Latest news with #TheSilencer
Irish Daily Mirror
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Barry McGuigan hails 'impressive' Aaron McKenna as he sends message to boxer
Barry McGuigan was impressed by Aaron McKenna's performance against Liam Smith last month and believes the 25-year-old has a massive future ahead of him. 'The Silencer' recorded the biggest victory of his career so far after knocking Smith down on his way to a unanimous decision victory on the huge Chris Eubank Jr v Conor Benn card in London. McKenna dominated the 12-round contest against the former WBO world light-middleweight champion, knocking the Liverpool veteran down with a lovely body shot in the final round. "Aaron McKenna is a very impressive young man, McGuigan told the Irish Mirror via Betway. "He produced a very impressive performance against Liam Smith. He's not really a puncher but more of a boxer. He can switch southpaw to orthodox and it was a really good performance. "That left hook to the body in the 12th round was a fantastic shot and it was how I took most of my opponents out with the left hook to the body. He continued: "I like Aaron's progress, the way he is developing and getting better. I wish him the best of luck." McKenna won the WBA International Middleweight belt by beating Smith and McGuigan is backing him to follow in his footsteps by becoming another Monaghan man to fight for a world title. Echoing the words of McKenna, the former WBA featherweight world champion and boxing 'hall of famer' believes there is plenty more to come from the Smithborough man. "I think Aaron is definitely going to fight at world level," added the Clones Cyclone. "Erislandy Lara, Janibek Alimkhanuly and Carlos Adames are the champions. "Aaron has to develop a little bit more before he fights for a world title and with the greatest respect, Liam Smith is a junior middleweight, he needs a fully-fledged middleweight who is going to test him. "There's a way of how you develop and bring guys through. You start off with guys who are not so good and as they get better, you take guys on who are not as tired and are more of a challenge and test. Aaron still has to have that acid test. "He needs another half a dozen fights or maybe four or five fights before he fights for a world title, but he is impressive, and I was hugely impressed with his performance and congratulations to him and his dad. "Aaron did what I thought he would do. He's a good puncher but not a knockout artist but he is getting better and developing. "Development and confidence is about becoming more reassured with punching range and learning how to slip and slide. "Aaron was moving his head around very well and I loved the way he was switching from southpaw to orthodox, the way he was moving his upper body and landing those body shots. "Liam Smith is a former light middleweight champion, so I expected it to go the distance but very impressed with his performance. "He looks huge for the weight so I think inevitably he moves to 168lbs but does he do that before he fights for a world title? He is 25 so is still in development."
The Irish Sun
27-04-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Only way is up for Aaron McKenna as Irish boxing star dominates Liam Smith on undercard of Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn
AARON McKENNA eclipsed Liam Smith during a Spurfect display at the Tottenham Stadium. The unbeaten Monaghan middleweight, 25, was taking a huge step up in class against the former world champion. 1 Aaron McKenna beat Liam Smith Credit: Reuters - Action Images But he showed he was more than up to the task as he dominated the Liverpudlian over 12 rounds. McKenna turned down a world title shot to box at the 62,850-seater Premier League ground, confident a huge win would put him in the shop window for future lucrative outings. And his brilliant performance effectively guaranteed that as he controlled the bout from the opening round. 'The Silencer' was harshly docked a point for use of the forearm in the sixth and scored a knockdown via a left hook to the body in the final 12th. Read More on Boxing And the official scores — 119-108, 117-109, 118-108 — showed how much of a one-sided contest it was in the end.
Irish Daily Mirror
27-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
McKenna says 'this is only the start' as he puts middleweight division on notice
Aaron McKenna warned 'this is only the start' after recording the biggest win of his career to date on Saturday night. The Monaghan man knocked Liam Smith down on his way to a unanimous decision victory, winning the WBA International Middleweight title in the process at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. It was a coming of age performance from the 25-year-old, who dominated the 12-round contest against the former WBO world light-middleweight champion, 11 years his senior, on the Chris Eubank Jr v Conor Benn card. "This is only the start," McKenna, who was given the nod by the three judges (119-108, 117-109, and 118-108), told the Irish Mirror afterwards. "I'm going to keep my feet on the ground and stay focused until I become world champion. This isn't even 10% of what I can do." He added: "What a feeling that was. I got the chance to show myself on the biggest stage in the world and with an audience that big, a packed out arena. "There was pressure on me, no one gave me a chance. All the boxing experts said Smith was too experienced, so what a time to do it." McKenna showed his slick boxing skills and fantastic movement throughout and put the rest of the middleweight division on notice. 'The Silencer' used his jab brilliantly, also catching Smith with numerous right hands and uppercuts as he maintained his range superbly, switching stances at times. The now 20-0 fighter will face anyone next and on the basis of that performance there probably won't be too many putting their hands up to share the ring with him. "It sets up anything," continued McKenna. "I believe I'm the best fighter in the middleweight division. I want any fight next. "You have the main event as well tonight. Whether they take the fight or not, I don't know. Eddie Hearn said in an interview during the week that if I win this fight it's going to be massive for Irish boxing, that I'm the next superstar coming through. "So, you could take big fights back to Ireland." McKenna also paid tribute to his opponent, who has previously shared the ring with the likes of Canelo Álvarez, and Jaime Munguía, with Saturday's defeat just his fifth from 39 fights. It was Smith's first fight since being stopped by Eubank Jr in the tenth round of their rematch in September 2023, eight months after 'Beefy' knocked him out in Manchester. The game Liverpool man kept going right until the final bell when many others would have looked for a way out in similar circumstances and managed to survive until the end of the bout after being floored by a left hook to the body in the final round. "A win like that is a nice scalp to have on your record," said McKenna. "What a legend the sport of Liam Smith is and it was an honour to share the ring with him. I watched him growing up when he was world champion. I watched his fight live against Canelo and now I got to share the ring with him. "I not only beat him, but dropped him along the way too. It's going to do wonders for my career."
Irish Daily Mirror
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Aaron McKenna beats Liam Smith with boxing masterclass on Eubank Jr vs Benn card
Aaron McKenna produced a boxing masterclass to record the biggest victory of his career over Liam Smith on Saturday night. Fighting on the Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn card at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Monaghan man outclassed the former world champion throughout the 12-round contest, winning via unanimous decision. McKenna caused the Liverpool native, 11 years the 25-year-old's senior, all sorts of problems during the fight, using his jab brilliantly throughout and knocking him down with a body shot in the final round. He showed the wide range of shots he possesses in his armoury over the 36 minutes and a game Smith couldn't find an answer to McKenna's magnificence. McKenna felt out his opponent early on, but the jab was causing Smith problems from the start. As the bout went on, the Irishman began to put together lovely combinations and went to the body, while also throwing the odd uppercut. 'The Silencer' silenced any doubters he had with the dazzling display and now has massive options moving forward after winning the WBA International Middleweight title with the victory. McKenna had described the bout as 'life-changing' beforehand, while promoter Eddie Hearn said the event was the biggest boxing show the UK has ever seen with 65,000 in attendance. Carl Frampton was working as a pundit on the bout and had McKenna well ahead on his scorecard, with the three judges at ringside agreeing as they scored the bout 119-108, 117-109 and 118-108 in his favour. The victory moves the Smithborough man to 20-0 as a professional, with ten of his victories coming by knockout. The bout was former light-middleweight world champion Smith's first fight since being stopped by Eubank Jr in the tenth round of their rematch in September 2023, eight months after the Liverpool native knocked him out in Manchester. 'Beefy' has also shared the ring with the likes of Canelo Álvarez, and Jaime Munguía, with Saturday's defeat just his fifth from 39 fights. Smith had claimed pre-fight that he would be too experienced for McKenna, but it was the Monaghan man who looked levels above the veteran. While McKenna and Smith went to war on Saturday night, they are both Liverpool fans and will be hoping to see the Reds clinch their 20th league title when they host Spurs at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.
Irish Daily Mirror
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
What time and TV channel is Liam Smith v Aaron McKenna on tonight?
Aaron McKenna puts his undefeated record on the line in the toughest test of his career to date when he faces Liam Smith. The middleweight bout comes on the Chris Eubank Jr v Conor Benn card at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in North London. McKenna's record stands at 19-0, with 10 KOs, but former world champion Smith is a big step up in opponent for 'The Silencer'. However, the Liverpool native (33-4-1) has been out of the ring since he was stopped by Eubank Jr in the tenth round of their rematch in September 2023, eight months after Smith knocked him out in Manchester. And McKenna, who is the favourite with the bookies to emerge victorious, is very confident that he will have his hand raised in victory. A win for the Smithborough man would open up a lot of opportunities and very much be life changing. It would also see him crowned the WBA International Middleweight champion. Here's what you need to know: The fight takes place on the Chris Eubank Jr v Conor Benn card at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in North London on Saturday, April 26. The first fight of the night is scheduled to start at 5.20pm, with McKenna's bout with Smith the third fight on the card. It is likely to start at some time after 7pm. DAZN PPV will show the event live around the world, while Sky Sports Box Office will broadcast the action live in Ireland and the UK. It costs €24.95 in Ireland and £19.95 in the UK. Aaron McKenna: "I understand there is a lot of people saying this is too soon for me, it's too early and I'm too young. I don't have the experience but it's my time to show everyone that all the training, all the hard work, all the experience I've had through the years will pay off. On Saturday night I look forward to it. "I want to beat the beat version of Liam Smith and I do expect the best version of Liam Smith to turn up. I want the one that knocked out Chris Eubank. I believe that's the one that his coming. It was only two fights ago that he knocked out Chris Eubank Jr in devastating fashion. That's the one I do hope that shows up." Liam Smith: "I've had a tough 12 months. 18 months since I lost to Chris. Getting injured after it, falling ill for the huge September card at Wembley. It's good to be back. It's good to be back fit and healthy, back in shape. I'm looking forward to this. The best Liam Smith turns up, Aaron McKenna is made for me. That's the one I fully intent to turn up. "Him and his brother, they're kind of the same thing. They're game. They're very hungry, enthusiastic kids. I also feel that's going to be Aaron's downfall." Aaron McKenna win: 4/6 Liam Smith win: 11/8 Draw: 14/1
