LAS VEGAS – Ireland’s Stevie McKenna tees off on the heavy bag, banging away with both hands, gritting his teeth and grunting as leather repeatedly meets leather.

Having watched his brother, Aaron, spar eight rounds at the Top Rank Gym, Stevie – a 6ft 2ins 28-year-old – focuses on his own work. The heat is up, the work is hard and, when McKenna is done, he slips on a beige hoodie with an image of Muhammad Ali on his chest and soaks the sweat from his forehead with a towel.

McKenna lost his last fight, in Liverpool, England, in December when he was dropped twice and outpointed by Bournemouth, England’s Lee Cutler. It might have come hard for the 15-1 (14 KOs) McKenna, but he has had no time to get down about it.

That fight and McKenna’s August 2024 stoppage of Joe Laws were both nominated in the Fight of the Year category at the recent British Boxing Board of Control Awards.

“Straight back to it,” McKenna said. “Getting ready now for the next big opportunity. We’re in Vegas, the best place to be in the world for boxing. Just getting to work with all the top fighters in the world. I want the big fights.”

The idea of having a couple of contests to ease back in does not appeal to McKenna, who is open to offers both at 154 and 160lbs.

“As you can see, I’m a very entertaining fighter,” McKenna added. “I’m a very fan-friendly fighter. As long as I’m in a fight, it’s going to be exciting.”

Although there might not have been a period of heartfelt introspection, lessons have been learned and McKenna is abrupt when asked whether his first professional defeat has knocked his confidence.

“Live, learn, move on – no, not at all,” he said. “It’s my first time over six rounds, so I’ve knocked everyone out. Nothing changes. It’s just another night. I’ll come back even bigger and stronger. I’ve been working hard in the gym. I’ve been really sitting down and working on things and improving. That’s the main thing, as long as I’m improving and in exciting fights. My dream is still to become world champion, and I will do so.”

Cutler is moving into another high-profile fight – against Sam Eggington – on Sky Sports in Birmingham in April, but Stevie McKenna will wait to see how Aaron’s huge bout on April 26 with Liam Smith goes before plotting his own next move. The younger McKenna brother will take on Smith on the undercard of Chris Eubank Jnr-Conor Benn at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

“Unbelievable, what a stage to show yourself,” Stevie said. “Aaron is an unbelievable fighter. It’s a great opportunity against a great fighter. Liam Smith, what a guy. He comes from a very prestigious boxing family. It’s Aaron’s time to show the world what he can really do.”

It is the kind of opportunity Stevie McKenna hopes might come his way in the near future.

Before that, Cutler will face Eggington in what many believe could be another Fight of the Year contender.

“That’s a good fight, yeah,” McKenna continued. “Eggington’s a very experienced, tough, tough man. It’ll be a good one. 

“I’m looking forward to seeing it. It’s a 50-50 fight, in my opinion. It’ll be fun, regardless. Cutler seems to be a guy that will come and fight. It’ll make it a good fight.”

Eggington has never needed a second invitation to go to war, either. And although McKenna is calm about the loss he has suffered, it helps that he has learned from it and taken experience that he plans to use in the future.

“Yeah, it was a great fight,” he said of the Cutler battle. “Cutler was tough; he came to fight. Very close. I still don’t think he won the fight. But no excuses, as I said after. Just working, improving and coming back even better than ever. And getting back to winning.”

The buildup had included a grudge that manifested itself all the way up to fight night, and even that has provided McKenna with teachable moments from which he plans to learn.

“It’s all about building the fight,” he said. “It was a co-main event on Sky Sports. Coming from Ireland, it’s a big thing fighting on Sky Sports. And to be co-main event, the fight was built up. I’m good at building the fight. I’m good at drawing attention. And that’s what people want to see. Before the fight, I say what I’m going to bring. It’s just excitement, pure excitement.” 

And with McKenna’s “0” gone, there might be more people willing to face him.

With sparring in both rings taking place in a busy gym, the Irishman prepares to leave. He smiles for pictures with sparring partners and his dad, Fergal, and brother Aaron, and believes the culture of boxing is changing to the point that shiny undefeated records are no longer the currency they used to be.

“As long as you’re entertaining,” Stevie said. “The undefeated record was a thing with [Floyd] Mayweather – a lot of guys were afraid to fight each other. But the likes of me and my brother Aaron, we’d fight anyone. I’d fight everyone if I had the opportunity. I just love fighting. I think now there won’t be many 0s left in boxing. With the way things are going, everyone’s going to be fighting each other. It’ll be more like the UFC.

It’s great to see it because a lot more opportunities will open up. It’ll create a lot more interest in boxing. That’s what people want to see. They want to see real fights.”

Tris Dixon covered his first amateur boxing fight in 1996. The former editor of Boxing News, he has written for a number of international publications and newspapers, including GQ and Men’s Health, and is a board member for the Ringside Charitable Trust and the Ring of Brotherhood. He has been a broadcaster for TNT Sports and hosts the popular “Boxing Life Stories” podcast. Dixon is a British Boxing Hall of Famer, an International Boxing Hall of Fame elector, is on The Ring ratings panel and is the author of five boxing books, including “Damage: The Untold Story of Brain Trauma in Boxing” (shortlisted for the William Hill Sportsbook of the Year), “Warrior: A Champion’s Search for His Identity” (shortlisted for the Sunday Times International Sportsbook of the Year) and “The Road to Nowhere: A Journey Through Boxing’s Wastelands.” You can reach him @trisdixon on X and Instagram.