Liam “Beefy” Smith says unbeaten Irish prospect Aaron McKenna is “getting a little too big for his boots,” and vows to give the 25-year-old a harsh schooling when they meet on the Eubank Jr.–Benn undercard at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this Saturday. The former WBO 154-lb champion hasn’t fought since a tenth-round stoppage loss to Chris Eubank Jr. in September 2023 and missed a planned comeback against Josh Kelly through illness. Now signed to Matchroom, Smith insists the lay-off “lets me show I’ve still got a lot left to do.”
McKenna arrives touting the best win of his career, a decision over Jeovanny Estela in Matchroom’s now-scrapped Japan PrizeFighter tournament. The Monaghan native spent much of his development sparring in the U.S. under Freddie Roach and Robert Garcia, work that included rounds with Terence Crawford - yet Smith dismisses gym lore, pointing to his own edge in “little-glove experience under bright lights.”
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Smith says he hears echoes of previous hype jobs: “People asked the same questions about Anthony Fowler - and I answered them.”
Matchroom lists Smith-McKenna as chief support to the Eubank-Benn grudge match, sharing the stage with Chris Billam-Smith vs Brandon Glanton and Viddal Riley vs Cheavon Clarke. A win keeps Smith relevant in a crowded middleweight mix; an upset would catapult McKenna from prospect to player overnight.
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