Zuffa Boxing 01 predictions: Picks and odds for Callum Walsh vs. Carlos Ocampo as they headline debut card

LAS VEGAS -- The Zuffa Boxing era kicks off on Friday night with Zuffa Boxing 01, a card headlined by a middleweight bout between Callum Walsh and Carlos Ocampo. The event is the first in TKO's foray into boxing and will stream live on Paramount+ from the Meta Apex in Las Vegas.

Walsh (15-0, 11 KO) is undefeated as a professional and has steadily worked his way up in level of competition. In his most recent outing, Walsh picked up the biggest win of his career, scoring a decision win over undefeated Fernando Vargas on the undercard of Terence Crawford's vs. Saul "Canelo" Alvarez this past September, which was co-promoted by Zuffa Boxing.

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Walsh has long been close with UFC president and CEO Dana White, who has helped guide Walsh's career. This made Walsh a no-brainer as the first marquee signee for Zuffa Boxing.

"You know, I think it makes sense," Walsh told CBS Sports of being selected for such a prestigious spot. "I've been around Dana, I've been around boxing for a while. I've been proving myself in the ring. I've been getting the wins. I've just had a big win in my last fight, and just the fact that I've been around Dana so long, you know, pushing him to get involved in boxing. I've proved that I will fight anybody and that I'm really bringing the same mindset as the UFC to boxing. So, I think it's only right to be the first main event and be given an opportunity to prove myself and to prove to everyone that's really what I'm about."

White, when asked about the event and promoting Walsh, made sure to note that he's here for all the fighters, not just Walsh.

"Every time that I do something, I build a team around me that's extraordinary. This is what the matchmakers for boxing came up with," White told CBS Sports on Wednesday. "We believe that this is a strong card. Obviously, Callum is a kid that I've supported for a long time. People thought that I was his manager ... I've never made a dollar off Callum. I've just liked him from the time I met him and I've backed him, and here we are today. Just because I've had a relationship with this kid and he's in this position ... I don't determine who wins the fights."  

In Ocampo (38-3, 26 KO), Walsh faces a fighter with several high-level fights, though he has come up short in all of his biggest outings.

Ocampo fought for the IBF welterweight title in 2018, losing by first-round stoppage. He then fought twice for interim junior middleweight titles, losing a decision to Sebastian Fundora and by first-round knockout to Tim Tszyu in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

Aside from those moments where Ocampo faced fighters who rate among the best of the best in the game, he has been perfect and is frequently runs through his opposition. Since the loss to Tszyu, Ocampo has rattled off three consecutive stoppage victories, though against opposition well below Walsh's level.

Still, Walsh believes Ocampo's experience makes him a dangerous opponent.

"I'm expecting an all-action fight, you know," Walsh said. "I'm expecting a real fight. You know, this is a real opponent. This is a real test for me to prove myself. He's been in there with big names. He has a lot of experience, and if I can beat him, if I can get him out of there, then I'll prove that I am up there with the best of him."

Friday's main card also features a middleweight bout between undefeated fighters Misael Rodriguez and Austin Deanda and opens with a junior welterweight bout between Cain Sandoval and Julian Rodriguez.

Sandoval vs. Rodriguez stands out as an excellent kickoff to the first Zuffa Boxing main card. The undefeated Sandoval is getting a big opportunity, but has shown big knockout power throughout his career. Rodriguez is coming off a 10th-round knockout of Avious Griffin, the highly-touted Most Valuable Promotions prospect, on the undercard of Jake Paul's bout with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Zuffa Boxing 01 fight card, odds

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

• Callum Walsh -700 vs. Carlos Ocampo +450, middleweights
• Misael Rodriguez -700 vs. Austin Deanda +450, middleweights
• Cain Sandoval -230 vs. Julian Rodriguez +180, junior welterweights
• Omar Trinidad -265 vs. Max Ornelas +205, featherweights
• Floyd Diaz -1100 vs. Guillermo Gutierrez +600, bantamweights
• Emiliano Cardenas -1100 vs. Marcus Harris +600, bantamweights
• Robert Meriwether III -3000 vs. Cesar Correa +1000, junior lightweights
• Troy Nash -1600 vs. Jaycob Ramos +750, featherweights

Predictions

Ocampo is a fine fighter, but he's someone who has built a career where he is seen as an opponent more than a contender. That said, Ocampo brings the fight to his opponents, and Walsh has an opportunity to deliver a result that will be directly compared to Ocampo's results against Spence, Fundora and Tszyu.

Ocampo leaves himself open to be hit, and Walsh has good pop. There is one interesting angle here, which is Walsh moving up from fighting at junior middleweight (154 pounds) to middleweight (160) for this fight. Sometimes, fighters see a dropoff in their punching power as they move up in weight; other times, they have more power because they aren't affected by cutting extra weight.

Expect Walsh to find the stoppage in this one, but how quickly he gets there and how he looks doing it will be intriguing things to follow. Pick: Callum Walsh via TKO3