It looked like Tyrone McKenna was set to hang up the gloves after his showdown with Irish rival Dylan Moran on Saturday night, but the universe had a different plan in store. The 35-year-old ‘The Mighty Celt’ went toe-to-toe with the Irish southpaw last December and scored a decisive knockout in the second round. After two months, he went toe-to-toe with Harlem Eubank, but came up short, leaving him to ponder if it might be time to hang up the gloves.

However, when he met 30-year-old Moran in a rematch last Saturday at Windsor Park in his hometown, McKenna’s plans changed immediately. He knocked out Moran in the 7th round of the fight this time. While the win cemented his place in boxing, the exact opposite happened to ‘The Real Deal’ Moran, who announced his retirement on social media after being sent to the hospital following the fight. 

Dylan Moran doesn’t plan on leaving boxing entirely

The 30-year-old described his boxing career as an “absolute dream,” expressing his gratitude for the sport of boxing in a post on Instagram. However, he knew before entering the ring on Saturday that it would be the last time he did it because the “love that got me out of bed in the morning was gone, and after spending the last two nights in hospital, worried sick.” The decision was partly because of his daughter’s birth, which made him “become civilised, I guess.”

Moran’s only motivation now is being “a good dad, a good partner.” Despite his departure, Moran promised, “I’ll always be around the game and look forward to many years of coaching and helping the young guns.” Meanwhile, McKenna reacted to the post with a special message for his opponent. “Legend Dylan was a pleasure to share two incredible nights with ya. Hope you have success in whatever you do,” McKenna wrote. 

Dylan Moran, who has sparred with Conor McGregor in the past, managed to rack up a record of 19-4 (9 KOs) in his professional boxing career, which spanned over eight years. Regardless, McKenna has also spoken about how he managed to overcome Moran for the second time.

Rematch was much tougher, says Tyrone McKenna 

Unlike the first time, it took Eddie Hearn-promoted McKenna five extra rounds to beat Moran, which forced him to admit that the rematch was much tougher, even though the end result was the same. Moran started strongly, using his movement in the opening rounds, but McKenna’s relentless pressure eventually broke him down. “I’m buzzing,” McKenna said after his win. 

“This time I took my time. I knew I was hurting him with most of my shots, and I wore him down until the stoppage came.” He also added, “I think it was the third round that’s when I felt him fading a bit. It was tougher than the last time I won. I don’t know whether he made the weight better this time or whatever, but it was much tougher… it just showed levels.”

Dylan Moran seems to be going all out before he finally calls it a day in the ring. Even though he gave Tyrone McKenna a run for his money, it just wasn’t enough to snag the victory. In the end, he had to hang up his gloves after taking a tough loss. How did you feel about the match?