TYRONE MCKENNA proved, yet again, that no matter how many times he goes back to the well, he just always seems to return with a bucket of water.
Indeed, ‘The Mighty Celt’ did exactly that earlier this evening, delivering an emphatic seventh-round finish against Dylan Moran on the undercard of Lewis Crocker vs Paddy Donovan 2.
Their welterweight contest, which took place at Windsor Park, Belfast, was a rematch of an all-action encounter that saw McKenna, 25-6-1 (8 KOs), emerge with a second-round stoppage victory last December.
This time around, an early left hand from McKenna looked promising, though Moran, 19-4 (9 KOs), demonstrated strong enough fundamentals to fiddle his way through a back-and-forth opener.
During that round, an accidental head clash saw McKenna suffer a cut above his left eye, only to then jump directly back into the fire, landing the heavier bombs, as his opponent began to circle around the ring.
Quite remarkably, Moran also sustained a cut, this one arriving in the third frame, as McKenna extended his intensity and kept his foot firmly on the gas.
A particularly dominant fourth round then almost sealed the 35-year-old’s victory, before he put his man under even more pressure in the following three minutes.
Moran, to his credit, gave a gallant response in the sixth round, but as he continued to absorb clean shots, it appeared as if he could hit the canvas at any moment.
And sure enough, he did just that following a punishing onslaught in the seventh round, and despite climbing back to his feet, the 30-year-old was ultimately waved off by referee Reece Carter at 1-22 of the frame.
