Fighter of the Week (8/14-8/20): Conah Walker
On what appeared to be a very quiet week on the boxing calendar, a closer observation showed many, many, high-level prospects who put forth A+ performances and a fight-of-the-year candidate all-out, brawl-out in the UK. The upset winner of that barn burner takes home our Fighter of the Week Award. Conah Walker was not supposed to win. He was supposed to make a fun fight but ultimately would fall under the pressure of Cyrus Pattinson. However, after dropping the undefeated prospect Walker, 28-years-old from Wolverhampton, West Midlands, United Kingdom, got cooking and closed the show out in spectacular fashion, taking home this week's award, moving his record to 12-2-1 (4), showing the boxing community he does have power, picked up the biggest win of his career and guaranteed himself a big payday in his next fight.
This, was the third and perhaps final shot Walker was going to get in a big fight, should he not have gotten the win Walker faced the real possibility of falling into obscurity. The West Midlands native was not about to let that happen and got going in the second freezing Pattinson with a body shot and then rallying with power shots that had Pattinson in trouble. Fighting through a swollen eye seemed to get Walker going as a prolonged combination ended with Pattinson on the mat for the first time. The undefeated prospect fought back hard and kept himself in the fight in the fight and fifth, but Walker was not going to be denied and dropped his man for a second time, giving himself a commanding lead on the cards. The competitiveness of the fight began to fight in the latter rounds. However, Pattinoson's toughness and grittiness did not as Walker poured on power shots, killing Pattinosn to the body and mixing in thudding hooks to the head of Pattinosn when the two warriors were in close range. Pattinson Corner had seen enough and waved the bout off to start the ninth, an exhausted and thrilled Walker responded after the fight, "What better feeling than to do that 20 minutes up the road from my house? I can't put it into words."
Walker had come close before the Wulfrunian had dropped close decisions to Samuel Antwi for the British Welterweight title and Kane Gardner back in March. Two wins he could have been awarded that would have changed the trajectory of his career. However, those didn't go his way, and perhaps it was for the best had he gotten those wins. Who knows if he gets the Pattinson fight? He got the Pattinson fight and took full advantage of it and seized the moment. The win sets up perhaps a rematch, and who wouldn't want that? If the rematch isn't in the cards, there are other options available for him at 147. He could travel and fight fellow 147-pound prospects like Jahi Tucker or fight to take a step up and fight a veteran like Alessandro Riguccini 28-0 (24), another veteran like Ivan Golub or a 154-pound fight with Troy Williamson would be intriguing as well.
