The boxer who accidentally became an actor

Walton competed at a high level in gymnastics after following his sister into the sport, but boxing remained his obsession.It was the sweet science, somewhat ironically, which eventually opened the door to a completely different form of performance.Walton appeared on Steve Harvey's television show aged 11 to showcase his boxing ability, throwing combinations on the pads before also demonstrating his gymnastics skills with a backflip.Casting director Jennifer Venditti saw the appearance and contacted his family about auditioning for Euphoria."I was like, 'OK, why not?'" Walton says. "And that just led to one opportunity after another."What started by accident grew into a substantial acting career. Walton went on to appear in Amazon drama Utopia and Netflix series The Umbrella Academy, and even found himself working alongside the man behind cinema's most famous boxer Rocky Balboa, Sylvester Stallone, in Samaritan."I found my love in that space," Walton says. "I look at that as an outlet where I can tap into my emotions because you can't do that in boxing."The harder challenge now is finding room for both careers. Walton says filming can take him away for six months, while preparing to fight demands an eight-week camp and complete focus."My goal is to see how well I can balance both but that's easier said than done," he says. "I kind of have to pick one to focus on."For now, that focus is Cejudo. The 39-year-old won Olympic freestyle wrestling gold in 2008 before becoming a UFC champion in two weight divisions, but Saturday will be his professional boxing debut.The bout, which Walton accepted at less than two weeks' notice after Cejudo's original opponent withdrew, has been sanctioned by the Florida State Commission and will count towards their professional records."You have to have a level of respect," Walton says. "But at the same time he's stepping into unmarked territory - my field and something I've done my whole life."On the mat it would be a different story, but this is the ring."In Walton's corner will be the man who first took him to a gym as a four-year-old - his father and trainer, DJ."What was beautiful about our journey was we got to grow together," Walton says."While I was learning how to be a fighter at a young age, he was learning the coaching side. The way I look at it is we're the pilot and co-pilot. He's a head coach who happens to be my dad. I want to do right by us and not just for me."