Aaron McKenna aims to emulate Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez by winning a WBC belt - and wants a future fight with world No 1
"That would be in my plan. Win a world title and try and get a fight with Canelo"; Ireland's exciting middleweight contender wants to compete with the sport's elite champions, including the Mexican star
Wednesday 10 November 2021 14:58, UK
Aaron McKenna can emulate Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez by winning the same version of a WBC belt - and has vowed to share the ring with the Mexican star in the future.
The unbeaten Irish contender is targeting the WBC 'Youth' middleweight belt when he battles Edem Bika in Coventry on Saturday night.
Canelo, the current undisputed super-middleweight champion, previously held a version of the WBC belt on his path to becoming a four-weight world champion.
"It's a great belt to win," McKenna told Sky Sports.
"A lot of good fighters have won that belt, like Canelo, Danny Garcia, Timothy Bradley. They have all won that belt before and look at the way they ended up, they became world champions.
"Winning this belt for me is like a stepping-stone towards that world title and I just can't wait now to go in and fight for it."
At the age of 22, McKenna has already set his sights on the sport's elite champions, and would relish the opportunity to one day share the ring with Canelo.
"He [Canelo] came up that way, he fought for that belt and now look at him, he's undisputed champion of the world," said McKenna.
"In a couple of years, that's the type of guy that I want to be fighting.
"That would be in my plan. Win a world title and try and get a fight with Canelo. In a couple of years or whenever it is, I'll be a super-middleweight, so we'll be the same weight and he'll probably still be holding the belts.
"I don't see why not. Once the time comes, I'll be ready."
McKenna has joined the same division as Chris Eubank Jr, who could receive a world title shot next year.
But the Monaghan boxer says he would love to set up a showdown with the 32-year-old on Irish soil, in a repeat of the legendary clashes between Steve Collins and Eubank Snr.
"I would love a fight with him," said McKenna. "It would make for a great fight. I'd love to fight anyone, bring them on.
"That would be unreal if it was in Ireland and I could replicate what Steve Collins did.
"It's always a dream of mine to fight back here, especially in Monaghan where I'm from, in front of all the Irish fans.
"It would make for an amazing event. There's no better fans in the world than the Irish, especially for a big fight like that.
"I've always wanted to become Ireland's greatest ever boxer."
McKenna's promoter Mick Hennessy told Sky Sports: "Knowing what I know, this young man, when the time comes in a couple of years, he'll be more than capable of fighting at that level and potentially beating Canelo.
"Canelo is a superstar, but this kid will be a superstar.
"I remember seeing Canelo as a young man when he just turned pro at the WBC convention in Cancun years ago. The development he's had, Aaron McKenna is probably in front of that, where he was back then.
"Trust me, this will be the young man that absolutely gets in with him, and will give him the fight of his life, and win."
