Interviews
Conor Benn knows I’m too huge and too mighty for him
Published
7 months agoon
By
J. HumzaStephen McKenna is eyeing a clash with Conor Benn next summer but has warned he is too mighty for him.
McKenna has eight stoppages in as many professional fights against his fellow undefeated opponent. Benn is at the top of his hit list as he looks to operate at welterweight after a campaign primarily at super lightweight.
Benn will move up to 147 pounds and will face Adrian Granados at Matchroom on July 31, but the Irishman said “The Destroyer” is tiny for his weight and believes he would prove too much.
“I’m doing a huge, mighty 147, I’m six feet high, I’ll fill a huge 147.” McKenna told Hennessy Sports.
“I was huge at 140 pounds, so getting closer to 147 pounds, I feel a lot stronger and I’m working on my punching power. It will be stimulating at 147 pounds, there are a lot of names I will be looking for.
“If you know Conor Benn is one of them, I would love to get him in the ring if he gets in the ring with me. I don’t think he wants that.
“He knows, he knows that I’m too huge and mighty for him too. I would have no problem taking Conor Benn out of there. I would fight him in the morning. Conor Benn is really just a little bit tiny and super delicate. He is not size 147, he is very tiny, I am too mighty and huge for him.
“The Hitman” eliminated Damian Haus in the first round on the undercard of Sam Eggington’s unanimous decision win over Carlos Molina in Coventry in May.
McKenna, who sparred Josh Taylor ahead of his undisputed super lightweight victory over Jose Ramirez in May, joins a decorated division that includes WBO champion Terence Crawford, unified WBC and IBF champion Errol Spence Jr, as well as Manny Pacquiao, who will face Spence on August 21 in Las Vegas.
The 24-year-old wants to reach world level within two years and his target is to face Benn in Ireland next summer.
“147 is a mighty division right now and for the next two years I want to be there winning a world title and be up there with their names,” McKenna added.
Hopefully we’ll have some huge fights next year and get Connor Benn next summer. This is a fight that fans in the UK and Ireland would love to see and it would be a great fight.
“We need huge fights in Ireland too and it could happen there and the fans in the UK would love to see it.”
You may like
Natasha Jonas unified the welterweight division by defeating Ivana Habazin by clear points on Saturday to add the WBC title to her IBF crown at the Exhibition Center in Liverpool.
Jonas (16-2-1, 9 KO) was last seen defending her title in January in a hard-fought split decision over Mikaela Mayer, while Habazin (23-6, 7 KO) won the vacant WBC welterweight title in her home country. time out, winning by wide points over Kinga Magyar.
After a technical opening round, Jonas settled into a steady rhythm before landing a powerful right hand in the fourth round that crushed Habazin.
There was a rivalry, but the home favorite was much better in the rallies and seemed to be losing round after round.
This situation lasted until the final bell, when Jonas became the winner by scores of 100-90, 99-91 and 99-92.
Price is closing in on Jonas’ match
Lauren Price definitely stayed on as a collision course with Jonas and easily defended her WBA and IBO welterweight titles after a third-round fight against Bexcy Mateus.
Mateus (7-1, 6 KO) was on board in the first round, after the Welshman landed a powerful left hand, and the Colombian struggled to match Price’s speed.
The same shot caused the 29-year-old to repeat the punch in the second round, and the round later ended when another stinging left hand stunned Meteus and she fell to the canvas, after which the fight was stopped.
Price (8-0, 2 KO) has agreed to face Jonas next, and promoter Ben Shalom revealed it could be announced next week.
Knife edge passes McKenna
Lee Cutler scored an upset victory to claim the silver WBC International welterweight title after winning a majority decision against Stephen McKenna.
McKenna (15-1, 14 KO) was eliminated in the first round, his knee touching the canvas after being tagged, and Cutler (15-1, 7 KO) took full advantage of his opponent’s weakness in the seventh round when his right hand plunged into his knee. The Irishman who ultimately fell once again.
McKenna was relentless in his attacks and landed a huge number of punches.
The balance of 94-94 was surpassed by the scores of 95-93 and 96-92, which ensured the victory for Cutler.
Jeffers stopped Quartey
Mark Jeffers is on track for large fights in 2025 after defeating Joshua Quartey to defend his silver Commonwealth super middleweight title.
A pair of right hands put Quartey (10-1, 9 KO) on the board, and although he broke the count, a well-placed body shot after the restart by Jeffers (19-0, 6 KO) blew the guy away again.
A crazy attack after the restart forced a stoppage.
Riley secures Chamberlain’s face-off with a stoppage
Viddal Riley finished the heavyweight fight and stopped Dan Garber in the second of the scheduled six rounds.
Riley (12-0, 7 KO) hit Garber (7-4, 2 KO) with his right hand, and then his next attack forced the referee’s intervention.
Riley’s next match will be against Isaac Chamberlain on February 1.
Undercard remaining
Mason Cartwright (21-4-1, 8 KO) won all six rounds at super welterweight against Dzmitry Atrokhau (16-25, 7 KO), and Hope lightweight Frankie Stringer (9-0, 1 KO) did the same in the fight against Tatenda Mangombe (3-9-1).
In the flyweight division, Mikie Tallon (6-0) defeated Benn Norman (7-7) with a body shot in the first round of the match, and then settled for a 59-54 victory.
The only fighter to fight four rounds in the super featherweight division was Mason Devine (6-0, 1 KO), who won every session against Jayo Fernando Duran (15-34-1, 14 KO).
Interviews
Dillian Whyte explains how Tyson Fury can defeat Oleksandr Usyk
Published
1 week agoon
December 10, 2024Dillian Whyte has revealed his predictions for the hotly anticipated rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury on December 21.
Fury, who knocked out Whyte at Wembley Stadium in 2022, will seek revenge for the only defeat of his career in just 11 days, after losing to Usyk by split decision earlier this year.
Despite losing the night, “The Gypsy King” was a major success and many are struggling to pick a winner in his second battle against the imperious Ukrainian.
Some experts believe Fury needs to be more aggressive and take the lead if he is to win.
I’m talking to Social boxingWhyte revealed he shared that view, asking the Morecambe man to return to the game plan that saw him destroy Deontay Wilder in the return leg.
“It’s a great fight, man, I’m still trying to think – how will this fight go?
“Okay, Fury can make changes, but Usyk can make changes too. It’s a tough fight, a very, very tough fight for both fighters.
“If I were Fury’s coach, I would tell him he has to play aggressively.
“Fight him like you fought Wilder the second time.
“Bring back the aggression, bring back the tyrant!
“This is heavyweight boxing – you never know.”
It is unclear whether Fury will heed the advice of Whyte and others in the boxing world who have advised him to take the fight to Usyk, but looks noticeably heavier than before the first fight.
What are the changes? ❌@Tyson_Fury says he will exploit exactly the same game plan as the first time when he faces Oleksandr Usyk at the end of the month.
Thinks? 🧐 pic.twitter.com/VtpEwLJkWx
— Professional boxing fans (@ProBoxingFans) December 6, 2024
Win or lose, the 36-year-old could face a long-awaited home fight against Anthony Joshua, even though “A.J.” interrupted defeat against Daniel Dubois in September.
While it may not have been as great a spectacle as it once was, a clash between Joshua and Fury would still be by far the biggest all-British fight in recent memory.
As for Whyte, he returns to the ring next Sunday night and will face Ghanaian heavyweight Ebenezer Tetteh live on DAZN in Gibraltar.
Interviews
Gervonta Davis asks why he should fight Shakur Stevenson
Published
2 weeks agoon
December 6, 2024The All-American fight between lightweight world champions Gervonta Davis and Shakur Stevenson is one of the most anticipated fights in all of boxing.
Both Davis and Stevenson are undefeated multi-weight champions and are staples on any respected pound-for-pound list.
With this in mind, you could be forgiven for assuming that the pair locking corners in their prime years is a given, but that doesn’t seem likely to happen in the near future.
“Tank” spoke to the media at the press conference inaugurating his performance March 1 fight with Lamont Roach, and when the prospect of fighting Stevenson arose, he didn’t seem particularly interested.
The Baltimore hitter even went so far as to question what his compatriot did to deserve him.
“What for? Who has Shakur [beat]? What did Shakur do?
“What has he achieved in sports? He didn’t do anything! Juvenile people look better than him!”
“Keyshawn [Davis] you look so much better than that nigga! Shout it out nigga, he ain’t done nothing!
I asked Gervonta about a possible fight with Shakur… #Box #TankRoach pic.twitter.com/T1eNFJ9iIO
— Dwa O Dwa Z.. (@Noo_Barzz) December 3, 2024
“Why the hell are you saying his name?”
Like Davis, Stevenson will also return to action in the first quarter of next year, fighting against up-and-comer Floyd Schofield on the February 22 Riyad season card.
The Newark southpaw has been sidelined since his July decision victory over Artem Harutyunyan after he had to withdraw from a proposed October fight with Joe Cordina due to injury.
Saudi boxing boss Turki Alalshikh has expressed his willingness to have a fight between the two virtuosos, provided both are successful in their upcoming fights.
‼️ His Excellency Turki Alalshikh stated that he wants the Gervonta Davis vs Shakur Stevenson fight: “My plan for Shakur is this fight [vs Floyd Schofield]then William Zepeda, and then let’s see if Tank wants to come on our show.” [@DAZNBoxing] pic.twitter.com/Mmi6hO7Fjo
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBenson) December 3, 2024
While he undoubtedly has the talent to rival Davis, Stevenson is not as commercial a star as his rival, and some critics believe he needs to start giving more entertaining performances if he wants to get substantial names.
Tyson Fury vows: “I’m going to destroy this motherfucker!”
‘EVERY FIGHT IS A MAIN EVENT!’ – Nick Campbell on Saudi MEGA CARD for 2025
Daniel Dubois & Joseph Parker Meet Ahead Of February Fight
Trending
-
MMA7 months ago
Max Holloway is on a mission at UFC 212
-
Interviews2 months ago
Carl Froch predicts that Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol
-
MMA7 months ago
Cris Cyborg ready to add a UFC title to her collection
-
Interviews2 months ago
Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol
-
MMA7 months ago
The Irish showed up in droves at the Mayweather-McGregor weigh-in
-
Boxing5 months ago
Lucas Bahdi ready to test his skills against Ashton Sylve
-
Interviews7 months ago
I fell in love with boxing again
-
Opinions & Features2 months ago
Dmitry Bivol: The story so far