‘He fights like a coward’ – McKenna hits out at Insta sensation Ryan Garcia
Irish prospect Stevie McKenna has come out all-guns-blazing at his American rival Ryan Garcia just hours before the KO King’s debut in a UK ring tonight. Watch in the UK and Ireland on free-to-air Channel 5 from 10pm or for free around the world on Seconds Out YouTube from 7pm (GMT) 2pm (ET).
The undefeated Monaghan super-lightweight takes on Gary McGuire at the LS Live TV studio in Wakefield, as he aims to take his record to 5-0. But it’s the simmering tensions that has reached boiling point between McKenna and Garcia that has captured the attentions of fans around the world.
In an exclusive interview with Hennessy Sports partner Seconds Out, McKenna and his father and co-trainer Fergal, explosively reveal exactly what really happened in that infamous sparring session; the real reason behind the Twitter spat; the vicious and nasty messages sent by Garcia and a future fight between them.
Here are some of the more hard-hitting comments in the interview:
Stevie on Garcia as a fighter…
He hasn’t fought anyone that puts it on him…once that day comes he will fall and he will get beat
Stevie on Garcia sending spiteful messages…
He’s the kind of guy that likes to HIDE behind a phone and send messages.
Stevie on ‘that’ sparring session…
He fights like a COWARD, cowards always get exposed
I was wearing 16oz gloves…and this pre-Madonna is wearing a pair of 14oz wee small little gloves
He was supposed to do six rounds but jumped out after four after taking beatdown and then never wanted to spar again
Fergal added…
He doesn’t like getting his hair tossed…He’s the type of fighter if you laid a glove on him and their all glazy, he’d almost start crying
Stevie on a future fight between him and Garcia…
It’s personal yes…I’d love to get him. I’d bash him up.
Samir Ziani vs. Alex Dilmaghani plus Isaac Chamberlain is exclusively LIVE on free-to-air Channel 5 on Saturday night from 10pm. Watch the whole undercard LIVE and free on the Seconds Out You Tube Channel youtube.com/secondsout from 7pm.
Presented by Mick Hennessy for Hennessy Sports in association with Ladbrokes, Infinitum, Numan and Everlast, Crayford’s Alex Dilmaghani’s challenge for the European Super-Featherweight Championship against the reigning Champion Samir Ziani from France headlines the card. Brixton cruiserweight title contender Isaac Chamberlain – hot off a third round KO win just under two weeks ago after two years out of the ring – returns to action in an eight-round contest against Wolverhampton’s Matt Sen. Unbeaten Sevenoaks middleweight hot-shot Michael Hennessy Jr. continues on his march towards his first pro title and takes on Stoke-on-Trent’s Jamie Stewart in a six-round contest. One of the world’s hottest emerging young talents, Stevie McKenna from Monaghan, Ireland, based out of California, makes his first pro appearance on UK soil when he takes on Glasgow’s Gary McGuire over six-rounds at lightweight. Birmingham’s undefeated Idris Virgo lit up social media with his sensational one-punch body KO in his last fight and now returns to face Manchester’s Scott Williams at super-welterweight.
Bexleyheath’s Sam Cantwell six-round super-flyweight fight against Westbrook’s Ricky Leach has been cancelled after Leach withdrew from the contest.
