Aaron McKenna wants to unify the middleweight championships, rise through divisions and then fight at heavyweight!

Aaron McKenna wants to unify the middleweight championships, rise through divisions and then fight at heavyweight! | Boxing News

August 6, 2026:

Aaron McKenna wants to unify the middleweight championships, rise through divisions and then fight at heavyweight! | Boxing News

Aaron McKenna is not short of ambition. The Irish middleweight fights for the world title this Saturday, live on Sky Sports.

But his plans do not finish with Etinosa Oliha and the IBF belt this weekend. He wants to “clean up” the division, go undisputed and eventually finish his career as a heavyweight.

It sounds preposterous for an albeit tall, but fairly scrawny 160-pounder. McKenna, though he says it with a smile, sounds serious that this is his long-time vision.

“That’s something we talked about a lot, finishing up at heavyweight. I’m six foot three now and I have a very long reach as well. My body’s the type of body that could fill out easily enough as well weight-wise,” McKenna told Sky Sports.

“Once I’m done at 160lbs, take over 168 and then 175. But by the time I finish out, I plan to have at least one fight at heavyweight.

“In the heavyweight division now, sometimes it just takes good footwork and boxing to beat them. It’s different from the heavyweights back in the day.”

McKenna, it’s safe to say, has an eerie confidence in himself. His first task is to become a world champion against a dangerous opponent on Saturday.

“He’s a very good fighter, 22-0, strong, he’ll be game and any man that’s fighting for world titles is going to be giving it their all,” McKenna said of Oliha. “I know what I have to do.

“I’m more than ready for it,” he added. “It doesn’t matter what he brings, whether he comes forward, whether he goes back, I’m ready for everything. I’ve trained for every style possible my whole life. Whatever he brings, I’m just focused on what I’m doing and what I’m going to do in there.”

This, he insists, is the start of a charge through the middleweight division. He wants to take on the other champions. Carlos Adames, the WBC titlist and Denzel Bentley, the new WBO belt-holder, will be in his sights.

“The middleweight division, it’s been dying for years now. The last two big fighters in it were Canelo and GGG [Gennady Golovkin], so I kind of want to bring big-time boxing in the middleweight division and bring it back to life,” McKenna declared.

“I’ve done a lot of sparring with [Adames] back in Robert Garcia’s gym back in 2019. I was 19 at the time and he was mid-20s. I had no problem with him.

“He doesn’t like my style of fighting. When you put it on him, he kind of doesn’t like that sort of stuff.

“[Bentley] would be another good fight. He’s a world champion now, so if he wants to take the fight, I’d definitely take it because the name of the game is to unify, become the best in the division.

“But all I’m focused on right now is this Saturday. I have a job to do with Oliha and that’s becoming world champion and I will become world champion.”

What could be next?

McKenna’s manager Mike Borao told Sky Sports: “Obviously the focus right now is squarely on this Saturday for Aaron McKenna – he has to get past Etinosa Oliha first before anyone starts mapping out the future.

“That said, Denzel Bentley is a very intriguing possibility. Aaron is the type of fighter who goes out there and delivers for the fans, and few things light up a boxing crowd quite like a proper Ireland vs UK showdown.

“Bentley does have a tough mandatory in Yoenli Hernandez waiting in the wings, though, so it will be interesting to see how things develop.

“In any event, Aaron McKenna has a very exciting future with endless possibilities on Zuffa Boxing.”

Watch Aaron McKenna and Etinosa Oliha fight for the IBF world middleweight title in Dublin on Saturday, live on Sky Sports. Get Sky Sports or stream boxing with no contract.

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