ANYONE familiar with Tyrone McKenna’s career will know that he fights like a man possessed, hell-bent on nothing but violence and destruction.
His is an old school warrior’s mentality, reserved only for those capable of making extraordinary sacrifices while showing few signs of vulnerability in the heat of battle.
Growing up in Belfast, Northern Ireland, McKenna, 24-5-1 (7 KOs), had little choice but to embrace his volatile surroundings.
On the streets is where he learned the art of pugilism, knowing, at all times, that a hostile situation could be just around the corner.
That environment, however, is what presented him with the tools to not only survive but also hunt down his rivals, developing a sixth sense that is far removed from anything needed for civilian life.
“War mentality is all I’ve got; I just love being in wars,” McKenna told Boxing News.
“I was always around street fights, and people who loved to fight. I was sparring [former world super-featherweight champion] Anthony Cacace from six years old in the street, and he hits like f***!
“He hit me on the chin from six years old until about ten years old, every day, and it’s made me indestructible.”
Despite maintaining a dogged approach to his craft for over a decade, McKenna announced his retirement after losing to fellow Irishman Lewis Crocker at the end of 2023.
Just over eight months later, though, he was presented with an opportunity to exact revenge on Mohamed Mimoune, a fighter he lost a highly contentious decision to back in 2020.
Only, instead of bouncing back from his brief retirement with a bang – an outcome he had most likely anticipated – McKenna was ultimately forced to suffer another defeat.
But still, with no intention of stepping his foot back out the door, the 35-year-old then emerged from his all-Irish dustup against Dylan Moran with an emphatic second-round stoppage victory last December.
“I felt a lot of pressure after losing my last two fights, and there were a few people saying I wasn’t as good as I once was,” McKenna admitted.
“So putting on that kind of performance [against Moran] has restored a lot of confidence in me.”
Not only did that win put his career firmly back on track, but it also secured his matchup against Harlem Eubank at the Brighton Centre, England, this Friday.
“[Eubank] was never on my radar,” McKenna insisted. “I like Harlem a lot – I’ve had him on my podcast [Whiskey & White].
“Then he was fighting the week before my fight [against Moran], and my coach said to me, ‘would you fight Harlem Eubank?’
“I’d never even thought about it, so I called him out after my fight and, three days later, the fight was made.
“He’s been guided this far in his career – and has looked good against the opponents he’s faced – but what will he look like when he’s in there with a live killer like me?
“We’ll see what that brings out of him. Is he going to be able to trade and go to war with me, or will he crumble?”
Sure enough, McKenna is set to provide Eubank, 20-0 (8 KOs), with his toughest test yet.
You only have to take one look at him – that scruffy beard, those wild eyes, a smile that just screams chaos – to know what kind of a fighter he truly is.
More encouraging still, by basing his training camp in Munich, Germany, McKenna has seemingly now rediscovered that fire in his belly, the one that saw him trade leather with Cacace all those years ago.
“After coming back from retirement, I just want to dedicate myself fully,” he said.
“I used to go down to Dublin, Monday to Friday, and be in the house with my missus and kids over the weekend. I always said that I was training hard, but I feel like I was lying to myself.
“Being away from absolutely everything – on my own, training three times a day – has brought out a new beast in me.
“It feels like prison most of the time, because I don’t see anyone else and never have any friends over. But I love being [in Munich], and believe it’s been the best move for my career.
“The older I got, the more I wanted to be closer to home. So I moved to Scotland and then to Ireland, not really taking boxing as seriously as I did at the start of my career.
“But [being in Germany] has brought me right back to that mind frame where I’m locked away from everybody, and it’s bringing out a different vibe in me.”
