McKenna established his jab immediately, varying it between the head and body and forcing Oliha to follow him. Oliha found occasional openings downstairs and landed a right over the top in the second, but those moments were difficult to sustain.

The Irish fighter began mixing uppercuts and combinations into his work as the rounds progressed. Oliha tried making the exchanges rougher at close range, but McKenna repeatedly created space and returned to the punch that was controlling the fight.

By the eighth, McKenna was making Oliha miss and countering with clean right hands. The challenger continued coming forward, yet his pressure wasn’t producing the sustained offense he needed.

Oliha increased his urgency in the championship rounds as the possibility of winning on the scorecards slipped away. McKenna continued landing combinations in the 11th before a clash of heads opened a cut on his forehead.

Blood flowed from the cut during the final round, but McKenna never lost control. He stayed at range, selected his punches rather than trading unnecessarily, and raised his hands when the final bell sounded.

The victory moves McKenna to 21-0 with 10 knockouts and gives the 27-year-old his first world championship. Oliha suffered his first professional defeat after beginning his career 22-0.

McKenna is Ireland’s first middleweight world champion since Andy Lee, making the achievement even bigger considering this was his first professional appearance on Irish soil.

The bout headlined Zuffa Boxing 10 and was shown on Sky Sports and Paramount+.