The Rocky Road

It’s fight week, and The Rocky Road takes you inside the McKenna camp ahead of Aaron’s massive showdown with former world champion Liam Smith at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. In this exclusive episode, we sit down with Aaron and his father, trainer Fergal McKenna, to explore their family dynamic, the road to success, and the preparations for one of the biggest fights of Aaron’s career.From their beginnings in Monaghan to globe-trotting training camps in places like Las Vegas, the McKenna duo shares unforgettable stories from the journey. We dive into the mental and physical sacrifices that have shaped Aaron into a world-class fighter and how Fergal’s coaching has guided him every step of the way.Along the way, we also hear about the surprising support from superstar rapper Kendrick Lamar, who’s been a fan of Aaron’s since his early days in the USA, and what it’s like to prepare for a fight of this magnitude on the world stage.With the pressure building and the excitement palpable, this episode is a front-row seat to the fight week hustle of one of boxing’s most promising young stars — and the father who’s been there through it all. It’s the McKenna family, the Rocky Road, and Premier League boxing at its finest.

After months of uncertainty, Irish boxing has taken a decisive step forward. On this episode of The Rocky Road, Kevin Byrne is joined by Niall O’Carroll, Chairman of the Irish Athletic Boxing Association's Board of Directors, to discuss the landmark vote that sees Ireland join World Boxing as a dual member — clearing a path for Irish athletes to compete at the LA 2028 Olympics.Boxing is Ireland’s most successful Olympic sport, but recent years have seen tension, confusion, and concern around its future. From governance issues and international boycotts to grassroots frustration and medal-winning clubs acting independently, the road to unity has been far from smooth.Niall reflects on the battles fought behind the scenes, what finally persuaded the clubs to back World Boxing, and why this decision matters so deeply for the next generation of Irish fighters. He also discusses the appointment of Jon Mackey as National Performance Director and outlines the IABA’s ambitions for LA 2028 and beyond.It’s a revealing conversation about politics, passion, and preserving Ireland’s proudest Olympic tradition. For anyone who cares about the future of Irish sport, this is one not to miss.

Today's guest is a New York and Atlantic City Hall of Fame member as a matchmaker. He's spent half a century in the sport and has worked with everyone from Muhammad Ali to Sugar Ray Leonard, Mike Tyson to Marvin Hagler, Steve Collins to Bernard Dunne. And Ron Katz is still making fights today. Here we talk about the three things a fighter needs to become huge, what it was like arranging Tyson's early fights and the future of the boxing business. 

‘Boxing has a perverse way of turning every significant bout I see into something deeply personal. It is as crooked and as destructive as it is magnificent and transformative. While watching boxers risk their lives, I fall for the gory drama once more…’ A passage from The Last Bell: Life, Death and Boxing, by the renowned sportswriter, Donald McRae, who joins us today. Donald is the author of five boxing books, each one more magnificent than the last, but his latest one is set to be the final chapter in a 50-year affair with the sport. I didn’t just say ‘love’ there, because sometimes it’s so much more complicated than that, but it’s certainly a consuming passion. There are still compelling characters within the sport, Rocky stories everywhere when you go looking for them, but it’s also a business beset by problems – from doping to gangsterism, the free press being replaced with yes-men with cameras and the migration from broadcast networks to subscription-only digital stations. We’re also grappling with a future where influencers, on one side, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on the other, hold sway. I’ve no doubt listeners to this show will be more than familiar with the book before this one, In Sunshine or In Shadow, the surreal story of how boxing gave people hope during the darkest days of the Troubles. And we’re delighted to present a conversation with Donald that touches on the fighters who inspired him after a sustained period of grief, covering Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury, Katie Taylor, Isaac Chamberlain and the rise of Andy Lee as a boxing trainer along with covering the growing Saudi influence and the human rights stories adjacent, MTK, doping and influencer boxing. 

Glenn Byrne is an unbeaten professional boxer fighting out of Dublin/Wicklow. The younger brother of Jay Byrne, his manager, promoter and trainer, Glenn's fighting for his first title at the National Stadium on April 12. With a 5-0 record to his name, up next for Glenn is Charly Lopez of Spain, with the BUI Celtic light-middleweight belt on the line. Win, and the route to an Irish title opens up. Lose, and he'll have to begin again. That's something he's already done before, after totally turning his life around following a health scare. Here, Glenn talks about how drinking took over his life and overshadowed his sporting talents, how it made him sick and how he managed to get away from it and flourish. There's an incredible story about Premier League footballer Troy Deeney pushing him towards the boxing journey he's now on after they met at a pool party in Bali. Now, with the world at his feet, his inspirational story is sure to inspire anyone who finds themselves in a similar position to the one he was in.

Senan Kelly is from Leixlip, Co Kildare. Currently the Irish welterweight champion, he will defend his title against Dublin's Declan Geraghty at the National Stadium on April 12. It's third time lucky for this pair after two previous dates fell through, and promises to be a compelling contest atop another JB Boxing Promotions card as the business graduates from small-hall to the bigger leagues. Kelly's career has been revitalised since linking up with Byrne in 2023. He'd spent a three-year spell on the sidelines between 2020 and 2023, partly down to the pandemic, mainly down to a desperate shoulder injury that realistically would cause most budding boxers to pack it in and focus on other endeavours. But Kelly isn't most budding boxers. In his demeanour, in his performances, you can see a competitor who'll do whatever it takes to win. Here, The Rocky Road visits Kelly at his house as he tells us about falling into the sport, why he's not interested if he's not directly involved and why he lives and breathes boxing - to the point that he converted his garage into a gym to train others. He also talks about financial insecurities, putting his life on hold to chase the dream and the pride his feels to headline at the home of Irish boxing.