Conah Walker and Sam Eggington served up a treat at the Civic Hall, Wolverhampton on Saturday night.
Wolverhampton’s Walker (18-3-1, 9 KOs) continued his hot streak as he rode the Eggington storm to win via 10th-round stoppage.
When this fight was slated, a war was predicted, but Eggington (36-10, 20 KOs) came out of the blocks boxing nicely in round one, his sharp jab catching Walker at will. It didn’t take long for a shootout to ensue when Eggington’s gumshield was knocked out in round two as both fighters had their chins checked early.
Walker was determined to make this a gruelling brawl, which Eggington is no stranger to, but Eggington was trying his best to box, and when he did, he was in control. This was the early pattern of the fight. Walker constantly on the front foot, getting caught with a lack of head movement aside from it catching Eggington’s face on his way in.
In the fourth, Eggington landed some lovely combinations, with the uppercut landing flush more than once.
The pace of the fight was brutal. Non-stop.
Eggington suffered a cut at the end of round five from Walker’s headwork, which brought a warning from referee Steve Gray.
At this point, in between rounds, Walker’s trainer Jamie Moore asked him to keep his emotions in check in front of his home crowd.
A clean left hook to the body from Walker saw Eggington doubled over on the ropes in round six as Walker teed off, but Eggington stirred to fire back as the two went toe to toe to the bell.
Walker was warned for head use again at the start of round seven before Eggington got into a real flow, loose and relaxed, picking Walker off beautifully. But in round eight the tide turned.
An assault to the body from Walker had Eggington in trouble midway through the round, but he refused to buckle.
The punishment was relentless as Walker would not let Eggington off the hook, before landing a left to the pit of the stomach that dropped him near the end of the round.
Eggington rose to see out the final few seconds.
Walker went for the finish in round nine, but, as expected from the warrior he is, Eggington stood firm, landing flush shots of his own even while suffering.
Eggington was up on two of the judges scorecards and came out behind the jab in round ten to box his way through the last few rounds, but Walker refused to let that happen.
A one-two followed by seven unanswered punches, all landing clean on the chin, saw Steve Gray jump in to save Eggington from any more punishment.
Another classic battle to add to the list for Eggington, and another late finish from Walker after being down on the cards.
It is a trend that is not only putting wins on Walker’s record, but also putting bums on seats. He is gathering pace as one of Britain’s most watchable fighters right now.
The match was fought at a catchweight of 153 lbs to make the fight happen, but Walker, 30, vowed to go back down to 147 lbs post-fight before paying tribute to Eggington.
‘I want to thank this man here. What a warrior. I have looked up to this man my whole career. I have watched him and I have tried to emulate his style. He showed that you take any opportunity you can get.’
Eggington, 32, has had many wars and seems torn about his future.
‘Do I carry on? What sort of opportunities would I get if I did? Unless Eddie wants to give me another big fight, I don’t really know where I go from here.
‘That being said, I don’t want to retire. I love what I do, and I will do it against whoever and whenever. Fingers crossed I get some more opportunities, but if I don’t, we will have to see what happens.’
For Walker, a rematch with IBF welterweight title holder Lewis Crocker would seem like the obvious play after losing a close decision back in 2024.
But, as most welterweights do these days, he ended up calling out the cash cow Conor Benn. Eddie Hearn comically backed the call-out, shouting in Kevin Keegan style that he would love it if that fight happened.
We await to see what materialises, but one thing is certain. Whoever Walker fights next, we will be entertained.
More Fighters Weekly News
- Too little, too late: Nakatani falls short against masterful Inoue
- Tai Tuivasa now on 7-fight losing streak in UFC
- Inoue vs. Nakatani staff predictions: ‘Monster’s’ biggest test yet
- Louie Sutherland reveals key UFC advice given by Tom Aspinall
Follow Fighters Weekly on Instagram, Facebook, and X.
