Zuffa Boxing 10: McKenna Claims World Title As Irish Fighters Impress In Dublin

Zuffa Boxing made its Irish debut at Dublin's 3Arena on Saturday night, with the promotion's first event in the country producing an IBF world champion and victories for several of the home fighters on the card.

118-110, 117-111, 116-112

Aaron McKenna became a world champion for the first time after defeating Etinosa Oliha by unanimous decision for the vacant IBF middleweight title.

The Monaghan fighter entered the contest unbeaten, as did his Italian opponent, with both men looking to claim the biggest title of their professional careers. McKenna had already established himself as one of Ireland's leading middleweights, with his 2025 victory over former world champion Liam Smith representing the most significant win of his career before Saturday night.

Oliha arrived in Dublin with an undefeated record of his own, making this a meeting between two fighters yet to taste professional defeat. McKenna was able to establish the clearer work across the 12-round contest and build enough of an advantage for all three judges to score in his favour.

The 118-110, 117-111 and 116-112 scorecards gave McKenna a clear decision and moved his professional record to 21-0.

The victory also makes McKenna the first world champion produced by Zuffa Boxing. More importantly for the 29-year-old, it completes the move from highly regarded contender to champion and gives him a title around which the next stage of his career can be built.

McKenna now has the opportunity to establish himself at the top of the middleweight division, with his first defence likely to provide the next significant test.

98-91, 98-91, 96-90

Callum Walsh retained his unbeaten record with a unanimous decision victory over former European champion Tyler Denny, although the contest provided the Irishman with a more demanding test than the records suggested.

Denny's experience was evident early on as he dropped Walsh in the opening round. Walsh responded immediately in the second, returning the knockdown and putting Denny on the canvas himself.

From there, Walsh was able to settle into the fight and establish greater control. The contest was not without further complications, however, with Walsh suffering a cut following a clash of heads and both fighters later being deducted points in the eighth round.

Walsh continued to work through those setbacks and finished strongly enough to take the decision on all three scorecards. The 98-91, 98-91 and 96-90 verdicts move him to 17-0.

The win is another useful addition to Walsh's professional development. At 25, the Irish southpaw is still progressing towards the level where world-title opportunities become realistic, and Denny provided the type of experienced opponent capable of testing that progression.

Walsh's previous major step came against Carlos Ocampo earlier this year, when he also went the distance in a unanimous decision victory. The Denny fight therefore gives Walsh another ten-round contest in which he has had to deal with adversity rather than simply relying on his finishing ability.

The next stage of his career will be particularly interesting, with Walsh continuing to build his résumé under the Zuffa Boxing banner.

97-93, 97-93, 96-94

Joe Ward made a successful return to the ring after almost two years away, defeating previously unbeaten Artjom Kasparian by unanimous decision.

The opening round was tentative, but Ward began to find more success in the second, landing several significant shots and getting Kasparian's attention.

Kasparian had entered the contest with a 14-0 record and 12 knockouts, making him a dangerous opponent for Ward's return. Ward gradually found greater success as the fight progressed and produced a stronger second half to take the decision.

The judges scored the contest 97-93, 97-93 and 96-94, moving Ward to 13-1.

For a fighter with such an accomplished amateur background, the result provides an important platform for the next stage of his professional career. Ward has previously won major European and World Championship medals and represented Ireland at the 2016 Olympic Games, but his professional career has been interrupted by periods of inactivity.

Speaking to Brandon Warke of Combat Evolved, Ward was asked whether his multi-fight agreement with Zuffa could provide the platform to show what he can do at world level.

“Absolutely, the platform is there and Zuffa is going to give me the opportunity to show what I can do on the biggest stages. Glad to fight for the first time in 3Arena, electric atmosphere and we are ready to take on anyone in 175 division in Zuffa.”

With Ward now back in action, regular activity will be key if he is to make the most of the opportunity he believes Zuffa can provide.

Sam Hickey produced one of the card's more emphatic stoppages, knocking out Brad Axe at the start of the seventh round.

The fight had been competitive during the opening stages before Hickey dropped Axe with a right hand over the top in the third. Axe went down to one knee and survived the remainder of the round.

Hickey continued to grow into the contest and finished the later rounds strongly before producing the decisive finish in the seventh. There was also a sizeable Scottish contingent supporting Hickey in Dublin.

After the fight, Hickey spoke about a brief exchange he had with Dana White: “Dana said WOW, him and Nick Khan were sitting there and they were impressed.”

The victory moves Hickey to 6-0.

Stevie McKenna needed just 65 seconds to stop Owen O'Neill in the final fight of the preliminary portion of the card.

McKenna's ring walk to ‘The Fields of Athenry’ helped create one of the more notable atmospheres of the evening, with the 6pm start doing little to dampen the support inside the 3Arena.

Once the fight began, McKenna wasted little time. A heavy shot nearly took O'Neill off his feet before the referee brought the contest to an end.

Speaking about the opportunities now available to himself and his brother Aaron, McKenna said: “Feels him and his brother have been held back for so many years and they are now in the right place to get to the top.”

The victory moves Stevie McKenna to 17-1 and provided a quick finish ahead of his brother Aaron's world-title bout later in the evening.

Louis Greene earned a unanimous decision over Daniel Buciuc, with the judges awarding him a 59-55 score.

Greene was the more effective fighter throughout the contest and came close to stopping Buciuc in the final round, although his opponent managed to see out the fight.

Greene had spoken positively about his first week working with Zuffa Boxing and was particularly complimentary about the experience.

“It exceeded my expectations and more, everyone has been brilliant, I have never had anything like it.”

Greene also spoke about his long-standing connection with the UFC, explaining: “I've been a fan of the UFC since I was a boy, my son is a huge fan, when he seen me on the TV with Dana yesterday he rang me screaming in excitement, they (Zuffa) are a great outfit.”

The decision adds another victory to Greene's professional record and rounds off a positive first event with the promotion.

98-93, 98-92, 97-93

Connor Coyle recorded a dominant decision victory over Mark Beuke in his first professional fight on home soil.

Coyle controlled the contest over the distance, with all three judges awarding him a clear victory.

The Derry fighter was one of several Irish boxers to come away from the event with a win as Zuffa Boxing made its first appearance in Ireland.

Patrick O'Connor produced an impressive opening round before his fight with Juan Manuel Moriel was brought to an end due to a shoulder injury suffered by his opponent.

O'Connor, who described it as a “great first experience at Zuffa,” had been able to show his quality during the opening round before Moriel was unable to continue.

He also revealed that Zuffa has told him he should have six fights by this time next year.

The result gives O'Connor an unbeaten start to his professional career and, if those plans materialise, he could become a regular presence on the promotion's future cards.

Zuffa Boxing's first event in Ireland produced a strong set of results for the home fighters, with Aaron McKenna's world-title victory providing the headline achievement.

McKenna's win gives Zuffa Boxing its first world champion, while Walsh remains unbeaten following his decision over a former European champion.

Joe Ward's return was another significant result, particularly given the length of his absence, while Stevie McKenna and Sam Hickey provided two of the night's notable stoppages.

The supporting card also gave Zuffa an opportunity to showcase several fighters who could feature regularly as the promotion continues to establish itself. The reaction from the fighters was also positive, with O'Connor discussing plans for an active schedule, Greene praising the treatment he received throughout fight week, Hickey revealing the reaction of Dana White and Nick Khan to his performance, and Ward outlining his ambition to compete at the highest level of the light-heavyweight division.

For McKenna, the immediate focus will be on his first defence of the IBF title. For Walsh and Ward, the next stage of their respective Zuffa careers will be about building on victories in Dublin.