WestEndRiot wrote: ↑09 Aug 2026, 05:31Ihad no idea this was a "proper" world title fight, assumed it was for the Zuffa belt.
I will say, for all the criticism of Zuffa, I like that they didn't mention that it was for the IBF belt once in their broadcast.
It confused me too. Zuffa have been talking about creating their own title and with the name of the IBF being ommitted it caused confusion.
I would just rather have them say "the IBF World Middleweight Champ"
Aaron McKenna has spent 21 years dreaming of becoming a world champion and on Saturday night that finally became a reality.
Ireland’s McKenna defeated Etinosa Oliha at Dublin’s 3Arena to claim the vacant IBF middleweight title, completing a journey that began when he first stepped into the sport at just six years old. The significance of the achievement was still difficult for McKenna to comprehend at the post-fight press conference following the biggest win of his career.
“This one's going to take a while to seep in,” McKenna said. “It's 21 years in the making and for it to happen, I don't know how long it's going to take for this to seep in, that I've finally become world champion. I've been dreaming of this for my whole life. It's honestly unbelievable. I can't even describe it.”
McKenna has little intention of allowing his newly won title to gather dust. McKenna had long attempted to challenge one of the current middleweight titleholders into the ring with him. He now hopes his new belt will be enough to tempt his fellow champions into the ring.
“I'm going to be easy to find now because I have a belt,” McKenna said. “They're all going to come out crawling looking for one now, so I want to unify. 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 unify and if any of those world champions don't want it, I'll jump up to 168.”
McKenna now hopes to breathe life into one of the sport’s most historic weight divisions.
“I feel very strong at middleweight,” he said. “The middleweight division is there to be taken over. It's been dry for years since GGG [Golovkin] and Canelo [Alvarez] left it. So I said it again years ago, I think I'm going to be the man to take over. No one really believed me, and until you put in performances like that, then they start listening. In life you've got to prove yourself sometimes, and tonight I've 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.”
One champion McKenna has always had his eye on is WBC titleholder Carlos Adames. The pair have shared the ring in sparring in the past and in recent years traded blows on social media with McKenna accusing Adames of running scared.
“He's a guy that's been hiding for a long time,” said McKenna of Adames. “I sparred him a lot in Robert Garcia's gym when I was 19, he must have been mid-20s and he didn't like me at all in sparring. So he's a very lazy fighter I think, when you really put it on him he doesn't really want to know after a few rounds, so why not get that one on?”
Aaron McKenna has set his sights on becoming Ireland’s first ever Ring Magazine middleweight champion after clinching the IBF title in Dublin on Saturday night.
The 27-year-old from Monaghan boxed beautifully to widely outpoint Etinosa Oliha (22-1, 10 KOs) and clinch the vacant strap on his first professional outing in his home country.
Now McKenna (21-0, 10 KOs), who was ranked at No. 6 by The Ring in the latest ratings, has vowed to “clean up the mess” in the middleweight division, which currently has a different champion with each sanctioning body.
The “Silencer” hopes to make history for his country by winning The Ring’s middleweight title, which has been vacant since Canelo Alvarez moved up to super middleweight in January 2021.
McKenna said: “Etinosa was ranked No. 5 with The Ring, I was No. 6 and that fight was the first time time that two guys in the Ring Magazine middleweight rankings have fought each other for literally years. I’d say that is going to give me a very good ranking with the Ring Magazine.
“I can’t remember the last guy to hold the Ring Magazine title in the middleweight division. It was Triple G [Golovkin] or Canelo so that’s another good one.
“I feel very strong at middleweight. The division is there to be taken over, it’s been dry for years since Triple G and Canelo left it. I said years ago that I’d be the man to take over and nobody really believed me.”
“In life you’ve got to prove yourselves sometimes and I think I’ve done that now. I just hope one of the other middleweight world champions will take on the fight so we can clean up this mess in the division.”
Carlos Adames, who holds the WBC title, is The Ring’s No. 1 while Yoenli Hernandez sits second. WBA champion Erislandy Lara sits at No. 3 while Troy Isley completes the top four.
Britain's Denzel Bentley, who was recently upgraded from interim to full WBO world champion is not currently inside The Ring’s top 10.
When asked which of the division’s big names he wants next, McKenna said: “I want to fight any of them, I want to unify, 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 as long as I’m unifying.
“I’m going to be easy to find now because of the belt, they’re all going to come out crawling now. If any of those world champions don’t want it, I’ll jump up to 168.”
Amari Jones (17-0, 15 KOs) will be McKenna’s first mandatory challenger as champion following his impressive third-round knockout of Vincenzo Gualtieri on May 22, cementing top spot with the IBF.
McKenna may be able to sidestep that obligation should he secure an immediate unification fight but, when asked directly about facing Jones, he said: “If the people want it then let’s have it. I’m afraid of no man and I’ll fight whoever’s next. My goal is to become the best in the middleweight division and unify.
“I want to be back as quickly as my body feels, I feel really good after that fight, no injuries. Whenever they want me out next, that’s when I’ll be out.”
Aaron McKenna has set his sights on becoming Ireland’s first ever Ring Magazine middleweight champion after clinching the IBF title in Dublin on Saturday night.
The 27-year-old from Monaghan boxed beautifully to widely outpoint Etinosa Oliha (22-1, 10 KOs) and clinch the vacant strap on his first professional outing in his home country.
Now McKenna (21-0, 10 KOs), who was ranked at No. 6 by The Ring in the latest ratings, has vowed to “clean up the mess” in the middleweight division, which currently has a different champion with each sanctioning body.
The “Silencer” hopes to make history for his country by winning The Ring’s middleweight title, which has been vacant since Canelo Alvarez moved up to super middleweight in January 2021.
McKenna said: “Etinosa was ranked No. 5 with The Ring, I was No. 6 and that fight was the first time time that two guys in the Ring Magazine middleweight rankings have fought each other for literally years. I’d say that is going to give me a very good ranking with the Ring Magazine.
“I can’t remember the last guy to hold the Ring Magazine title in the middleweight division. It was Triple G [Golovkin] or Canelo so that’s another good one.
“I feel very strong at middleweight. The division is there to be taken over, it’s been dry for years since Triple G and Canelo left it. I said years ago that I’d be the man to take over and nobody really believed me.”
“In life you’ve got to prove yourselves sometimes and I think I’ve done that now. I just hope one of the other middleweight world champions will take on the fight so we can clean up this mess in the division.”
Carlos Adames, who holds the WBC title, is The Ring’s No. 1 while Yoenli Hernandez sits second. WBA champion Erislandy Lara sits at No. 3 while Troy Isley completes the top four.
Britain's Denzel Bentley, who was recently upgraded from interim to full WBO world champion is not currently inside The Ring’s top 10.
When asked which of the division’s big names he wants next, McKenna said: “I want to fight any of them, I want to unify, 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 as long as I’m unifying.
“I’m going to be easy to find now because of the belt, they’re all going to come out crawling now. If any of those world champions don’t want it, I’ll jump up to 168.”
Amari Jones (17-0, 15 KOs) will be McKenna’s first mandatory challenger as champion following his impressive third-round knockout of Vincenzo Gualtieri on May 22, cementing top spot with the IBF.
McKenna may be able to sidestep that obligation should he secure an immediate unification fight but, when asked directly about facing Jones, he said: “If the people want it then let’s have it. I’m afraid of no man and I’ll fight whoever’s next. My goal is to become the best in the middleweight division and unify.
“I want to be back as quickly as my body feels, I feel really good after that fight, no injuries. Whenever they want me out next, that’s when I’ll be out.”
Can’t imagine in the trash bin that is the middleweight division that they won’t let him fight who he wants. Oliha hadn’t fought anyone with a pulse to get his shot. Another belt holder, Lara, hasn’t fought a mandatory in 2 1/2 years and that was an easy opponent. He has nothing planned and has no interest in a competitive fight but keeps his belt. I guess it depends which alphabet belt you hold, but it seems like a unification with the Bentley would be a bigger sell and probably less dangerous than fighting Jones
I'm encouraged that he wants to take on the other MW champs, but it will be interesting to see if any of them actually want to fight him.
Adames (WBC) defends against good opponents, just not often enough
Lara (WBA) defends against mediocre competition once every 13 to 15 months
Bentley (WBO) was elevated to the title in July and has typically fought decent competition, and
Soro (IBO) won that belt in June but has usually taken on Euro-level fighters
Among the champs, I think Adames would accept the challenge to fight McKenna, but Lara will avoid him like the plague. I don't believe Bentley would turn down to the fight but may want to get that first defense out of the way, while Soro just might jump at the chance to fight for one of the "big four" belts.
There are a number of other decent - but not great - challengers for him out there, including Ramos Jr., Yoenli Hernandez, Mosley Jr., Tukov, Walsh, Isley, Katzourakis, Amari Jones, and Liddard.
