'I'm going to be the man to take over': Aaron McKenna plots next move after world title win

McKenna took particular aim at WBC middleweight title holder Carlos Adames, calling him a "lazy fighter".

Aaron McKenna celebrates with his brother Stevie after winning the IBF middleweight world title. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

Aaron McKenna believes he can dominate at 160 pounds after he defeated Etinosa Oliha to claim the vacant IBF middleweight world title on the Zuffa Boxing card at the 3Arena on Saturday night. 

The 27-year-old from Monaghan gave a masterful performance, utterly outboxing the Italian in a unanimous decision win to remain undefeated in his nine-year career. He is just the fourth Irish fighter ever to win a middleweight world title. 

"The middleweight division is there to be took over," said McKenna.

"It's been dry for years since Triple G and Canelo left it. I said it years ago, I think I'm going to be the man to take over, and no one really believed me. If I continue to put in performances like that, they'll start listening. In life, you've got to prove yourself sometimes and tonight I done 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.

"I'm going to be easy to find now because of the belt. They're all going to come out crawling looking for [a fight] now. I said before the fight, I want to be an active world champion and that's exactly what I'm going to be. I don't want this belt being inactive. It doesn't matter who I'm fighting, just unifying. If any of them world champions don't want it, I'll jump up to 168."

McKenna took particular aim at WBC title holder Carlos Adames. The Irishman knows the Dominican well from the time he spent forging his talents as a teenager in American and Mexican gyms. 

"He's a guy that's been hiding a long time," said McKenna.

"I sparred him a lot in Robert Garcia's gym when I was 19. He must have been mid-20s. He didn't like me at all in sparring. He's a very lazy fighter, I think. When you really put it on him, he doesn't want to know after a few rounds. Why not get that one on?"

Earlier in the evening, McKenna's older brother Stevie defeated fellow Irishman Owen O'Neill with a first round knockout. Having a gap of several hours between the fights was deliberate. Both fighters are trained by their father, Fergal, and Stevie was in Aaron's corner for the main event. Aaron believes he and his brother have been unfairly denied opportunities during their careers.  

"For years they tried to smother us and keep us down, that's what happens in the sport of boxing," said McKenna.

"So two people, me and Stephen, we're exciting fighters so why did we not get our opportunity? That's one question I never really know so they held us back for years and finally to fight in Ireland, words can't even describe how good this feeling is right now.

"I was held back for years and I don't know why. It was 2021, I knew I was at this level. I went over to America at 16 and was doing that kind of stuff against world level fighters, even at 16."