A USUALLY INTROVERTED character, Aaron McKenna became a world champion almost a decade into his professional boxing career and let it all out at the 3Arena.
“Doesn’t that sound lovely, Ireland?!” McKenna shouted to the crowd before turning away from the Sky Sports microphone at centre-ring. “A new world champion!”
Monaghan man McKenna, who outclassed Italy’s Etinosa Oliha to claim the vacant IBF 160-pound title in Dublin via a unanimous decision, became only the fourth ever boxer to reach the top of the middleweight division. The complete set now includes just the 27-year-old ‘Silencer’ from Smithborough, Limerick’s Andy Lee and Dublin’s Steve Collins (both of whom were in attendance at The Point), as well as the division’s first ever recognised champion; the Kildare-born, Brooklyn-raised Jack ‘Nonpareil’ Dempsey, who ruled the same weight category in the late 19th century.
Remarkably, however, McKenna on Saturday night became the first ever Irish middleweight to compete for a title in his home country.
He’s also the first Farney man to win a world title since Barry McGuigan, who had wished his successor luck on social media on the morning of fight night.
Rarified air, then, and it wasn’t lost on McKenna (21-0, 10KOs) as he beamed his way through the kind of post-fight press conference that used to make him uncomfortable as a younger fellow.
“It’s less than 20 people from Ireland who have become a world champion and that’s something I can say forever now: I’m a world champion,” McKenna gushed.
“It still doesn’t feel real. Twenty-one years in the sport… Now, to actually become world champion, it’s literally what I’ve been dreaming about my whole life. So, now that it’s a reality… I don’t know how long this is going to take to seep in.
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“It’s the best feeling of my life to date. I can finally say that,” he laughed.
Making it all the more special was that McKenna came good on years of promise with his father and trainer, Fergal McKenna, in his corner, as well as his older brother Stevie, ‘The Hitman’ having earlier on the night earned a first-round knockout of Belfast’s Owen O’Neill to improve his own record to 17-1 (16KOs).
Aaron’s 11-year journey in the professional ranks — which once took the McKenna boys to Los Angeles away from their mother, and Fergal’s wife, Loretta, for months on end — has culminated in his becoming a world champion from a purpose-built gym in the backyard of the family home in Smithborough, the ring inside which was once adorned by both McGuigan and ‘Rinty’ Monaghan. But their work started long before Aaron’s stint under the banner of Oscar de la Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, and before the brothers’ time spent working under world-class trainers such as Freddie Roach and Robert Garcia in LA.
“To headline for the first time in Ireland, to share a card with my brother… We did this together,” McKenna said. “It wasn’t just me. And me other brother, as well, Gary (a former Irish amateur champion, now a teacher).
“We did this our whole lives growing up. Our dad, we’ve a lot to thank him for. He’s dedicated his life to make us the best boxers we can be. And tonight, we got a world title,” McKenna smiled.
Monaghan middleweight boxer Aaron McKenna is crowned world champion at the 3Arena, Dublin. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
There have been obstacles along the way, certainly. Before claiming the world title on Saturday night, Aaron had competed in only three meaningful fights in as many years, the usual boxing bollocksology — promotional ineptitude, contractual complications, opponent withdrawals and the collapse of a $1 million tournament in which he had reached the semi-finals — threatening to stall a career that has promised so much from an early age.
Signing with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing, however, as well as manager Mike Borao, who also steers the career of American star Teofimo Lopez, has finally led to McKenna’s breakthrough, as well as a first fight in Ireland — and not before time, as he was keen to note.
“Like, I was held back for years,” McKenna said. “I don’t know why. When I was 20, 21, I was at this level. I went over to America and I was doing that kind of stuff against world-level fighters even at 16. So, now to finally get me opportunity with Zuffa, I’m just literally so grateful to them.
“We never once lost focus. It’s 16 months since my last fight and a week after that fight, I was in the gym.
“It’s the best feeling in the world because for years, they tried to smother us, keep us down. That’s the sport of boxing. Like, for two people, me and Stephen, we’re exciting fighters, so why did we not get our opportunity? I’ll never really know.
“Finally, to fight in Ireland… Words can’t even describe how good this feeling is right now.
“That atmosphere out there was 10 times louder than what I even expected. I can’t wait to do it again. Twenty fights I had before fighting here. I don’t want a big gap like that again.”
To the future, then, and it looks mightily exciting for this 27-year-old.
McKenna, who had never previously been able to land a showdown with one of the division’s top dogs, on Saturday night became the only top-10-ranked middleweight (by Ring Magazine) to earn a victory over a fellow top-10-ranked middleweight, which illustrates the state of flux in which the 160-pound division finds itself.
An excellent technician with high-end ring IQ and endurance, but equally with a`relatively low profile, McKenna was a why-bother opponent for the world’s best. Until he pulled up a seat at their table, that is.
“I’m going to be easy to find now that I have a belt. They’re all going to come crawling out looking for me now,” he said.
“But I want any of the other world champions. I want to unify. I said before the fight that I want to be an active world champion and that’s exactly what I’m going to be. It doesn’t matter who I’m fighting, and if any of those world champions don’t want it, I’ll jump up to 168 (super-middleweight).
“I feel like the middleweight division is there to be taken over, especially since ‘Triple G’ (Gennady Golovkin) and Canelo left it. I’ve said that I think I’m going to be the man to take it over and no one really believed me. But if you put in performances like that, they start listening.
“In life, you’ve gotta prove yourselves sometimes, and tonight I did that. I just hope one of the other world champions will take on the fight so we can clean up this mess of a division.”
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'I'm going to be easy to find now that I have a belt. They're all going to come crawling out'
A USUALLY INTROVERTED character, Aaron McKenna became a world champion almost a decade into his professional boxing career and let it all out at the 3Arena.
“Doesn’t that sound lovely, Ireland?!” McKenna shouted to the crowd before turning away from the Sky Sports microphone at centre-ring. “A new world champion!”
Monaghan man McKenna, who outclassed Italy’s Etinosa Oliha to claim the vacant IBF 160-pound title in Dublin via a unanimous decision, became only the fourth ever boxer to reach the top of the middleweight division. The complete set now includes just the 27-year-old ‘Silencer’ from Smithborough, Limerick’s Andy Lee and Dublin’s Steve Collins (both of whom were in attendance at The Point), as well as the division’s first ever recognised champion; the Kildare-born, Brooklyn-raised Jack ‘Nonpareil’ Dempsey, who ruled the same weight category in the late 19th century.
Remarkably, however, McKenna on Saturday night became the first ever Irish middleweight to compete for a title in his home country.
He’s also the first Farney man to win a world title since Barry McGuigan, who had wished his successor luck on social media on the morning of fight night.
Rarified air, then, and it wasn’t lost on McKenna (21-0, 10KOs) as he beamed his way through the kind of post-fight press conference that used to make him uncomfortable as a younger fellow.
“It’s less than 20 people from Ireland who have become a world champion and that’s something I can say forever now: I’m a world champion,” McKenna gushed.
“It still doesn’t feel real. Twenty-one years in the sport… Now, to actually become world champion, it’s literally what I’ve been dreaming about my whole life. So, now that it’s a reality… I don’t know how long this is going to take to seep in.
“It’s the best feeling of my life to date. I can finally say that,” he laughed.
Making it all the more special was that McKenna came good on years of promise with his father and trainer, Fergal McKenna, in his corner, as well as his older brother Stevie, ‘The Hitman’ having earlier on the night earned a first-round knockout of Belfast’s Owen O’Neill to improve his own record to 17-1 (16KOs).
Aaron’s 11-year journey in the professional ranks — which once took the McKenna boys to Los Angeles away from their mother, and Fergal’s wife, Loretta, for months on end — has culminated in his becoming a world champion from a purpose-built gym in the backyard of the family home in Smithborough, the ring inside which was once adorned by both McGuigan and ‘Rinty’ Monaghan. But their work started long before Aaron’s stint under the banner of Oscar de la Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, and before the brothers’ time spent working under world-class trainers such as Freddie Roach and Robert Garcia in LA.
“To headline for the first time in Ireland, to share a card with my brother… We did this together,” McKenna said. “It wasn’t just me. And me other brother, as well, Gary (a former Irish amateur champion, now a teacher).
“We did this our whole lives growing up. Our dad, we’ve a lot to thank him for. He’s dedicated his life to make us the best boxers we can be. And tonight, we got a world title,” McKenna smiled.
There have been obstacles along the way, certainly. Before claiming the world title on Saturday night, Aaron had competed in only three meaningful fights in as many years, the usual boxing bollocksology — promotional ineptitude, contractual complications, opponent withdrawals and the collapse of a $1 million tournament in which he had reached the semi-finals — threatening to stall a career that has promised so much from an early age.
Signing with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing, however, as well as manager Mike Borao, who also steers the career of American star Teofimo Lopez, has finally led to McKenna’s breakthrough, as well as a first fight in Ireland — and not before time, as he was keen to note.
“Like, I was held back for years,” McKenna said. “I don’t know why. When I was 20, 21, I was at this level. I went over to America and I was doing that kind of stuff against world-level fighters even at 16. So, now to finally get me opportunity with Zuffa, I’m just literally so grateful to them.
“We never once lost focus. It’s 16 months since my last fight and a week after that fight, I was in the gym.
“It’s the best feeling in the world because for years, they tried to smother us, keep us down. That’s the sport of boxing. Like, for two people, me and Stephen, we’re exciting fighters, so why did we not get our opportunity? I’ll never really know.
“Finally, to fight in Ireland… Words can’t even describe how good this feeling is right now.
“That atmosphere out there was 10 times louder than what I even expected. I can’t wait to do it again. Twenty fights I had before fighting here. I don’t want a big gap like that again.”
To the future, then, and it looks mightily exciting for this 27-year-old.
McKenna, who had never previously been able to land a showdown with one of the division’s top dogs, on Saturday night became the only top-10-ranked middleweight (by Ring Magazine) to earn a victory over a fellow top-10-ranked middleweight, which illustrates the state of flux in which the 160-pound division finds itself.
An excellent technician with high-end ring IQ and endurance, but equally with a`relatively low profile, McKenna was a why-bother opponent for the world’s best. Until he pulled up a seat at their table, that is.
“I’m going to be easy to find now that I have a belt. They’re all going to come crawling out looking for me now,” he said.
“But I want any of the other world champions. I want to unify. I said before the fight that I want to be an active world champion and that’s exactly what I’m going to be. It doesn’t matter who I’m fighting, and if any of those world champions don’t want it, I’ll jump up to 168 (super-middleweight).
“I feel like the middleweight division is there to be taken over, especially since ‘Triple G’ (Gennady Golovkin) and Canelo left it. I’ve said that I think I’m going to be the man to take it over and no one really believed me. But if you put in performances like that, they start listening.
“In life, you’ve gotta prove yourselves sometimes, and tonight I did that. I just hope one of the other world champions will take on the fight so we can clean up this mess of a division.”
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Aaron McKenna Boxing Irish Boxing World Champion