Dominant Aaron McKenna outclasses Oliha to win world title

Aaron McKenna became Ireland’s latest middleweight world champion when outclassing Etinosa Oliha at the 3Arena.

‘The Silencer’ landed the IBF World Middleweight strap following a dominant win over Oliha in the headline act at the Zuffa Boxing 10 card.

McKenna, trained by his father Fergal, impressed to earn deservedly wide cards of 118-110, 117-111 and 116-112. 

From Smithboro in Monaghan, McKenna took a scenic route to The Point, his first 10 bouts on the west coast of America before coming back across the Atlantic. McKenna had also been to Osaka for a stoppage win over Jeovanny Estela in 2024.

Now, though, he was home in style – and McKenna joins that great pantheon of Irish world champions.

“Doesn’t that sound lovely?” McKenna, whose record is now 21-0, said. “I’ve said it for years – and I’ve finally got my chance. Nine years as a pro and I never got the chance to fight here.

“I never lost discipline in training. I was wondering would it ever come.”

The 27-year-old, in his 21st professional fight – and his first in Ireland as a pro – was in complete command as he toppled Oliha.

McKenna hadn’t fought since defeating former world champion Liam Smith at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last April and hasn’t had a busy schedule, with only four fights since June 2023.

Inactivity did show up at times for McKenna in the early rounds, but he eased up the gears in the championship rounds. By the sixth, there had been real chinks showing in Oliha and McKenna 

McKenna, who entered the arena to ‘The Foggy Dew’, arrowed a bleaching body blow to Oliha in the 10th round.

By that stage, the audience was upping its own ante for, barring a miracle, Oliha was done.

It has been a cautious, cagey, beginning to the contest. Both men landed big right paws in the second and McKenna enjoyed good success at the end of the third.

In the sixth, Oliha was showing tiring signs and McKenna pounced. 

By the eighth, the Monaghan man was looking like a man enjoying his night’s work. A head clash in the 11th wasn’t going to prove fatal at that stage and there never felt a moment where McKenna seemed in danger of not having the new red belt put around his waist.  The belt has been held by luminaries such as Marvin Hagler, Bernard Hopkins, Roy Jones Jr, Canelo Alvarez and most recently by Zhanibek Alimkhanuly – a possible opponent in the near future for McKenna.

“I made I harder than it should have been,” he said afterwards.

His brother Stevie was in the red corner just a couple of hours after stopping Owen O’Neill in the opening round of one of the earlier fights.

McKenna penned the latest glorious chapter in Irish boxing.

He beamed: “I’ve thought about this moment for my whole life.”

Now it was his reality.