MMA promoter to move into pro boxing
Another new fighter has joined the pro ranks in Ireland as 2019 gets off to a fast start.
It has been confirmed today that Tallaght super feather Declan Kenna has signed a deal with Boxing Ireland Promotions and will debut imminently.
Now based in Drogheda, the 30-year-old’s initial background in combat sports was in kickboxing before moving into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and mixed martial arts/
‘Dollar Dec’ would open up his own gym and would later move into promoting, setting up the hugely successful ‘Cage Legacy’ series.
Meanwhile, Kenna would operate on the busy Ulster semi-pro boxing scene – picking up belts and also sharing the stage with some fighters that have also moved into fully-fledged pro ranks, namely Kelvin McDonald.
The fight boss is said to want to take an ‘MMA’ approach to his progression, calling for competitive domestic fights from the off.
It is intended, licencing dependent, that he will debut on the soon-to-be-announced Celtic Clash 8 card alongside a host of other new faces such as Kevin Cronin, Jamie Douglas, Owen McDonagh, Dean O’Connell, Thomas McCarth, Paddy Clavin, and Dominic Donegan.
Kenna is another convert from the world of MMA. Antrim cruiserweight Conor Cooke returned from boxing following a spell in the octagon while Cork feather Colin O’Donovan has also competed under expanded rules. Then, of course, there is Dubliner Conor McGregor who had a high-profile move into boxing to face five-weight champ Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas in August 2017.
It is the second confirmed new pro of the year, and indeed this weekend. Yesterday it was announced that teenage Tyrone feather Callum Bradley was ditching the vest and linking up with MTK Global.
