The Apex Experiment: Zuffa Boxing Arrives Friday

It’s in this club-sized venue that Zuffa’s first dedicated main event will take place, featuring undefeated Callum Walsh of Ireland (15-0, 11 KOs) against battle-tested Mexican veteran Carlos Ocampo of Ensenada (38-3, 26 KOs). White has been a backer of Walsh through his association with 360 Boxing Promotions and promoter Tom Loeffler, whose cards air on the UFC Fight Pass streaming service.

If you immediately draw comparisons between Walsh and another Irish fighter who rose under Dana White’s mentorship, Conor McGregor, it won’t take long to realize they are two different personalities. Walsh is a hard-working, earnest athlete with talent and dreams, but none of the bombastic bad-boy aura of McGregor.

Nevertheless, Walsh is the house fighter and matched well to the veteran Ocampo, who always puts on a good fight and a good effort, but who has come up short against the big names: Tim Tszyu, Sebastian Fundora, and Errol Spence Jr.

Walsh is coming off a less-than-impressive performance against Fernando Vargas Jr. in September on the Canelo vs Crawford undercard, although he still won a decisive decision on the scorecards. On Friday’s card, Walsh gets his chance to prove he is more than just a promotional favorite. It will be Walsh’s first pro fight at middleweight. The key question is whether Walsh’s power will carry up against a durable, natural middleweight.

Ocampo would love to play spoiler. While White and Loeffler wouldn’t be happy about it, both can spin an Ocampo win as proof they’re willing to match their fighters tough unlike their competitors. Ocampo is a gatekeeper-plus type of opponent who won’t make it a cakewalk for Walsh.

If Walsh can stop Ocampo early, it will be a statement about White and Loeffler’s abilities for spotting talent. Lord knows the middleweight division could use a new star. But if Walsh struggles or merely grinds out a decision, skeptics will have plenty of ammunition.

Undercard Matchups

The two supporting bouts make a statement about the “Zuffa model” of matching undefeated prospects early in their careers.

Misael Rodriguez of Riverside, California (15-0, 7 KOs) vs. Austin Deanda of Amhurst, Virginia (17-0, 11 KOs) is a classic crossroads fight at middleweight. Rodriguez, who won an Olympic bronze medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics for Mexico after a loss to Bektimir Melikuziev is still the polished technician of his amateur days at age 31. Deanda, age 22, has fought all his pro bouts on the club level in Lynchburg and Norfolk. He will get a test from the more experienced Rodriguez.

“Sugar” Cain Sandoval of Sacramento (17-0, 15 KOs), a popular California prospect with a solid fan base, takes on Julian Rodriguez of New Jersey (24-1, 15 KOs) in a junior lightweight fight that could steal the show. Sandoval is a high-volume pressure fighter with significant power, while “Hammer Hands” Rodriguez scored this opportunity after a stunning tenth-round knockout upset of Most Valuable Promotions prospect Avious Griffin in June. It’s the ideal opening fight for Friday’s Zuffa debut on Paramount Plus.

What To Expect From Zuffa Boxing

White and his team are wise to slow-roll their debut, unlike other promoters who overpromised and eventually underdelivered. I’m looking at you, Premier Boxing Champions. Remember the flashy stage lighting and custom Hans Zimmer theme music?

Instead, Zuffa isn’t burning through its bankroll in the early going. It’s taking things slow, and using the first few cards as a beta test. There won’t be a huge audience ringside going nuts, and it might feel a bit sterile, although let’s hope it doesn’t feel like a pandemic bubble. However, the key production values should be solid.

The hosting team includes Molly Qerim, formerly of ESPN’s First Take, with former light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver, Mike Coppinger of Ring Magazine, and longtime boxing reporter Mark Kriegel. The ringside team includes Joe Tessitore, Max Kellerman, and former middleweight and light heavyweight champion Andre Ward. Heidi Androl, who works with UFC and NHL Network, is the ringside reporter.

A Proving Ground, Not a Super-Fight

What we’re all asking: can Dana White convince boxing fans to tune in for prospects and “good fights” without the validation of the four major sanctioning bodies? Or has his recent signing of cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia and reported talks with unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk already signaled cracks in that plan? We begin to find out on Friday.

Considering the deep pockets of Turki Alalshikh and the UFC’s powerhouse promotional engine, launching in a small studio-type environment rather than an arena signals the approach is a trial run rather than a big splash.

It’s smart for White and Zuffa to underpromise and overdeliver. It’s not unlike the early days of White’s “The Ultimate Fighter” series, introducing the audience to new faces and bringing them into the storylines from the first few chapters rather than bringing on big names that require a big upfront investment.

White and TKO executive Nick Khan are focusing on a centralized, promoter-driven model in boxing, mirroring their success with UFC. The goal is to build stars from the ground up, emphasizing 50-50 matchmaking and prospects over the fragmented belt system White has long criticized.

“The first Zuffa Boxing event is filled with the best up-and-coming talent, hungry and excited to prove that they will be future world champions,” said White. “The top three fights feature four fighters who are undefeated, including 15-0 Callum Walsh as he takes on the 38-3 Carlos Ocampo, who has more knockout victories than Callum has total professional fights, and his last three wins have come by knockout. I’m looking forward to bringing great fighters and incredible fights back to fight fans.”

Zuffa will get plenty of runway thanks to funding from Saudi Arabia, without the immediate pressure to generate a return on investment from gate receipts or pay-per-view buys. Zuffa is essentially producing a television broadcast optimized for Paramount Plus by using the APEX.

Friday isn’t about the pageantry of a Riyadh Season mega-card. It’s about testing the infrastructure of a new, leaner boxing league. We’ll be back to tell you what we thought after it’s in the books.