MONAGHAN MIDDLEWEIGHT AARON McKenna earned the most impressive victory of his professional career in Japan on Monday, stopping the previously unbeaten Puerto Rican-American Jeovanny Estela in the final round of their quarter-final in Matchroom’s $1million Prizefighter tournament.
𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒓 🤫@aaronmckenna99 puts a beat down on Jeovanny Estela to win by 10th round stoppage 👏
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) July 15, 2024
Semi-final spot against Kieron Conway secured 😮💨#McKennaEstela | @prizefighterjp pic.twitter.com/HAN7ZGQIA4
McKenna [19-0, 10KOs], who earned a $33,000 (€30,000) knockout bonus on top of his fight purse of roughly $150,000 (€138,000), will face England’s Keiron Conway [21-3-1, 6KOs] in his semi-final on a date yet to be confirmed.
Smithborough’s ‘Silencer’ was in sizzling form at the Yamato Arena, Osaka, dishing out a beating to Estela, previously 14-0(5KOs), before the referee saved ‘El Rayo’ from himself.
Estela, 23, caught McKenna, 25, flush with a right hand at the end of the first round which caught the Irishman’s attention but McKenna utterly dominated otherwise, his full arsenal on display as he walked his opponent around the ring and punished him to head and body.
McKenna finishes the fourth with a bang 💥#McKennaEstela | @DAZNBoxing pic.twitter.com/yj1t8auDiB
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) July 15, 2024
HOW IS ESTELA STANDING! 😵#McKennaEstela | @DAZNBoxing pic.twitter.com/7Rrv7JcfEa
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) July 15, 2024
The fight could easily have been stopped before the 10th and final round as Estela ate clean shot after clean shot, but in the end it took a late barrage from McKenna to bank a third of of the $100,000 knockout kitty to be shared among the three quarter-finalists who won by stoppage.
McKenna, who sparred with pound-for-pound king Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford in preparation for Monday’s bout, said he would invest his bonus in his training camp for his semi-final against Conway.
The Northampton man stopped China’s Ainiwaer Yilixiati in the seventh round to set up a last-four encounter with McKenna.
FIRST FACE-OFF 👀 SEMI-FINAL@kconwayofficial vs @aaronmckenna99#ConwayMcKenna | @DAZNBoxing | #PrizeFighter pic.twitter.com/f5olHP8Czx
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) July 15, 2024
The other semi-final will consist of two Japanese fighters, Riku Kunimoto (12-1, 6KOS) and Kazuto Takesako (17-2-1, 15KOs), after their victories over Eiki Kani and Mark Dickinson respectively.
There will again be a $100,000 bonus to share between semi-finalists who win by stoppage, with the eventual finalists competing for the $1 million (€917,000) prize and a likely world-title shot thereafter.
Like the quarters, the semi-finals and final will all take place in Japan.
