Tyrone McKenna Paddy Donovan

West Belfast’s Tyrone McKenna (sponsored by The Warren Collection) believes he can upset Paddy Donovan on one of the biggest nights in Irish boxing history — but the Limerick welterweight insists he is looking no further than the dangerous Belfast veteran standing in his way.

There may be a global spotlight on Katie Taylor’s farewell at Croke Park this Saturday, but for Belfast boxing fans, Paddy Donovan against Tyrone McKenna has all the ingredients to become one of the fights of the night.

The former sparring partners meet over 10 rounds at welterweight on Saturday, 5 September, as Croke Park welcomes professional boxing back for an extraordinary night in Dublin.

For Donovan, victory is another step towards returning to world-title contention.

For McKenna, it is an opportunity to tear up that script completely.

Donovan has plenty to lose

At 27, Paddy Donovan arrives at Croke Park with his sights firmly fixed on competing at the very highest level.

The Limerick southpaw has rebuilt following his world-title disappointment against Belfast’s Lewis Crocker, producing an impressive response against Karen Chukhadzhian in May.

Donovan knows exactly how dangerous taking an additional fight can be when bigger opportunities potentially lie ahead.

But Croke Park is different.

The chance to fight on Katie Taylor’s farewell card, inside Ireland’s most famous sporting stadium, was simply too big to ignore.

And Donovan is adamant he will not make the mistake of treating McKenna as merely another opponent on the road towards something bigger.

The pair know each other particularly well, having shared countless rounds of sparring earlier in their careers.

That familiarity adds another fascinating layer to Saturday’s contest.

There should be very few secrets once the opening bell sounds.

Another Belfast fighter stands in Donovan’s way

There is also an interesting Belfast connection running through Donovan’s recent career.

He has already shared two dramatic fights with Lewis Crocker, including their huge all-Irish world-title showdown at Windsor Park.

LoveBelfast previously covered the build-up to that historic night, when Crocker and Donovan prepared to meet for the IBF Welterweight World Title in front of a huge Belfast crowd.

READ MORE: Crocker & Donovan World Title fight to take place at Windsor Park

Now another Belfast fighter is standing across the ring from Donovan.

And Tyrone McKenna has no intention of simply making up the numbers.

McKenna takes Belfast fighting spirit to Croke Park

Anyone familiar with Tyrone “The Mighty Celt” McKenna knows exactly what he brings to a fight.

The 36-year-old West Belfast man has never been particularly interested in taking the easy route.

His professional career has included tough fights, memorable Belfast nights and plenty of adversity.

He even briefly retired following defeat to Crocker in 2023 before deciding there was still more to achieve.

It proved to be a significant decision.

McKenna returned to enjoy a memorable victory over Dylan Moran at Windsor Park in 2025.

Now he is preparing to walk out at Croke Park.

It will be comfortably one of the biggest occasions of his long career.

And he has left little to chance in his preparation.

Philadelphia preparation

McKenna travelled to Philadelphia for his training camp, working at the renowned gym of Derrick “Bozy” Ennis, father and trainer of world champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis.

It meant putting himself into a demanding environment surrounded by elite fighters and high-quality sparring.

For a veteran boxer who has seemingly experienced almost everything the sport can offer, McKenna believes the camp has given him exactly what he needed.

And he clearly feels Donovan may have one eye on what comes after Saturday.

That could be dangerous.

McKenna knows Donovan exceptionally well from their years of sparring together, while Donovan will be equally familiar with the Belfast man’s strengths and weaknesses.

At this stage, it may come down to which fighter has evolved most since those sparring sessions — and who can impose their game plan when it matters.

LoveBelfast view: don’t write off the Mighty Celt

On paper, Donovan understandably enters Saturday night as the man with greater momentum.

He is younger, technically gifted and still has serious world-title ambitions.

But this feels like exactly the sort of occasion where Tyrone McKenna can become extremely dangerous.

McKenna has built a career around making fights uncomfortable.

He is experienced, fearless and rarely interested in producing a quiet night’s boxing.

More importantly, he has very little to protect.

Donovan is the man expected to move forward towards another major opportunity.

McKenna is the man who gets to walk into Croke Park and try to wreck those plans.

That can be a liberating position for a fighter.

If Donovan controls the distance and turns it into a technical boxing match, his quality should tell.

But if McKenna can drag him into the type of emotional, physical battle he enjoys, things could become very interesting.

For Belfast fans, there will certainly be no shortage of reasons to get behind the Mighty Celt.

Dave Allen and Thomas Carty provide heavyweight chief support

There is plenty more Irish interest on Saturday’s card.

Dave Allen faces Dublin heavyweight Thomas Carty in the chief support contest.

Allen remains one of British boxing’s most recognisable characters and brings enormous professional experience into the fight.

Carty, meanwhile, gets the opportunity to box at a stadium he once dreamed of gracing as a Gaelic footballer.

His career suffered a major setback when he sustained an ACL injury during his defeat to Dajuan Calloway at Madison Square Garden in 2025.

Now he has the opportunity to produce a career-defining performance on home soil.

Brennan, Bevan and Molly McCann feature

Dublin’s Emmet Brennan also features in an intriguing unbeaten super-middleweight clash with Taylor Bevan.

Former UFC star Molly McCann continues her professional boxing journey against Sylwia Doligala.

McCann has an additional connection to the headline attraction, with Katie Taylor part of her extended family.

The Liverpool fighter has previously spoken about watching Taylor as inspiration during the early stages of her own boxing journey.

To now appear on Taylor’s farewell card at Croke Park brings that story full circle.

Katie Taylor prepares for one final night

Ultimately, everything leads to Katie Taylor.

The Bray superstar faces undefeated French challenger Flora Pili in what is being billed as the final fight of Taylor’s extraordinary professional career.

And there could hardly be a more fitting setting.

Croke Park.

Dublin.

A packed Irish crowd.

Undisputed world championship boxing.

Taylor’s influence stretches far beyond the belts she has collected.

She helped transform the possibilities available to female boxers and took women’s professional boxing into arenas and stadiums that would once have seemed unimaginable.

Now she gets the Irish farewell boxing fans have wanted for years.

It will also be the first professional boxing event at Croke Park since Muhammad Ali defeated Al Lewis at the stadium in 1972.

More than half a century later, Katie Taylor brings boxing back.

What happens after Katie Taylor?

There is another fascinating question hanging over Saturday night.

Who carries Irish boxing into its next chapter?

Taylor cannot be replaced.

But Irish boxing will need new headline names capable of filling arenas and creating nights supporters want to remember.

Donovan believes he can become one of them.

Lewis Crocker has already demonstrated the appetite for major boxing nights in Belfast.

And McKenna remains one of the city’s great entertainers.

Saturday gives Donovan an opportunity to take another step towards the future.

It gives McKenna an opportunity to remind everyone that his own story isn’t finished yet.

Katie Taylor v Flora Pili – Croke Park

Date: Saturday, 5 September 2026
Venue: Croke Park, Dublin
Main event: Katie Taylor v Flora Pili – Undisputed World Super Lightweight Championship
Chief support: Dave Allen v Thomas Carty
Welterweight: Paddy Donovan v Tyrone McKenna
Super-middleweight: Taylor Bevan v Emmet Brennan
Super-bantamweight: Molly McCann v Sylwia Doligala
Live fight night: From 7pm

LoveBelfast prediction

Paddy Donovan deserves to start as favourite.

He has the youth, technical ability and ambition to compete at world level.

But writing off Tyrone McKenna would be foolish.

The Belfast man has spent much of his career taking difficult fights and thriving when things become uncomfortable.

He knows Donovan. Donovan knows him.

And with one of the biggest crowds either man will ever experience waiting inside Croke Park, this won’t feel like an ordinary undercard fight.

McKenna wants a war.

Donovan wants to prove he belongs back on the world stage.

Saturday night should tell us which man gets his way.