Tyrone McKenna wins wild two-round shootout against Dylan Moran

WATERFORD – Amid a crackling atmosphere, Tyrone McKenna came through two blistering rounds of carnage with local rival Dylan Moran in a fight none of those in the SETU Arena are likely to forget.

After 2:55 of round two Moran, who had been down once in each round, was ruled unable to continue but it had been a wild punch-up between two southpaws on ProBox TV.

Moran, buoyed by vociferous support, jumped on McKenna early, but the veteran Irishman merely flashed a smile and fought fire with fire.

Neither held back. Belfast’s McKenna was caught by right hooks but belted Moran with long lefts and cut the Waterford man on his left eye brow.

Then, with Moran staying in the pocket too long, he was caught by a dizzying straight left and reeled to the floor like a spinning top. McKenna threw has hands in the air in celebration.

Back to his feet but groggy, Moran staggered and looked weary but was allowed to continue. As McKenna followed in, the bell sounded indicating that Moran had made it through to the second but he only managed to groggily stumble back to his corner.

McKenna had mocked Moran for his chin in fight week but Moran dug in and fought back bringing his crowd to their feet in round two, only for McKenna to wade back in.

Moran, in his efforts to land his left hand, stopped moving and threw, but he proved a stationary target for McKenna who cracked him with more lefts. Both swung for the fences in electric and prolonged exchanges and Moran threatened to get on top as the veteran McKenna seemed to slow.

Moran’s supporters certainly seemed to think he was coming back into it.

But, with Moran – 19-3 (9 KOs) – running low on fumes, McKenna swiped him with another left and Moran toppled once more.

This time, despite making it back to his feet, the referee did not allow him to continue.

The crowd hummed in disbelief at the pulsating violence they had witnessed. It was a two-round shootout, almost non-stop punching and bedlam, and McKenna, 24-5-1 (7 KOs), has set himself up for a run at another big fight, having already faced the likes of Ohara Davies, Regis Prograis and Jack Catterall.

“You hope for fights like that,” said jubilant promoter Jamie Conlan.

In a local grudge match Graham McCormack got revenge over Waterford’s Craig McCarthy, scoring a body shot finish 20 seconds into the sixth. It was the third and final time McCarthy had been and McCarthy falls to 10-3-1 (2), and McCormack is 10-4-1 (2 KOs).

A left hand dropped McCarthy near the end of the first and he nodded his admiration for the shot. McCarthy worked his way back into it in the second, taking aim at McCormack’s fleshy midriff, but McCarthy was dropped by another left hand near the end of the second. The pace slowed in the third, and McCarthy, breathing hard, lost his mouthpiece, but both were loading up.

The more polished work came from McCormack, and McCarthy bled profusely from the right eye in the fourth and both had their moments in the fifth but to open the sixth McCarthy was dropped and winded by a booming left to the body and it was all over.