Brave to the Last – Warrior Tyrone McKenna Stopped by Eubank
Tyrone McKenna’s warrior spirt was on display in Brighton tonight but toughness wasn’t enough against Harlem Eubank.
Eubank mastered tactical warfare, made sure the Belfast battler couldn’t make it brawl, and inflicted defeat on one of Irish boxing’s greatest entertainers as a result.
McKenna did have his moments, but they were few and far between, and the fact that he had to show the size of the heart he carries in his chest summed up the bout.
‘The Mighty Celt’ got up off the canvas three times before the referee finally stepped in and saved him from his own bravery in the tenth.
In true McKenna fashion, he went out swinging and enjoyed an aggressive last stand. Indeed, even after the fight was stopped, he was looking for an argument, pointing out the finish was premature through a cheeky smile.
In fairness, Eubank was well ahead on the cards at that stage and well on his way to a breakout win, regardless.
There will be questions with regard to what McKenna does next and if he were to elect to go back into retirement, he would do so with the respect and appreciation of the Irish fight fraternity whom he entertained massively over the years.
It wasn’t quite peace in our time by the war lover in the first, but McKenna elected against throwing bombs and looked to box.
He played the home fighter at his own game and was happy to keep it long.
It was similarly strangely sensible by ‘The Mighty Celt’ in the second as he looked to fight off a long southpaw jab.
Eubank may have been confused, expecting a more aggressive approach, but he wasn’t overawed in another close tenative round.
The footwork of the fighter from the famous fighting family frustrated the fighter from a famous fight city in the third round. McKenna looked to close the gap but couldn’t pin his foe down.
The home fighter began to grow in confidence, became more adventourous and possibly took the round.
A big right landed in the fourth got the home crowd off their feet. It drew blood and a smile from McKenna, who ensured it was sandwiched between two lefts, albeit they were shots less eye-catching than his opponent’s best work in the stanza.
The serial entertainer started the next well, but just before the session finished, he had to pick himself up off the canvas.
Eubank slipped and landed a brilliant uppercut, sending McKenna down for the seventh time in his career. He was up before the ref could start counting, and true Mighty Celt fashion responded with a wink and smile.
As expected, the Oliver Plunkett graduate responded in kind and started the sixth on the front foot. He gave Eubank a taste of his own medicine across the first minute, landing a shot of note himself, although the Brighton native finished the round well to put himself in contention for another round.
The seventh finished the same as the fifth with a well-timed right hand dropping McKenna temporarily. The Belfast man was up as quick as he was down, suggesting he was caught out by speed and precision rather than hurt.
It did mean he most likely got to the stage where he needed a knockout to win, but pinning the English man to get it was proving hard.
There were no knockdowns over the next two rounds but Eubank was impressing and landing the more noteworthy shots.
As per the norm, the Whiskey and White host was full of guts and never gave up. The veteran was down twice in the 10th, once via a low blow and once via another brilliant right hand. Again, the brave battler sprung back to his feet, but sensing blood, Eubank went for the kill.
To his credit, McKenna jumped on his shield and wasn’t going out without a fight, but the referee showed real mercy, stepping in and saving the ever-willing southpaw from himself.
