Aaron McKenna, the newly crowned world champion, is only at the beginning of what he envisions as a dominant reign in the middleweight ranks. After capturing the IBF middleweight crown by defeating Etinosa Oliha in a thrilling bout held at Dublin’s 3Arena, McKenna wasted no time outlining his ambitions to follow in the footsteps of legends such as Canelo Álvarez and Gennadiy "GGG" Golovkin. In the post‑fight interview, the Irish fighter made it clear that he is not content with merely holding a single belt.

He named the current titleholders in the division—Denzel Bentley (WBO), Carlos Adames (WBC) and Erislandy Lara (WBA)—as his next targets, urging all top 160‑pounders to step into the ring with one another. “It doesn’t matter who’s next, whoever wants it,” McKenna told Sky Sports.

“I’m easy to find now, I have a belt. There’s no hiding any more.

I want to collect every single belt in boxing. I’m the best middleweight and super‑middleweight in the world. I don’t mind jumping up.” The champion’s confidence stems from a lifelong dream. “I’ve been thinking about this moment since I was six years old,” he reflected, adding a motivational note for anyone chasing a goal: “It just goes to show, don’t give up, always stay true to yourself.

You can do anything.” McKenna’s vision extends beyond personal glory; he believes the middleweight division itself is ready for a revival. For years the weight class has been perceived as dormant, especially after Golovkin and Canelo moved up or focused on other projects. “The middleweight division’s there to be taken over,” McKenna declared at his press conference.

“It’s been dying for years since GGG and Canelo left it. I said it again a year ago—I think I’m going to be the man to take it over.” He acknowledges that many doubted his aspirations, but he feels his performance has forced the skeptics to listen. “No one really believed me.

Until you put in performances like that and then they start listening. In life you’ve got to prove yourself sometimes. Tonight I’ve done that.

I just hope one of the other world champions will take on the fight so we can clean up this mess of a division.” McKenna’s commitment to unification is absolute. He has repeatedly promised to accept any challenge, regardless of the opponent’s stature or the logistical hurdles involved. “Anyone. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—I will literally fight anyone out there.

I just want to unify, whatever it takes, prove I’m the best in the world. That’s the sport of boxing. You look back to the 80s and 90s, they all fought each other,” he explained, drawing a parallel between his own plans and the golden era of the sport. He also credited his promotional partner, Zuffa Boxing, for fostering an environment where fighters can meet each other without evasive tactics.

“And this is exactly why Zuffa Boxing’s going to be the future. It’s already taking over. Everybody’s fighting each other, there’s no more hiding,” McKenna said, emphasizing the importance of open‑book matchmaking in achieving a true, undisputed champion. For now, the 27‑year‑old can savor the moment that has been twenty‑one years in the making.

“I don’t know how long this is going to take for this to seep in that this has finally happened—that I’ve become world champion. I’ve been dreaming of this,” he admitted, his voice tinged with disbelief. “For it to happen now, honestly it’s literally unbelievable. I can’t describe it.” Looking ahead, McKenna’s roadmap includes confronting each of the other belt‑holders, potentially arranging a series of high‑stakes unification fights that could reshape the middleweight landscape.

He is already in talks with the camps of Bentley, Adames and Lara, and has hinted that a move up to super‑middleweight could be on the table if it means securing another championship. “I don’t mind jumping up,” he reiterated, underscoring his willingness to chase titles across adjacent divisions. The champion’s narrative is not just about personal accolades; it is framed as a mission to restore excitement and legitimacy to a weight class that fans feel has lost its luster.

By demanding that the elite of the division face each other, McKenna hopes to create a clear hierarchy, eliminate the current “mess” of fragmented titles, and deliver the kind of decisive, headline‑making bouts that defined boxing’s heyday. In the coming months, the boxing world will be watching closely.

If McKenna can indeed unify the belts, he will join an exclusive club of fighters who have held multiple major titles simultaneously—a feat achieved by only a handful of middleweights in history. Until then, his confidence, his willingness to fight anyone, and his clear articulation of a grander vision for the division set the stage for what could become one of the most compelling chapters in contemporary boxing.