Stephen McKenna ended his 539-day absence from the ring with a devastating stoppage of Casey James Streeter in Bournemouth, before renewing his war of words with "boring" rival Lee Cutler.
McKenna (16-1) needed just 64 seconds to despatch Streeter, immediately landing vicious combinations and wobbling him with a huge left hook before knocking him down with a string of heavy shots.
The Irishman continued to dominate and a further wave of punches saw the referee wave the fight off in just over a minute, with the early stoppage a 15th knockout of McKenna's career and the perfect response to his December 2024 loss to Cutler.
"I just couldn't wait to get in there," McKenna told Your Site. "For 539 days I stood outside the ring. I'm just happy to be back, stronger than ever. I always go for the knockout. He [Streeter] tried to meet fire with fire, but it was only going to go one way."
McKenna lived up to his pre-fight prediction of winning inside the opening round and is now set to feature on home soil at Zuffa Boxing's Dublin show on August 8, although he dismissed the idea of facing Cutler and avenging the only loss of his professional career.
"Forget about him [Cutler]," McKenna insisted. "I'm after bigger things than him. Who wants to watch him? He's boring. I built up his whole career. Nobody knew him. Let him go his own way. He won't last long."
Home favourite Cutler saw his middleweight contest with Aaron Sutton cut short when a powerful right hand left his opponent with a dislocated shoulder, resulting in a third-round TKO victory.
Cutler's victory came in his first appearance back since his controversial loss to Sam Eggington last April, with the Bournemouth man now keen for the opportunity to defeat McKenna again.
When asked who he would like to fight next, Cutler told Your Site: "There's one person. He's big. He's red. His teeth stick out his head. Steve McKenna! Dublin? Let's go. Let's do it.
"You want me to go to Dublin to give you the best opportunity? Let's do it. I'll sell more tickets than you."
All three judges had the contest level after two rounds before the stoppage, with Cutler disappointed not to have the opportunity to see out victory on his own terms.
"After the Eggington fight, I believe I was robbed of a clinical victory again," Cutler added. "I thought I was going to walk this guy down and beat him up.
"Accidents happen and respect to him for staying in there. It's a shame what happened. I've seen it in sparring with shoulders, but the shot buzzed him before the shoulder came out."
Further Zuffa Boxing shows are scheduled in Las Vegas on June 28 and New York on July 26 ahead of their first Irish show in Dublin on August 8, with all three live and exclusive in the UK and Ireland on Your Site.
Zuffa Boxing 08 in Las Vegas includes Edwin De Los Santos facing Jose 'Rayo' Valenzuela in a 10-round rematch of their memorable 2022 fight-of-the-year contender, while the line-up for the New York show has yet to be announced. or .
