Stephen McKenna (boxer)
Stephen McKenna | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 15 February 1997 Monaghan, Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other names | Hitman | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight(s) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stance | Orthodox | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boxing record[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total fights | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 15 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins by KO | 14 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Losses | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Stephen McKenna is an Irish professional boxer. As an amateur he won a gold medal at the 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games and silver at the European Youth Championships in the same year.
Amateur career
As an amateur McKenna compiled a record of 155–24.[2] In 2015 he won gold medals at the Irish National Championships and Commonwealth Youth Games, and silver at the European Youth Championships, all in the light-flyweight division.[3] In 2017 he moved up to the bantamweight division, winning a silver medal at the Irish National Championships.[4]
Professional career
After signing a promotional contract with Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions,[2] Mckenna made his professional debut on 6 April 2019 against Trey Branch at the Pico Rivera Sports Arena in Pico Rivera, California. McKenna forced his opponent to the canvas with a barrage of punches in the first round. Branch made it to his feet before the referee's count of ten, only to be stunned by a left hand. McKenna followed up with a four punch combination, prompting the referee to call a halt to the contest to award McKenna a first-round knockout (KO) victory.[5]
He secured three more wins in 2019; first-round KOs against Keasen Freeman in June[6] and Keahola Helm in August;[7] and a second-round KO against Gonzalo Dallera in November.[8]
McKenna's first fight of 2020 was his first in Europe, scoring a first-round KO against Gary McGuire in September at the Production Park Studios in South Kirkby, England.[9]
He won the vacant WBC International Silver super-welterweight title with a third round stoppage win over Joe Lawes at Oakwell Stadium in Barnsley, English, on 3 August 2024.[10]
McKenna lost the title and his unbeaten professional record to Lee Cutler at the Exhibition Centre in Liverpool, England, on 14 December 2024. He lost the fight by majority decision with two of the ringside judges scoring the contest 96–92 and 95–93 respectively in favour of his opponent, while the third had it a 94–94 draw.[11][12]
Professional boxing record
| 16 fights | 15 wins | 1 loss |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 14 | 0 |
| By decision | 1 | 1 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Loss | 15–1 | Lee Cutler | MD | 10 | 14 Dec 2024 | Exhibition Centre, Liverpool, England | Lost WBC International Silver super welterweight title |
| 15 | Win | 15–0 | Joe Laws | RTD | 3 (10), 3:00 | 3 Aug 2024 | Oakwell Stadium, Barnsley, England | Won vacant WBC International Silver super welterweight title |
| 14 | Win | 14–0 | Darren Tetley | RTD | 6 (8), 3:00 | 30 Sep 2023 | York Hall, London, England | |
| 13 | Win | 13–0 | Brendon Denes | RTD | 4 (8), 3:00 | 11 Feb 2023 | Wembley Arena, Wembley, England | |
| 12 | Win | 12–0 | Facundo Alberto Rojas | TKO | 2 (8), 2:59 | 30 Jul 2022 | Bournemouth International Centre, Bournemouth, England | |
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | Jack Ewbank | TKO | 1 (6), 1:08 | 10 Dec 2021 | National Sports Centre, Crystal Palace, England | |
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Richmond Djarbeng | KO | 1 (8), 0:42 | 13 Nov 2021 | Skydome, Coventry, England | |
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Moussa Gary | PTS | 6 | 10 Sep 2021 | Skydome, Coventry, England | |
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Damian Haus | TKO | 1 (6), 2:52 | 22 May 2021 | Skydome, Coventry, England | |
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Des Newton | TKO | 3 (6), 0:36 | 18 Dec 2020 | Fly By Nite Rehearsal Studios, Redditch, England | |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | MJ Hall | TKO | 5 (6), 1:54 | 11 Dec 2020 | Fly By Nite Rehearsal Studios, Redditch, England | |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Gary McGuire | KO | 1 (6), 1:13 | 5 Sep 2020 | Production Park Studios, South Kirkby, England | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Gonzalo Carlos Dallera | KO | 2 (6), 0:29 | 9 Nov 2019 | Gardens Casino, Hawaiian Gardens, California, U.S. | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Kealoha Helm | KO | 1 (4), 1:15 | 3 Aug 2019 | Gardens Casino, Hawaiian Gardens, California, U.S. | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Keasen Freeman | KO | 1 (4), 1:33 | 13 Jun 2019 | The Hangar, Costa Mesa, California, U.S. | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Trey Branch | KO | 1 (4), 2:54 | 6 Apr 2019 | Pico Rivera Sports Arena, Pico Rivera, California, U.S. |
References
- ^ "Boxing record for Stephen McKenna". BoxRec.
- ^ a b Fischer, Doug (5 April 2019). "Irish amateur star Stephen McKenna follows brother Aaron into professional boxing". The Ring. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
- ^ "Stephen McKenna To Make UK Debut on Dilmaghani-Ziani Card". BoxingScene.com. 25 August 2020. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
- ^ Loughran, Neil (6 November 2017). "McKenna brothers have Gold on their minds ahead of busy month". The Irish News. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
- ^ Salazar, Francisco (8 April 2019). "Stephen McKenna Arrives on Pro Scene With a Knockout". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
- ^ McGoldrick, Sean (14 June 2019). "WATCH: Ireland's Stevie McKenna makes it two from two in pro ranks with devastating first-round KO in California". Independent.ie. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
- ^ "BoxRec: Stephen McKenna vs. Keahola Helm". BoxRec. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
- ^ Stapleton, Jonny (10 November 2019). "'Hitman' takes out another foe – McKenna continues knockout start". Irish Boxing. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
- ^ Lewis, Ron (5 September 2020). "Stevie McKenna Crushes McGuire in One, Michael Hennessy Suffers Defeat". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
- ^ "Stephen McKenna's third-round stoppage of Joe Lawes hailed as fight of year". RTE. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
- ^ "Lee Cutler Overpowers Stephen Mckenna In A Fascinating Bout". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
- ^ "Poole's Lee Cutler on McKenna win and Bournemouth headline fight". Bournemouth Echo. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
External links
- Boxing record for Stephen McKenna from BoxRec (registration required)