FRIDAY night sees Harlem Eubank, 20-0 (8 KOs), return to Brighton to fight in front of his hometown crowd in what could prove to be his toughest test to date – a second bout up at welterweight, this time against game Northern Irishman, Tyrone McKenna, 24-5-1 (7 KOs).
Now at 31-years-old and seeking to thrust himself into the world rankings, the contest is a must-win for Eubank, whilst McKenna is out to prove that he still has plenty to give to the sport, after coming out of retirement last summer.
With the crossroads battle appearing on paper to be a valid measurement of Eubank’s chances of success on the big stage, Boxing News takes a look at what each fighter should do to ensure their hand is raised.
HARLEM EUBANK – KEYS TO VICTORY
Work your way inside
Although the size and length of McKenna presents an obvious challenge to Eubank, the Englishman’s ability to move his head and close the distance will present him with opportunities of his own.
Should McKenna attempt to control the bout with his jab, Eubank can infiltrate by adopting a high guard, keeping low and dipping under the punch or pivoting around it to then capitalize and throw his short hooks to the head or body of McKenna.
Eubank’s ability to work his way inside will prove pivotal should McKenna adopt a more traditional approach to the fight rather than a head-to-head stand-off.
Break combinations
Perhaps McKenna’s strongest asset is the way he throws punches in bunches, offering regular spirts of excitement that get the fans off of their seats. However, we saw in the Gervonta Davis-Lamont Roach fight how timing a counterpunch can put an end to any such combination, as Roach regularly disrupted Davis’ flow to the surprise of many.
Eubank’s hand speed with the left-hook should be enough to beat McKenna to the punch and end combinations early, especially if the Ulsterman opts to hook off of the jab rather than throw a straight behind it.
Survive onslaught
We briefly mentioned how McKenna could instead pursue an all guns blazing approach, similar to his captivating clash with Moran, attempting to please the fans for what could be his last hurrah or believing he has a better chance of beating Eubank by fighting him rather than boxing him.
If this is the case, Eubank must do enough to protect himself without expending too much energy and not lose confidence if he finds himself behind on the scorecards at the half-way point, knowing that McKenna will be unable to maintain an intense pace for the full 12 rounds.
TYRONE MCKENNA – KEYS TO VICTORY
Keep the fight at range
Whilst McKenna loves a tear-up and is at his most entertaining when going toe-to-toe in a phone booth brawl, his much superior stature is something he should look to use to his advantage rather than neglect. Having fought his last four bouts at 147lbs and boasting a five-inch height and reach advantage, McKenna would be a fool to not first attempt to box off of the back foot and the jab to test how well Eubank can deal with the significant size differential.
McKenna regularly springs a right-hand speedily behind his long jab and that could be a shot that causes Eubank issues, particularly early on.
Dictate the pace
Despite 30 fights to his name and a wealth of experience under his belt, this is the first time that ‘The Mighty Celt’ will take part in a 12-round contest, an almighty challenge at 35 years old.
By taking a backwards step and using his long levers to keep Eubank at bay, the Belfast boxer can control when the exchanges take place, allowing him to either preserve himself for the latter stages of the battle or put his foot to the floor and empty the tank if he feels he can outlast his undefeated but relatively untested dance-partner.
Put punches together
McKenna registered a first knockout win since 2017 when he and Dylan Moran went to war in a two-round shootout in December but that stoppage came as result of an accumulation of blows, coupled with possible fatigue given Moran’s tremendous early output, rather than a ‘lights out’ shot.
As a result, it’s fair to say that McKenna is not blessed with one-punch knockout power, particularly up at welterweight, but his ability to put punches together and do so when under fire allows him to change the momentum of contests and catch the judges’ attention.
If the away fighter can string combinations together, it will be interesting to see how Eubank reacts to the pressure.
Eubank-McKenna takes place on Friday, March 7 live on Channel 5, topping an undercard that also features the return of two-time world title challenger, Michael Conlan, 18-3 (9 KOs).
