnard, California but now live in Vegas. Emiliano Vargas, 15-0 (13 KOs), 21, is one of the sport’s fastest rising talents, while 25-year-old Amado Vargas, 13-0 (6 KOs) remains more of an influencer than a promising prospect.

Fernando Jnr is squarely in the middle of the two, though he’s effortlessly handled any challenge put in front of him to date. He’s yet to be taken beyond the sixth round through nearly five years as a pro and now has the chance to prove that he’s more than just a familiar name.

“In five weeks, I make the doubters believers,” vowed Vargas.

News of Walsh-Vargas was revealed by boxing financier Turki Alalshikh – head of Riyadh Season and the driving force behind the show – in an announcement via social media revealing the full streamed undercard.

As previously reported by Boxing Scene, the show will also include a super middleweight fight between unbeaten WBC interim titlist Christian Mbilli and undefeated contender Lester Martinez. The undercard will also include Riyadh-born lightweight prospect Mohammed Alakel, 4-0 (0 KOs), who will face San Diego’s John Ornelas, 5-2-1 (2 KOs).

Alakel is currently scheduled to face Yumnan Santosh Singh this weekend in Riyadh, where the entirety of his young career has taken place since turning pro last October. In the event of an injury-free performance on Saturday, he will then make his U.S. debut on this show.

[MPW]

This one could be interesting. Walsh looked massive in his destruction of Sutherland, while Vargas Jr. looked solid in stopping Coria.

I'm leaning toward Walsh, but we'll see who takes the next step.