Boxing
Aaron McKenna has his eye on the prize
Published
5 months agoon
As it turns out, we are not the first to ask Aaron McKenna What would he spend his money on if he became Eddie Hearn’s million-dollar middleweight contender?
Hearn refined and perfected the “Prizefighter” format that helped revitalise Matchroom Boxing over a decade ago.
The original “Prizefighter” was a thrilling three-round tournament that pitted up-and-coming fighters against each other and back to the veterans over several action-packed hours.
The fresh version of the event will begin in Japan on Monday and will feature eight undefeated middleweights — with a combined record of 112-11-5 — who will fight over 10 and then 12 rounds over the coming months, with the winner taking home a $1 million prize.
The action begins in Osaka on Monday when McKenna (18-0, 9 KOs) takes on Jeovanny Estella (14-0, 5 KOs), while the other quarter-finals will feature Ainiwaer Yilixiati (19-1, 14 KOs) and Kieron Conway (20-3-1, 5 KOs), Kazuto Takesako (16-2-1, 5 KOs) and Mark Dickinson (6-0, 2 KOs), and Riku Kunimoto (11-1, 5 KOs) and Eiki Kani (8-4-3, 4 KOs).
Bookmakers predict McKenna will be the last man standing – and he will be richer for it.
“People always want to talk about the million dollars,” he said. “That’s what gets their attention.
“Money is life-changing, but I try not to think about it. I want to focus on the fight that’s ahead of me. I don’t want to get carried away. I want to win, and I want to win massive, to send a message that I’m the best middleweight in the world.
“I’m going to show people why I think I’m the best middleweight in the world. I want everyone to know I’m here to take over.”
The plan was for the McKenna brothers to become karate champions. Fergal McKenna fought for Ireland in the martial arts and dreamed that his sons Gary, Stephen and Aaron would follow in his footsteps.
“It was tedious,” said Aaron, the youngest of three siblings. “There wasn’t enough action for me. We went to a boxing gym when I was six, and I fell in love with it.”
Fergal gave his sons the best boxing education. As a boy, Fergal trained with Barry McGuigan at the Senior School Amateur Boxing Club and absorbed “some of the knowledge about the intensity and preparation that goes into it.”
The tradition was passed on to his sons, and Aaron estimates he had around 40 to 50 exhibition fights before he began boxing professionally at the age of 11.
He then won the gold medal at the 2011 European Schoolboys’ Championships and the silver medal at the 2014 European Junior Championships in Russia, and in the semi-finals of the 2011 Ringside World Championship in Kansas he faced Devin Haney, losing by unanimous decision.
“I’ve been all over the world,” McKenna said. “I’ve been going to the States since I was 16 and I’ve fought in gyms in Las Vegas, California and Mexico.
“I spent a year at Robert Garcia’s gym and I sparred with Vergil Ortiz almost every week. It was 10-round sparring.
“He showed me little Mexican moves that you don’t see from the British and Irish fighters. He taught me how to hold them back, walk around the ring and not waste energy.
“That’s what it takes to be a world champion. You have to do those things. You have to travel the world and learn as much as you can and see all the different styles.
“Imagine having so much experience and only being 24 years senior?”
McKenna is 24 years senior, 18-0 and is three wins away from winning a million dollars.
Like any other boxer, McKenna has had his share of frustrations in his career. He spent 12 months out of action (from December 2019 to December 2020) as US promoters Golden Boy struggled to secure fights for him, and there was another nine-month break between June 2022 and March 2023 after Mick Hennessy lost his contract with Channel Five.
The latest frustration came in January when former British title challenger Linus Udofia pulled out of a scheduled fight just days earlier. Mickey Ellison stepped in and was broken in six rounds in Liverpool, McKenna’s ninth knockout.
McKenna has added motivation to force an early night in Japan, where the winners will split a $100,000 prize pool, by suspending the tournament.
“The knockout bonus will make the fights very electrifying,” McKenna said. “Everybody will want that bonus. Every time I go in there, I go in with the intention of knocking out my opponent.”
He sees “Prizefighter” as “a chance to get my name out there in the world,” adding, “This is huge. This is the stuff dreams are made of. I’ve been trying to get these fights for a few years now.”
“Whenever I have a massive fight lined up, they pull it the week of the fight. Now I’m 18-0 and 24, and this came at the right time in my career. It was tough to match up with a massive name. Now I have three fights lined up. It’s the right time to show where I’m at.
“This is what all the years of challenging work and sacrifice have been for. I’ve trained my whole life for this moment.”
McKenna begins training for ‘Prizefighter’ in his garden!
“We have a gym built there,” he said, “and it has everything we need. It has strength equipment and boxing equipment. We train there every day and then when we have a date we go to the United States and the United Kingdom for sparring.”
Among his sparring partners over the last few months has been Terence Crawford.
“We were in Las Vegas for a month and we had him sparring at the UFC APEX gym,” McKenna said. “I did 10 four-minute rounds with 30 seconds off with Steve Nelson, Lester Martinez and Terence Crawford.
“I did five rounds with him” [Crawford] and it was like a game of chess. I had to be alert every second I was there because he was constantly trying to set traps and set me up for something.”
McKenna made a good impression.
“Bo Mac (coach Brian McIntyre) and Terence were really impressed with us,” he said. “They said they wanted us to come back for more scrimmages.
“It’s nice to hear that from someone I consider to be number one in the world for value for money.”
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Boxing
Mike Tyson “cried like a baby” over the loss of Jake Paul
Published
3 hours agoon
December 22, 2024After the boxing legend’s defeat, a video has been circulating online showing Mike Tyson allegedly crying during his fight with Jake Paul.
World Boxing News obtained a copy of the clip despite not watching the fight due to the nature of the 27-year-old YouTuber beating up on the 58-year-old boxing legend. However, the incident was captured during the rounds when Tyson made what appeared to be a whimper while sitting on a stool.
Since then, debate has raged over whether Tyson actually screamed or just felt pain for a split second, causing him to wince. After reviewing the evidence, it’s difficult to be sure, considering Tyson has openly talked about crying in the past.
One fan said, “Tyson was crying like a baby,” while another said, “Mike was just catching his breath,” offering differing opinions.
Paul defeated Tyson on points over ten rounds as the former heavyweight champion paced around the ring, looking lost at times. Netflix broadcast the event amid groans from fans over the broadcast quality as Tyson lost for the seventh time in his career and couldn’t get out of fifth gear.
Did Mike Tyson cry during his defeat against Jake Paul?#PaulTyson pic.twitter.com/3ahJgpK4UL
— Boxing News (@WorldBoxingNews) December 22, 2024
Tyson spoke out after his most humiliating defeat, explaining that he almost didn’t make it to the ring. The Fresh Yorker was content to be able to climb between the ropes one last time.
“It’s one of those situations where you lost but you still won. I’m grateful for last night. I don’t regret entering the ring for the last time,” Tyson wrote. “I almost died in June. He had eight blood transfusions. I lost half my blood and 25 pounds in the hospital and had to fight to get better to fight, so I won.
“My children seeing me stand shoulder to shoulder and finish eight innings with a talented fighter half my age in front of a packed Dallas Cowboy Stadium is an experience no man could ask for,” he once said. .
Tyson told his fans on FOX Sports Radio last week that he doesn’t remember much about the loss.
“I don’t remember that fight very well. But somehow I lost consciousness. I didn’t watch the fight,” he said. “You know what I remember, when I came back from the first round, Jake was doing some kind of bow. That’s the last thing I remember.”
On what he did after the defeat, Tyson added: “I wasn’t tired, I wasn’t sweaty. I went to the house where we lived. I went out with my wife and kids, went to the after-party and came back.”
Boxing
LIVE: Usyk vs Fury 2 match results from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Published
2 days agoon
December 21, 2024World Boxing News brings you live results from the Usyk vs Fury 2 event with the unified heavyweight title at stake in Saudi Arabia.
Oleksandr Usyk defends his WBC, WBO and WBA belts as the Ukrainian fights for back-to-back wins over Tyson Fury. Fury was almost knocked out by Usyk in May and will seek revenge at the Kingdom Arena.
WBN will also score the main event based on a live scorecard from the first to the last bell.
Live scores of the Usyk-Fury match
Andriy Nowicki defeated Edgar Ramirez by unanimous decision. The score was 100-90 and 98-92 twice, and the Ukrainian moved to 14-0, 10 KOs.
Joshua Ocampo lost in the preliminary fight Muhammad Alakel who scored a unanimous decision to enhance it to 2-0.
Other attacks
MAIN EVENT: WBC WORLD, WBO WORLD, WBA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE – 12 ROUNDS
Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury
Shypyntsi, Ukraine Lancashire, UK
22-0 (14 KOs) 34-1-1 (24 KOs)
226 lbs 281 lbs
CO-MAIN EVENT: HEAVYWEIGHT FIGHT (over 201 pounds) – 10 ROUNDS
Moses Itauma vs. Demsey McKean
Kent, UK, Queensland, Australia
22-0 (10 KOs) 22-1 (14 KOs)
249.1 lbs 251.1 lbs
Airy middleweight fight (154 pounds) – 12 rounds
Serhii Bohachuk vs. Ishmael Davis
Vinnytsia, Ukraine, Yorkshire, UK
24-2 (23 KOs) 13-1 (6 KOs)
153.1 lbs 153.6 lbs
Heavyweight fight (201+ pounds) – 10 rounds
Johnny Fisher vs. David Allen
London, UK Yorkshire, UK
12-0 (11 KOs) 23-6, 18 KOs
241.1 lbs 257.6 lbs
INTERNATIONAL SUPER FEATHERWEIGHT COMPETITION – 10 ROUNDS
Peter McGrail vs. Rhys Edwards
10-1 (6 KOs) / 16-0 (4 KOs)
Liverpool, UK / Merseyside, UK
129.8 lbs / 129.1 lbs
Fight for the WBA CONTINENTAL USA featherweight title (130 pounds) – 10 ROUNDS
Isaac Lowe vs. Lee McGregor
Lancashire, UK Edinburgh, Scotland
25-2-3 (8 KOs) 14-1-1 (11 KOs)
125.1 lbs 125.9 lbs
WBA CONTINENTAL HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIPS – 10 ROUNDS
Dylan Colin Vs. Daniel Łapina
Meurthe-et-Moselle, France / Wrocław, Poland
14-0 (4 KOs) / 10-0 (4 KOs)
Information about the Usyk vs Fury match on TV and PPV
Oleksandr Usyk’s rematch with Tyson Fury and the full undercard are available exclusively at DAZN Pay-Per-View (PPV) events worldwide. They cost £24.99 in the UK and $39.95 in the US and no DAZN subscription is required.
The PPV also includes a seven-day free trial of the entire DAZN platform. Usyk vs. Fury and all DAZN content can be watched anywhere, on any device via the DAZN app.
For more information and to purchase the fight, visit www.dazn.com.
Boxing
Tyson Fury vows: “I’m going to destroy this motherfucker!”
Published
2 days agoon
December 20, 2024Tyson Fury isn’t holding back on his desire for revenge against Oleksandr Usyk as the pair collided on Saturday night.
Fury aims to win the unified heavyweight title for the first time in nine years when he faces current champion Usyk six months after his first loss to the Ukrainian.
As the pair completed media formalities for the superfight, Fury made it clear how the fight would end.
“For the record, I’m going to absolutely annihilate this motherfucker on Saturday night. No pension. I will neat them all and he will be the first,” Fury assured.
Asked if he would try to do to Usyk what he did to Deontay Wilder in the rematch, Fury replied: “It was a long time ago” in reference to the 2020 knockout.
“[I’m] I’m not sure [if that Tyson Fury is there anymore]. Perhaps it has evaporated. Who knows? The legs may disappear. China may no longer exist. Boxing skills can be shot. We’ll find out on the 21st. That’s why you need to tune in to the pay-per-view on DAZN. Come and see whether the venerable dance master still understands it or not.
Referring to the training camp in Malta, Fury added: “[The] The weather is different, of course, but training is training, no matter where you are. These are very mundane, routine things. This happens again and again.
“For me, it doesn’t really matter where the camp is. I’ve attended camps in Vegas, Spain, everywhere, and I’m one of those people who doesn’t get distracted and gets the job done anyway. That’s what I do.
“If I were to train in a nightclub, I wouldn’t dance around the disco in the evening. I would just train.
Information about the Usyk vs Fury match
Former interim WBC 154-pound titleholder Serhii Bohachuk [24-2, 23 KOs] Now he will face British boxer Ishmael Davis [13-1, 6 KOs] in a 12-round super welterweight fight after Israil Madrimov was forced to withdraw due to illness.
Rising heavyweight star Moses Itauma [22-0, 10 KOs] and his opponent, Australian Demsey McKean (22-1, 14 KO), are ready to fight. Undefeated Johnny Fisher [12-0, 11 KOs[ squares off against former Commonwealth title challenger Dave Allen [23-6, 18 KOs].
Meanwhile, former Commonwealth Games gold medalist Peter McGrail [10-1, 6 KOs] takes over from Rhys Edwards at the last minute [16-0, 4 KOs] in a super featherweight fight. Isaac Lowe is also on the bill [25-2-3, 8 KOs[ will face Lee McGregor [14-1-1, 11 KOs] in a featherweight fight.
Daniel Lapin completes the card [10-0, 4 KOs]in which he will face another undefeated lightweight champion prospect, Dylan Colin [14-0, 4 KOs]and heavyweight knockout artist Andrii Novytskyi [14-0, 10 KOs] will face Edgar Ramirez [10-1-1, 4 KOs].
As is the tradition of the season, Riyad will feature local talent as Mohammed Alakel looks for a 2-0 win over Joshua Ocampo [8-33-5, 6 KOs].
Broadcast of the Usyk vs Fury match this Saturday on DAZN PPV.
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‘TYSON FURY WON’T D*** AROUND THIS TIME!’ – Jack Massey predicts USYK REVENGE, Opetaia
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