Cork's Callum Walsh returns to the ring on Thursday.
The undefeated Cobh man (8-0, 7KOs) faces Ismael Villarreal (13-1, 9KOs) in Madison Square Garden.
The 22 year old, who trains out of Freddie Roach's Wild Card gym in California, has a perfect professional record of 8 wins from 8 fights, with 7 of them coming by knockout.
Walsh stopped his last opponent just over two months ago when Juan Jose Velasco quit on his stool between rounds, and he told RedFM Sport he was disappointed with the fight but happy to get the win.
"It was weird. I knew I was breaking him down since the first round, I was hitting with body shots, hitting him with a lot of hard shots, and after four rounds he couldn't take any more.
"That's what he said afterwards, that his body was broken and there was no way he could take any more punches. I was bit disappointed, I wanted to give the fans and everyone who paid to come and see me fight some more, but what can you do? If a fella doesn't want to fight he doesn't want to fight, there's nothing you can do about it.
"It's a good feeling knowing you made a fella retire on the stool, that you've hurt him so bad that he doesn't want to fight you any more. It's still a good feeling. But I always want to get that big knockout or that big stoppage, to feel the crowd and give them what they want. I was a bit disappointed, but there's nothing you can do, I can just go into my next fight and try and put in a better performance."
Walsh says he was right back in the gym after the Velasco fight to get ready to fight in New York.
"After that fight, I already knew when I was going to fight again, I knew I was going to fight in Madison Square Garden. I fought Saturday and I got back in the gym Monday, training again for this fight. By the time I get to Madison Square Garden I'll have had a 20 week training camp.
"I was ready for this fight six weeks ago. I'll be more than ready for this fight, I'm expecting all my hard work to pay off, a big knockout, and to put on a show for all the Irish fans there.
🗣️ 'If I happen to take a loss at a top level, who cares?'@KINGCALLUMWALSH is looking forward to his homecoming fight when it does eventually happen, but right now he's just looking to get as many fights as he can. | 🥊
Become a member ➡️ https://t.co/zjoL9xmFEd pic.twitter.com/UJ8EMxguno— Off The Ball (@offtheball) November 2, 2023
"I'm only 22, this is only my 9th fight, I'm only a young fella from Cobh like and I'm headlining Madison Square Garden - it's not every day you can say that!
"It's going to be a big deal, but I'm trying not to let it go to my head. Every fight I go in there, I take them out the same way. I have one job to do. No matter where it is, or who's there or who's watching me, I know when I get in that ring I have one job to do and I have to win.
"I'll enjoy it after. Once I get the knockout, I'll enjoy the crowd, I'll enjoy being in New York, but once I step through the ropes it doesn't matter who's there, I don't even look at the crowd, I don't think about who's watching me. I think about I have one job to do, and it's win this fight. I'll enjoy it after."
