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Home » Exclusive: Ryan Walsh opens up on Dennis Ceylan EBU / drug test debacle, eyes shot at Marc Vidal

Exclusive: Ryan Walsh opens up on Dennis Ceylan EBU / drug test debacle, eyes shot at Marc Vidal

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Walsh had an upsetting time when he last challenged for the European belt against Dennis Ceylan in 2016. Since the defeat, Walsh has made two more defences of his British title with the last being a draw against Isaac Lowe.

When asked by WBN in a recent interview about the EBU title and gaining a second crack, Walsh was certainly interested.

“Since Ceylan, I’ve wanted that rematch and I’ve tried to get it – he said no. It’s been really annoying,” Walsh exclusively told World Boxing News.

“That night in Denmark, I wanted that title so when I found out he was a drugs cheat well I just wanted them to chuck him out and to never see him in boxing.”

Last year Ceylan was found to have tested positive for cocaine ahead of his fight with Kid Galahad which was therefore cancelled.

Walsh was aggravated by the incident and told WBN he knew something was up.

“I should have known, not long ago Johnny Nelson said he had a sparring partner and he got dropped in the first round, he got up and fought like a train.

“He said he knew from that night that he was on the gear, low and behold he failed a test.”

When Walsh fought Ceylan, it seemed to be an unlucky night with the Cromer man scoring a knockdown in the first and then failing to finish him off.

The fight concluding via a points win for the Denmark man in his home country and Walsh looks back on the fight with irritation.

“Every time I punched him for the first two or three rounds, I hit him constantly and he gets up as fresh as he went down, it didn’t make sense.

“My two prior opponents who I finished both in the fifth round, they were human they had no chemical in them, they had no way to carry on through,” he added.

The scorecards on the night were deemed controversial with one judge scoring it for Walsh 117-112 and the other two 115-112 for Ceylan.

“You had the judges as well who were terrible. It is what it is, I’m not going to cry about it, nothing is going to change but him being a drug cheat really pissed me off.

“That’s a fight he’s a drug cheat for and that title should have become vacant and the last person who was to fight for it – me, I should have been made mandatory.”

On a possible contest with current ruler Vidal, Walsh stated: “Vidal, I’d love to fight him for that belt, I’ve always wanted it and it seems the British way is that you have to wait forever for it.

“Three times at British level is difficult because you’ve got all the young guns coming up and look who I’ve fought – Selby, Samir, Tennyson.

“Selby went on to world champion, Tennyson went on to European, Samir’s became the English champion and then I had Darren Traynor become the Scottish champion.

“I’ve had a decent level of opponents, they’re all good quality fighters so I would love another crack at the European title because the last time I wasn’t satisfied.”

Planning his next move, Walsh has almost ruled out a shot at the Commonwealth title.

“I’m not getting the Commonwealth shot they’re just dismissing me even though I fought Selby for it and they just pretended that it didn’t happen.

When it was vacated they said as simple as this – it’s all down to the promoters who run the game.

“If you haven’t got somebody on the other side of the ropes, fighting in your corner and pushing you, putting money into you – just forget about it.”

Walsh hopes to challenge for European and World titles but is willing to sacrifice a bigger payday in order to get there.

“All I’m offering at the moment is that I’m cheap, this is all I can offer to all these promoters and other fighters – I am cheaper.”

“I’ll be 10-15 grand cheaper than all the other fighters they want to fight, just for the opportunity to fight for a world or a European title,” he concluded.

Chandler Waller is a staff writer for World Boxing News. Follow Chandler on Twitter @ChandlerWaller