Aaron McKenna beats Liam Smith with boxing masterclass on Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn card

Aaron McKenna produced a boxing masterclass to record the biggest victory of his career over Liam Smith on Saturday night.

Fighting on the Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn card at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Monaghan man outclassed the former world champion throughout the 12-round contest, winning via unanimous decision.

McKenna caused the Liverpool native, 11 years the 25-year-old's senior, all sorts of problems during the fight, using his jab brilliantly throughout and knocking him down with a body shot in the final round.

He showed the wide range of shots he possesses in his armoury over the 36 minutes and a game Smith couldn't find an answer to McKenna's magnificence.

McKenna felt out his opponent early on, but the jab was causing Smith problems from the start. As the bout went on, the Irishman began to put together lovely combinations and went to the body, while also throwing the odd uppercut.

'The Silencer' silenced any doubters he had with the dazzling display and now has massive options moving forward after winning the WBA International Middleweight title with the victory.

McKenna had described the bout as 'life-changing' beforehand, while promoter Eddie Hearn said the event was the biggest boxing show the UK has ever seen with 65,000 in attendance.

Carl Frampton was working as a pundit on the bout and had McKenna well ahead on his scorecard, with the three judges at ringside agreeing as they scored the bout 119-108, 117-109 and 118-108 in his favour.

The victory moves the Smithborough man to 20-0 as a professional, with ten of his victories coming by knockout.

The bout was former light-middleweight world champion Smith's first fight since being stopped by Eubank Jr in the tenth round of their rematch in September 2023, eight months after the Liverpool native knocked him out in Manchester.

'Beefy' has also shared the ring with the likes of Canelo Álvarez, and Jaime Munguía, with Saturday's defeat just his fifth from 39 fights.

Smith had claimed pre-fight that he would be too experienced for McKenna, but it was the Monaghan man who looked levels above the veteran.

While McKenna and Smith went to war on Saturday night, they are both Liverpool fans and will be hoping to see the Reds clinch their 20th league title when they host Spurs at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.

Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts.