Tyrone McKenna insists he’s capable of turning the crowd in his favour when he faces Scotland’s Lewis Benson at Emirates Arena in Glasgow on November 30.
Belfast’s ‘Mighty Celt’ (16-1-1-KO6) battles ‘Kid Caramel’ Benson (10-1-KO2) live on BoxNation with both men desperate to bounce back from suffering their first professional defeats on the same card back in June.
Belfast’s McKenna, who was edged by world-ranked Jack Catterall that night, is drawing close to the end of an arduous training camp in Glasgow and is adamant he possesses both the fanbase and the charisma to win the crowd on the night.
McKenna said: “’The Mighty Celt’ is internationally loved. I could have the whole place chanting my name. To make that happen, I’ve just got to fight the way I always fight and they fall in love with me.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if even his friends started chanting my name…
“I’m putting myself through hell so I can put him through hell. You’ll see the best Tyrone McKenna you’ve ever seen in there. I’m working harder than ever.
“Benson is a decent fighter and he looked good against Johnny Coyle in Belfast. That fight could’ve gone away. I’ve too much skill for him, though, and I learned a lot from my fight with Catterall.
“Catterall is a world-class fighter so Benson wasn’t on my radar after that. I was looking to fight someone in the top 5 in Britain but there’s no way I’ll overlook him.
“Everyone knows what I bring when I step in the ring. I’m involved in wars. I bring a bit of hype to proceedings beforehand and then I dish out the punishment in the ring.”
McKenna vs. Benson takes place on a stacked BoxNation card that also includes Ukashir Farooq vs. Iain Butcher for the British bantamweight title, Kieran Smith vs. Peter McDonagh for the WBC Silver International super-welterweight title plus the professional debuts of Reece McFadden and Jack Turner and more.
Former world title challenger Brian Rose is confident his big-fight experience will be the difference when he takes on Conrad Cummings for the WBO European middleweight title.
‘The Lion’ travels to Belfast’s Titanic Exhibition Centre to face ‘Mr Dynamite’ – live on iFL TV on December 7 – having returned to action with an eventful points victory over Alastair Warren in Manchester last weekend.
With the cobwebs blown off after a spell out of the ring, Blackpool’s Rose (30-5-1-KO8) feels ready to add European honours to his collection of Central Area, English and British belts.
Rose said: ““I have respect for Conrad. I know he’s a warrior. I’m not about that trash-talk leading up to the fights. There’ll be no bad words. He believes he’s going to win – especially after watching me against Warren – but I know I’m a lot better than that.
“We’ll give the fans what they want and that’s a tear up. I know I’m going to come out on top because I believe I can outfox him.
“I’ve had two years out of the ring and before that, I hadn’t had six months out of the ring since I was nine years old!
“I knew I wasn’t going to look a million dollars against Warren. In the past, I’ve fought for world titles and been involved in great British domestic tear-ups but I knew it wasn’t going to be one of them.
“I’ve lost two stone in eight or nine weeks so fighting Warren was about getting fit, losing a lot of weight and moving on to the next one. Now I’m fit and ready and we’ll work on the things we need to do to beat Conrad Cummings.”
Unbeaten middleweight Troy Williamson is looking to tee up a glamourous outing on the Josh Warrington vs. Carl Frampton undercard by winning in style this weekend.
‘The Trojan’ (7-0-1-KO5) fights at Dunston’s Lancastrian Suite on Saturday night before heading to the bright lights of the Manchester Arena on December 22 and knows two clinical performances are required to ensure a huge 2019.
Williamson said: “My focus is on the Dunston show first and foremost and I’ll bring to both shows what I always bring – excitement and a good fight for the fans.
“I’m obviously very excited to be on such a massive card as Warrington vs. Frampton. I’ve been pushing and pushing for it because it’s such a big stage to be on.
“It’s a while since I was active so it’s great to have these two opportunities to get the ball rolling again before the year is out.
“I don’t think I’m very far away from titles in terms of my talent and the performances I’ve turned in. Ideally, I’ll get a couple more eight-rounders in and then maybe one 10-rounder before pushing for titles.
“All I’m lacking at this stage of my career is experience and that will soon be under my belt.”