Main Card
Aaron McKenna vs. Etinosa Oliha:
McKenna wins by UD (118–110, 117–111, 116–112).
Callum Walsh vs. Tyler Denny:
Walsh wins by UD (98–91, 98–91, 96–90).
Joseph Ward vs. Artjom Kasparian:
Ward wins by UD (97–93, 97–93, 96–94).
Sam Hickey vs. Brad Axe:
Hickey wins by KO in the 7th round (0:27).
Louis Greene vs. Daniel Buciuc:
Greene wins by points (59–55).
Prelims
Stephen McKenna vs. Owen O’Neill:
McKenna wins by TKO in the 1st round (1:05).
Connor Coyle vs. Mark Beuke:
Coyle wins by UD (98–92, 97–93, 98–93).
Patrick O’Connor vs. Juan Manuel Moriel:
O’Connor wins by RTD at the end of the 1st round (3:00).
Aaron McKenna and Etinosa Oliha will fight for the vacant IBF middleweight title on August 8 at 3Arena in Dublin, giving Zuffa Boxing its first world title fight under a major sanctioning body.
McKenna steps into the opportunity after Shakiel Thompson, who was originally lined up to face Oliha, was knocked out by Brad Pauls. The Irishman now gets the biggest fight of his career in Dublin, backed by an amateur background of more than 150 wins and multiple national titles.
Watch Smith vs. McKenna highlights:
Watch
Oliha also enters unbeaten, though he is still looking for the kind of win that proves he belongs at world level. Like McKenna, this is a major step up - but also a chance to become a recognized IBF champion in one night.
McKenna’s best professional result came 11 months ago, when he outpointed Liam Smith over 12 rounds on the undercard of Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Conor Benn. That win gave him momentum, and now he gets a home-country title shot on a growing Zuffa platform.
The chief support will feature Callum Walsh (16-0, 11 KOs) in his second Zuffa appearance, facing experienced Englishman Tyler Denny (21-4-3, 1 KO) in a 10-round middleweight bout. For Zuffa Boxing, the Dublin card marks a notable step from building shows to hosting full world title action.
Watch Walsh vs. Vargas highlights:
Watch
Joe Ward (12-1, 8 KOs) returns after 659 days away to face dangerous unbeaten puncher Artjom Kasparian (14-0, 12 KOs). Kasparian has stopped seven opponents in succession, making Ward’s long inactivity one of the biggest potential upset factors on the entire card.
The undercard also features unbeaten Sam Hickey (5-0, 2 KOs) against Brad Axe (5-1, 0 KOs), Stevie McKenna (16-1, 15 KOs) against Owen O’Neill (14-2, 1 KO) and Connor Coyle (22-0, 10 KOs) against Mark Beuke (13-3, 7 KOs). Louis Greene (18-4, 12 KOs) meets Daniel Buciuc (16-2, 6 KOs) in another competitive middleweight matchup.
