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No rematch – Tyrone McKenna targets Ohara Davies following Anto Upton win


Belfast’s call out king wasn’t going to disappoint after he registered another impressive win on Saturday night.

Light welterweight southpaw Tyrone McKenna [16(6)-0-1] registered his third all-Irish win in 18 months by dropping outpointing Anthony Upton on the Frampton-Donaire undercard at the SSE Odyssey Arena and immediately expressed a desire for more named fighters.

‘The Mighty Celt’ once again namedropped Ohara Davies – a fighter more attainable now that he has signed to the promoter of the BT Sport bill, Frank Warren – and added the Jamie Moore-trained Jack Catterall and Irish-American Danny O’Connor to his wish list.

Speaking to IFL TV after victory over Upton, who was coached by McKenna’s close friend Ray Ginley, the rangey fighter outlined how “I’ve always said I want the big names.”

“I want Ohara Davies, I want Jack Catterall. I respect Jack Catterall but I would love to fight him. I just want the top names,” he said.

“Even Danny O’Connor from America, he’s got the WBC [International] silver title, I’d love to fight him.”

“I’ve sparred him [O’Connor] before, we’re friends but I’d like to make that fight happen. Anyone can get it Line them up and sign them up, I want them all.”

While Catterall looks to be being primed for Terry Flanagan, assuming the Manchester man wins the WBO title versus Maurice Hooker, and with O’Connor being an ocean away, the controversial Davies seems like a real option now.

The youngest of the three boxing Upton brothers, who was a replacement on four weeks notice for Phil Sutcliffe Jr, called for a return after his reverse but McKenna made it clear he looks forward not back when it comes to boxing.

“A rematch? Listen I beat him and I move on, that is what I do I beat them and move on to the next one. I am not fighting someone twice, that’s not what I do.”

“He is a great counter puncher, he made the fight hard, it was a hard fight and a good fight. It seems every fight I have the opponent says he wants a rematch, that’s happened the last three fights.”

The moustache-wearing Lenadoon entertainer felt he controlled the majority of the fight and even suggested Upton was in survival mode from round five on.

“I was comfortable in there. I always felt I was winning I always felt I was controlling him. I was pressuring him and I thought I was landing the better shots.”

“I was getting caught with a couple of silly ones every so often, but I though but I think I was going too much for him to be winning the rounds.”

“Obviously, I caught him with a body shot in the second last round and I hurt him. I think after the fifth everything was gone from him and he was just trying to survive.”

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