The boxer Dana White wants to build into a superstar will headline Zuffa Boxing’s debut on Paramount+.
White announced during an appearance on Stephen A. Smith’s radio show Friday night that
Callum Walsh will face Mexican veteran
Carlos Ocampo in the main event of a card Paramount+ will stream January 23 from UFC Apex, the company’s performance and events complex in Las Vegas.
Ireland’s Walsh (15-0, 11 KOs) will be significantly favored to beat Ocampo (38-3, 26 KOs), who has been knocked out in the first round by former champs
Errol Spence and
Tim Tszyu. The 30-year-old Ocampo’s other defeat came by unanimous decision against
Sebastian Fundora, who went on to become a unified 154-pound champ.
Walsh, 24, is trained by International Boxing Hall of Famer Freddie Roach. The developing southpaw has faced a much lower level of opposition than Ocampo, but he beat previously undefeated
Fernando Vargas Jr. (17-1, 15 KOs) by unanimous decision in a 10-round bout on the
Canelo Alvarez-Terence Crawford undercard September 13 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
White showcased Walsh on several events streamed by UFC Fight Pass prior to the launch of Zuffa Boxing.
The Zuffa Boxing card topped by Walsh-Ocampo will be the first of at least monthly Zuffa Boxing shows on Paramount+ in 2026. A second card is expected to be streamed January 30, though it hasn’t been announced.
Paramount+ and CBS are also the new streaming and broadcast partners of UFC, which will stream its first event, UFC 324, on Paramount+ on January 24 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The companies announced a seven-year deal in August, which will pay UFC a total of $7.7 billion.
Zuffa Boxing was formed by TKO and Sela, an entertainment conglomerate. The company’s leadership includes White, president and CEO of UFC, Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority and owner of The Ring, Sela managing director and CEO Dr. Rakan AlHarthy and WWE president Nick Khan, who is a TKO board member as well.