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 was selected as the experienced opponent who could force him to deal with situations he had not regularly encountered during his rise.
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 awkward southpaw style and experience made Walsh work throughout the 10 rounds.
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 then had one of his better rounds in the ninth, applying pressure and opening a cut near Walsh’s left eye. It gave Walsh another late test before he made it through the final round.
The official cards did not fully reflect how difficult the fight became in spots. Walsh deserved the decision, but Denny gave him considerably more resistance than scores of 98-91 twice might suggest.
That may ultimately make this more useful for Walsh than another quick knockout. He was dropped, forced to adjust against an awkward veteran, dealt with a cut and completed 10 competitive rounds.
Walsh remains perfect at 17-0, but tonight’s performance also showed there is still development needed before White’s highly regarded prospect is ready for the leading middleweights.
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