IBF No. 1 Paddy Donovan risks title shot against McKenna in Dublin

Paddy Donovan will put his position as the IBF’s No. 1 welterweight contender on the line against Tyrone McKenna on September 5, with the 10-round bout scheduled for Croke Park in Dublin. The all-Irish contest is part of Katie Taylor’s farewell card, Once Upon a Time, which will be streamed worldwide on DAZN.

Donovan, from Limerick, holds a 15-2-1 record with 11 knockouts. McKenna, a Belfast fighter, enters with 25 wins, six defeats and one draw, including eight victories inside the distance. Donovan is the mandatory challenger for IBF welterweight champion Liam Paro, but Paro has yet to decide his next move.

That uncertainty has encouraged Donovan to remain active, despite the danger of losing his place in line for the world title. He has chosen to accept the bout in front of what is expected to be more than 80,000 fans, making it the first professional boxing event at Croke Park in 54 years.

The meeting also carries a historical Irish dimension. It will be the first all-Irish fight on Croke Park’s main card in a century, following a professional boxing event staged at the venue by promoter Jim Rice on July 10, 1926. Muhammad Ali’s 11th-round knockout of Alvin Lewis in 1972 was the last professional boxing event held there.

Donovan rebuilt his position after two controversial defeats by Lewis Crocker. He was disqualified in their first meeting and then lost a split decision in the rematch. In his next major step, he defeated Ukraine’s Karen Chukhadzhian in Germany in an IBF title eliminator, scoring two knockdowns and earning the decision.

The Limerick fighter has credited trainer and co-manager Andy Lee, a former world middleweight champion, with guiding his development since he was 19. He has also praised co-manager Keith Sullivan for the legal and managerial work that helped him reach a title-eliminator opportunity after the Crocker losses. Sullivan said Donovan himself insisted on taking the Croke Park fight, viewing the occasion as important to Irish boxing and its supporters.