Conah Walker interview: Wolverhampton boxing star explains why 'dream' of headlining Molineux will come true

If Conah Walker has his way, Saturday won’t be his last or biggest homecoming.

The Wolverhampton welterweight will fight in his home city for the first time in four years when he takes on Sam Eggington at the Civic Hall, in the biggest all-Midlands boxing match for decades.

It promises to be a spectacular occasion but for Walker, it is simply another step on the road to even bigger things.

“One day, I will headline at Molineux,” the 30-year-old tells the Express & Star. “It’s not a dream, it’s happening.

“Listen, you have to do certain things before you go to the stadiums. I am part of the Wolves Foundation and they are eager to get us to the ground. But you have to tick a few boxes.

“I just have to keep doing what I am doing and one day, I will be there.”

Bullish talk it may sound but it would be a brave person who bet against Walker, a boxer for whom right now everything he touches turns to gold.

Since last fighting in Wolverhampton in May 2022, outpointing Bulgaria’s Iliyan Markov in a six-rounder at The Hangar, he has been on one of the best runs in British boxing, sending a career which once looked destined to be spent touring the small halls toward the stratosphere.

He returns home now on the brink of a world title shot.

“I always believed,” says Walker. “I know it is cliched but speak it, believe it, see it.

“I always believed I could get to this stage and now it is happening.

“If you had asked me four years ago if I would be here now, I would have told you it was where I was aiming to go. All I am doing is completing the vision.”

It really has been some journey, driven by Walker’s willingness to accept fights in which he entered a firm underdog.

He has won six of his last seven, five of them by stoppage. The run includes a stunning 11th round knockout of Harry Scarff to claim the British title while, last time out, he sensationally put Olympic medallist Pat McCormack through the ropes in Monte Carlo.

That statement victory looked like being enough to secure Walker a re-match with the only man to beat him during his rise, reigning IBF champion Lewis Crocker.

When that didn’t happen, attention turned to a homecoming, the date with Eggington agreed over the course of just a few days, following a handful of messages between the pair.

“You can't just sit on the shelf,” says Walker. “This is a world title fight in all but name. Every fight is for me now because if I lose, I fall back down the pecking order.

“I had other options. I had easier fights I could have taken. I chose Sam for the sheer fact it sells.”

In Eggington, Walker sees a kindred spirit, another boxer who has forged an excellent career through sheer belief in their ability and a readiness to put it all on the line.

The 45-fight veteran famously turned professional as a teenager to help pay the rent, rising to become a British and European champion at welterweight while, more recently, he held the IBO crown at super welterweight.

“Arguably, Sam set the path for someone like me,” says Walker. “He created the path and I am following in his footsteps - it's just that I'm a better version.

“He was where I was now, seven years ago. He has been in a lot of battles. Some might say he is battle-hardened. It could be the toughest fight of my career. Let's find out.”

There is a healthy debate to be had over where Saturday ranks in the history of all-Midlands fights.

Certainly, Walker’s proximity to a world title shot elevates it to a level few others have shared. The presence of Eggington, so long the region’s trailblazer, with a chance to take another step back toward the big time, adds further fascination to the story.

“Let's be honest, without sounding big-headed, I am the man now in the Midlands,” says Walker

“I am the man in the welterweight division. And he (Sam) has built his reputation over the years. It has got everything. It might be the biggest Midlands fight to date. I can't think of another one which has had this kind of support.”

Tickets sold out in the space of barely a week, with Walker claiming he could have filled the 2,500-capacity venue with his own supporters.

Those without, or even with tickets, are being invited to take part in a pre-show pub crawl organised by Walker himself.

Humbled by the support, he is determined to deliver on home soil and take a step closer to the ultimate dream.

“There is pressure in everything,” Walker says. “It is how you deal with it that matters.

“I am under no illusions, everything is riding on this fight. That's the same with every fight.

“As soon as the day comes I take a loss, I will be stepped back. I am not prepared to do that. I will leave everything in the ring and you will have to be a special man to beat me.”