The 25-year-old Walsh (17-0, 11 KOs) was fighting in Ireland with considerable expectations attached to him. White has been high on the Cork southpaw, and Denny brought the experience and awkward style needed to test him.
That happened almost immediately.
Denny (21-5-3, 1 KO) dropped Walsh with a flash knockdown in the first round, putting the favorite in an early hole. Walsh responded well, sending the former European middleweight champion down in the second to quickly erase some of the damage.
From there, Walsh produced the cleaner work for much of the fight, but Denny never allowed him to settle into an easy rhythm. His awkwardness made Walsh work throughout the distance.
Things became messy in the eighth when referee intervention resulted in point deductions for both fighters. Walsh lost a point for holding, while Denny was penalized for hitting behind the head.
Denny pressed forward in the ninth and cut Walsh near the left eye, keeping the pressure on before Walsh made it through the final round.
The fight gave Walsh plenty to think about. He was dropped, forced to adjust against a tricky opponent, dealt with a cut and went the full distance under pressure.
Walsh moves to 17-0, but the performance showed he still has work to do before facing the top middleweights. Denny is the type of opponent a heavily backed prospect is supposed to get past. Walsh did that, but not without being tested in areas stronger opposition will try to exploit.
Read the full article here
