Aaron McKenna vs Etinosa Oliha live results update

On August 8, at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland, Aaron McKenna vs Etinosa Oliha headlines the Zuffa Boxing 10 show, with the vacant IBF middleweight title on the line. The entire main card will be streamed live on Paramount+ and on Sky Sports in the UK.

We’ll bring you all the results from the Aaron McKenna vs Etinosa Oliha event. The first fight on the main card is expected to begin at approximately 19:10 GMT/14:10 ET.

All results from the Aaron McKenna vs Etinosa Oliha main fight card

Aaron McKenna vs Etinosa Oliha

After an entertaining undercard, it was time for Aaron McKenna vs Etinosa Oliha for the vacant IBF middleweight title.

The opening round was a cautious one from both fighters, who were looking to find their range. Oliha had some success in the second round, with a left and right hand, making McKenna (21-0, 10 KOs) stop in his tracks. The second half of the round was impressive from the Italian fighter.

McKenna continued to meet Oliha (22-1, 10 KOs) on the inside, but the Italian revelled in this through the early rounds, having success in the exchanges. The Irish looked in control when he kept things longer. The Irishman kept things longer in the fifth round and looked more in control, snapping his jab out and working off that.

Round six saw McKenna outwork his Italian opponent, mixing his shots better as the round went on. The Irishman was nullifying much of Oliha’s inside work as the rounds progressed, but the “Silencer” looked at his best, keeping it longer. McKenna looked confident in the eighth round, looking fleet-footed as he picked a frustrated Oliha off. When Oliha missed or fell short, he was often punished by the sharp punching of McKenna.

The fight reached the championship rounds, and “El Chapo” seemingly needed a miracle. Oliha had his moments early on, but once McKenna got into his groove, he totted up the rounds and deserved his victory, winning by unanimous decision, with judges’ scorecards of 118-110, 117-111, and 116-112, crowning him the new IBF middleweight world champion. He got better as the fight went on and thoroughly deserved the victory. Activity is key, and McKenna has the tools to go far.

Callum Walsh vs Tyler Denny

Next up on the Aaron McKenna vs Etinosa Oliha undercard was Callum Walsh (17-0, 11 KOs) vs the experienced Tyler Denny (21-5-3, 1 KO) in the middleweight division.

It was a bright opening round from Walsh, who controlled the tempo, firing off combinations, and looked in complete control. However, near the end of the round, Walsh squatted low while Denny continued to fire off combinations, forcing Walsh to touch down, with the referee recognising it as a knockdown.

In the second round, Walsh continued to produce the more eye-catching work before he landed a sharp left-hook, knocking Denny down heavily, and Denny did well to fight back and survive the round. Denny showed bravery in the third, but Walsh continued to produce the cleaner work, with his body work standing out above all.

Denny had his moments over the next couple of rounds. Walsh was undoubtedly producing the more eye-catching work, but Denny was landing some good punches when in close, with some body shots standing out. The fight continued to be messy through the middle rounds, but when Walsh did let his hands go, he looked impressive. However, Denny used all his experience to stay in the fight and had success, mainly with single shots.

In the eighth round, the referee had seen enough and broke the fighters off, deducting a point from Walsh, who seemed galvanised, letting his hands go towards the end of the round. In the ninth and tenth rounds, Denny showed plenty of experience, making it a difficult fight for his Irish opponent. Denny showed an innate quality to stay competitive in the fight when it seemed Walsh was on top. It went to the judges’ scorecards, which read 98-91 x2 and 96-90. Denny did his best to drag Walsh into his fight, but the Cork fighter produced the better work throughout. Being critical, “King” switched off at key points, and with some tweaks, he could have got that stoppage win.

Joe Ward vs Artjom Kasparian

Next up on the Aaron McKenna vs Etinosa Oliha card was Joe Ward (13-1, 8 KOs) vs Artjom Kasparian (14-1, 12 KOs) in the light heavyweight division. Ward was a hugely talented amateur, but has suffered from inactivity. Leading up to Zuffa Boxing 10, this light heavyweight clash had the potential for many to be the fight of the night.

Ward took his time to find his range in the first round, with Kasparian the expected aggressor. Ward found his range and had success as the round progressed, but the aggression from the Dutchman gave him the edge. 

The Irishman had success in the second round, landing a three-punch combination, while his body work also stood out, but Ward looked like he was feeling the pressure early on. During the third round, Ward maintained the distance well, enabling him to fire off quick combinations. 

The constant pressure and heavy hands of the Dutchman saw him have success throughout the fourth round, with a tired Ward struggling to keep him off, showing how key his inactivity is. Ward had his best moment for a couple of rounds in the fifth, with a sharp left hand that jolted the head back of Kasparian. 

Over the next few rounds, Ward recovered well and began to maintain the distance and pick his punches well, most notably the left uppercut when Kasparian came close. The end of the seventh round saw Ward land some heavy cross punches, with the Dutchman now looking the more ragged. Ward impressed at the beginning of the eighth, moving around the target and landing some eye-catching punches. 

Despite the best efforts of Kasparian, Ward continued his impressive recovery, maintained the distance and landed the cleaner punches. It ultimately went to the judges’ scorecards, which read 97-93 x2, and 96-94, all in favour of Ward, who recovered incredibly well after a difficult start to gain the well-deserved victory.

Sam Hickey vs Brad Axe

Next up on the Zuffa Boxing 10 undercard was Sam Hickey (6-0, 3 KOs) vs Brad Axe (5-2, 0 KOs) in the middleweight division.

It was a fairly cagey start to the first round, before both had success towards the end of the opening three minutes. Hickey landed the better punches in the first round, but Axe made it clear that he came to fight.

Axe had success in the second round with single shots before Hickey said “go” and started to put his shots together impressively, visibly hurting Axe, most notably with a right hand that stiffened his opponent’s legs. Both decided to stand and trade near the end of the third, with Hickey getting the better, landing a right hand and knocking Axe down.

Axe had more success in the fifth round, but the cleaner punching still came from Hickey. “Tricky” Hickey began to move through the gears towards the end of the sixth round, mixing his punches well, and visibly hurting Axe again. Seconds into the seventh round, Hickey landed a pinpoint-accurate short right hand, knocking Axe down, with the referee immediately waving the fight off. It was a huge knockdown, with Axe remaining on the ground for minutes after the fight, with all fight fans understandably pleased to see Axe soon sit up. An eye-catching seventh-round KO win for “Tricky” Sam Hickey.

Louis Greene vs Daniel Buciuc

On the first fight of the Zuffa Boxing 10 main card headlined by Aaron McKenna vs Etinosa Oliha, it was Louis Greene (19-4, 12 KOs) vs Daniel Buciuc (16-3, 6 KOs) in the middleweight division.

Buciuc established his jab well early on in the first round, while Greene looked to land the big right hand. Greene was the aggressor in the first round in what was an otherwise cagey opening three minutes.

Up close, Greene worked well in the pocket, landing a nice uppercut in the second. The Brit moved well during the second round, with his body punching standing out. “The Medway Mauler” increased the pressure during the third round, landing some brutal-looking body shots.

Greene landed a heavy body shot in the fourth, which visibly hurt his Romanian opponent. A big overhand right soon came, drawing audible gasps from the crowd inside the 3Arena. More big shots and pressure continued, but fair play to Buciuc, who did well to hear the bell for the end of the fourth round.

Over the final two rounds, the domination from Greene continued, as he landed a series of heavy punches in the sixth and final round, where he put his shots together well. An impressive performance from the Brit, who won 59-55 on the referee’s scorecard.

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Zuffa Boxing