McKenna to Defend Title Against Aleksejevs on December 4

Aaron McKenna won the IBF middleweight world championship in August by beating Etinosa Oliha in Dublin. The Irish boxer will defend the title for the first time on Friday, December 4. The bout is the main event of Riyadh Season Zuffa Boxing 14, held at The Venue in Riyadh, and can be watched live on Sky Sports.

His opponent, Jevgenijs Aleksejevs, is an unbeaten Latvian boxer ranked in the world rankings. Of his 20 professional wins, Aleksejevs has taken 10 by knockout. He has not lost in gloved boxing after his background in kickboxing. Last October he won a regional title with a unanimous decision over Przemyslaw Zysk. In February he outlasted Italy's Damiano Falcinelli over 10 tough rounds. This fight will be Aleksejevs' first world title attempt.

McKenna, from Monaghan, has a record of 21 wins, 0 losses and 10 knockouts. In his nine-year professional career, he entered title contention in April 2025 by beating former world champion Liam Smith on points. McKenna has fought many times as an amateur in Ireland, and he returned home for the first time as a professional in August, when he won the world championship in Dublin.

On the undercard, Jack Massey will face Andrew Tabiti. A former European champion and world title challenger, Massey has a record of 23 wins, 4 losses and 13 knockouts. He lost to Chev Clarke at Zuffa Boxing 07 in June. He knocked his opponent down twice in the fourth round, but was stopped in the seventh. The American Tabiti previously fought for a world title against Yuniel Dorticos. After competing at heavyweight, he is moving back down to cruiserweight. Light heavyweight Zak Chelli, who has recently signed with the promotion, will also face Jesse Hart in his first Zuffa Boxing bout.