Beyond The Ropes: Conah Walker & Sam Eggington

Beyond The Ropes: Conah Walker & Sam Eggington

Tomorrow night’s main event at the Civic Hall in Wolverhampton is just a good old-fashioned fight. It’s not about titles. There is no fake beef. There is a mutual respect. In truth, how could there not be? They are cut from the same bloodstained cloth.

Two great servants of their craft. Two underdogs that have made a fool out of many over the years. They have been written off many times. But on Saturday night, they will go again. This time against each other.

Conah Walker and Sam Eggington have served up many a memorable night. They will almost certainly serve up another classic in Wolverhampton. It doesn’t matter that we expect it, demand it even. They demand it of themselves. A catchweight contest that looks on paper like it can’t miss the mark.

The Civic Hall is sold out. You can’t get a ticket anywhere. It’s a rarity. A genuine sold out show. This fight doesn’t need any promotional hype. A local derby that just sells itself.

“It’s been a journey. It’s been a rollercoaster from start to end.” The words of Walker at this week’s press conference. He’s not wrong. A few early defeats didn’t look promising. But he kept going. More than arguably, he beat Lewis Crocker in 2024. A disputed points decision. I had Walker winning. Most agreed. Crocker is now the IBF welterweight champion of the world. Walker wants that one back. If he beats Eggington on Saturday night, it surely must come. Unfinished business in many ways.

Last year in Nottingham, he was losing heavily against Harry Scarff in Nottingham. For ten rounds, Scarff was winning handily. Until he wasn’t. Out of absolutely nowhere, Walker stopped the awkward Scarff in the 11th. Nobody saw it coming, except perhaps Walker. A fighter who is seemingly unbreakable.

“I do things the hard way, I never give up,” Walker said post-fight. A British and Commonwealth champion. Walker wasn’t satisfied. Liam Taylor was then stopped in seven rounds. But even more was to come. The unbeaten former amateur star Pat McCormack also found Walker too much for him. His unbeaten record now a thing of the past. McCormack was expected to win. Walker didn’t listen. At 30, he is in the form of his life.

But he will meet his kindred spirit in Sam Eggington. Unbelievably, he is only 32. Eggington (36-9) has seemingly been around for an eternity. Like Walker, he just doesn’t go away. A win over Lee Cutler last year kept the show on the road.

“Business is business,” another Walker quote. “It sells because we’re both big names from the Midlands.” It’s just a natural fight. You just know nobody will leave that old hall disappointed.

“Whether it sets fire in the first or the fourth or the sixth, it is going to set fire,” Eggington says of his fight with Walker. “Once it does, it won’t stop until someone falls over or the last bell rings.” Eggington knows what’s coming. We all do. A fight of the year contender in all probability.

“I’ve had a lot of fights. I’ve won a lot of belts. I love my job, and my motivation is to keep the job I love.” Eggington knows a victory keeps in place his desire for more of the same. Defeat might not be the end; his phone will surely ring regardless of the result, but Eggington wants a little more than that. The ambition remains. A victory would give him so much. A seat at the top table.

But Walker (17-3-1) is the odds-on favourite to keep his resurgence going. At 3-1, Eggington represents decent value. Even if he suffers a tenth career defeat, you just know he will have success. There will be moments when his vocal fans will think it will be their night. But previous Conah Walker opponents have thought the same. Walker never knows when he is beaten. His opponents can never be sure they have won. He just keeps coming. And coming. Even if he is winning, Eggington will know that at any second, he might not be.

Neither fighter hesitated when the fight was offered. They practically made it themselves. “We snapped it up in a heartbeat,” Eggington says. “It sells. People know what this is about. Nobody needs to be talked into this because they know what is going to happen on the night.”

We all know what will happen. The sweet science won’t be needed. In all probability, the judges won’t be either. It’s going to be another little chapter for Conah Walker and Sam Eggington. It won’t be easy for both. The winner will know he’s been in a fight. They have given us so much over the years. They will have to give even more. They both know they will have to dig incredibly deep yet again on Saturday night. Another memorable night awaits. A potential twelve rounds of sheer brutality. We should appreciate both for what they have already given us. And are about to give again.

Photo Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing