RISING IRISH BOXING star Callum Walsh earned the most impressive victory of his young career on Sunday night, knocking out Scotland’s Dean Sutherland in the first round of their main event at Madison Square Garden, New York.

Walsh, the Los Angeles-based Cork light-middleweight, folded Sutherland with 20 seconds remaining in the opening verse to improve his record to 13-0, 11KOs.

Aberdeen’s Sutherland, who brought with him to the ring a record of 19-1(7KOs), was supposed to be a step up in quality for Walsh, but he was instead added to the Cobh native’s growing highlight reel.

The Scotsman appeared to be momentarily knocked out cold, with Walsh kneeling in his corner when he noticed his opponent’s condition, but Sutherland was thankfully responsive and on his feet as he was checked by the ringside doctor shortly afterwards.

Callum Walsh destroys Scotland’s Dean Sutherland (previously 19-1, 7KOs) in the first round of their Madison Square Garden headliner.

Savagery by the Cork man, who improves to 13-0 (11KOs) with a highlight-reel finish. pic.twitter.com/a6bvUHaE2x

— Gavan Casey (@GavanCasey) March 17, 2025

The 24-year-old Walsh is trained by Hall of Famer Freddie Roach in Hollywood and, while he is promoted by the highly regarded Tom Loeffler (the man who brought the Klitschko brothers and Gennady Golovkin to the masses), he is equally a passion project for UFC president Dana White.

Headlining live on the UFC Fight Pass streaming platform at Madison Square Garden’s ‘Theater’ venue for the second straight St Patrick’s weekend, Walsh was in devastating form as he detonated heavy shots on Sutherland off either hand from first bell.

The finish felt inevitable but was spectacular enough to turn more heads towards Walsh, who is already the second most-followed Irish boxer on social media after Katie Taylor.

UFC president White, who recently launched his own boxing venture in partnership with Saudi Arabia, commended Walsh from his ringside vantage point, describing his performance as “beautiful”.

Beautiful KO from Callum Walsh 👇💤 #WalshSutherland pic.twitter.com/MfgXLocjRJ

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) March 17, 2025

“I’m feeling very good,” Walsh said afterwards. “Dean Sutherland was a great opponent, very respectful all week. His team: unbelievable. They made this fight week very good.

“I knew coming into this fight that he was going to be dangerous but I’m getting older, I’m getting stronger, and that was my best performance so far against my best opponent.

“I was born for this. I’m destined to be the best fighter in the world. I’m getting stronger and stronger and I’m showing it each time. And I’m looking forward to the future.”

On Walsh’s undercard on Sunday night, Tyrone’s former world-title challenger ‘Fearless’ Feargal McCrory (now 17-1, 9KOs) roared back into the frame at super-featherweight as he climbed off the canvas to earn an eighth-round stoppage of dangerous American Keenan Carbajal (now 25-5-1, 17KOs).

The New York-based McCrory had himself been stopped in the eighth during his previous outing last June, a world-title challenge of beltholder Lamont Roach who went on to draw with pound-for-pound star Gervonta Davis earlier this month.

Coalisland native McCrory was well on top of Carbajal early but was caught by a missile of a right hand off the ropes which blew him backwards onto the canvas in the fourth.

HE DROPPED 'EM 🥊#WalshSutherland | LIVE on @UFCFightPass pic.twitter.com/xA1FrvCx4D

— UFC (@ufc) March 16, 2025

The 31-year-old McCrory, who these days lives in Brooklyn, was roared off the floor by around 5,000 MSG attendees and almost immediately regained control of the contest.

His relentless pressure and nifty left hook combined to overwhelm Carbajal to the floor in both the seventh and eighth rounds, with referee Arthur Mercante Jr eventually waving off the bout such was the physical punishment being dished out by the Irishman in the latter instance.

McCrory gets him out! #WalshSutherland pic.twitter.com/vaVhpyjCjZ

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) March 16, 2025

Earlier, in a rematch that had been marinating since Callum Walsh’s 3Arena homecoming show last September, Dublin’s Emmet Brennan (6-0, 1KOs) earned a unanimous-decision victory over Kerry’s Kevin Cronin (9-3-1, 5KOs) in another thrilling Celtic-title encounter at super-middleweight.

Brennan’s previous split-decision victory over ‘The Kingdom Warrior’ had been protested against both by Team Cronin and Dana White, who staged that original eight-rounder on Walsh’s Dublin undercard six months ago.

But after 10 rounds in New York, Tokyo Olympian Brennan was adjudged by all three judges to have won the bout 98-92 — or eight rounds to two.

Those numbers didn’t quite do justice to Cronin’s effort in an entertaining sequel, but Brennan produced the crisper boxing down the stretch to earn an unimpeachable victory the second time around.

Cronin is smiling 😂 #WalshSutherland pic.twitter.com/M0mMttekmc

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) March 16, 2025

The Olympian Emmet Brennan wins by unanimous decision #WalshSutherland pic.twitter.com/A2JXszdiG3

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) March 16, 2025

There was heartbreak earlier on the show for previously undefeated Dublin heavyweight Thomas Carty, who dropped to 10-1 (9KOs) due to a freak injury in his bout against American Dajuan Calloway (11-3, 9KOs).

Carty, fighting against a gigantic opponent who weighed in at over 409lbs for their contest, was stopped on his stool by a combination of his trainer, Paschal Collins, and referee Jamil Antoine after his left knee buckled beneath him in the second round.

Carty initially fell to the floor after a fleeting inside exchange with Calloway, which was not ruled a knockdown, but his discomfort was immediately apparent as he rose to his feet and tried to convince Antoine that he was uninjured.

This doesn't look good #WalshSutherland pic.twitter.com/1f9UYQaLvP

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) March 16, 2025

Attempting to fight on, Carty firstly backpedalled away from Calloway and attempted to shake out his left leg, and the American scored a credited knockdown when a glancing blow and his enormous physical frame combined to force the off-balance Carty to the ground in a neutral corner.

Carty again rose and tried to walk off the injury, but his left leg caved in beneath him once more towards the end of the round, with even Calloway appearing sympathetic as he turned away.

That leg is not cooperating #WalshSutherland pic.twitter.com/NNi198W1t8

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) March 16, 2025

While Carty made it to the bell to end the second, his knee injury rendered him effectively defenceless. Referee Antoine announced that he was stopping the fight after consulting with the Dubliner’s corner.

The tearful Carty was comforted both by his team and the victorious Calloway before being stretchered out of the arena.

Elsewhere, during the preliminary bouts, two young Irish boxers began their professional careers with contrasting fortunes.

Adopted New Yorker Sean O’Bradaigh (0-1-0), the 22-year-old grandson of former IRA chief of staff Ruairí Ó Brádaigh and a real-estate finance student in the city, drew his first ever professional bout with Brazilian kickboxing convert Jefferson Almeida (0-1-1) at cruiserweight.

County Down super-bantamweight Donagh Keary (1-0), meanwhile, enjoyed a more straightforward debut in the paid ranks, earning an entertaining four-round unanimous decision over the game Geral Alicea-Romero (0-1-1) from Puerto Rico.