Adames disputes McKenna’s account and insists the Irishman’s staff didn’t reply with the identical confidence as soon as his representatives reached out.
“My staff reached out to McKenna staff and guess the sparring didn’t go like he mentioned. They’re scared as effectively!” Adames said on X.
The accusation pressures McKenna to reveal that his callout was severe. Discussing outdated sparring classes attracts consideration, however McKenna now has a championship belt and a cause to pursue Adames.
What occurred within the health club in 2019 can not settle the argument. McKenna remembers these classes a method, whereas Adames (25-1-1, 18 KOs) clearly remembers them in another way. Except footage exists, neither account might be verified.
A unification with McKenna, 27, will not be the struggle many followers need from Adames. Social media responses have pushed him towards Vergil Ortiz Jr. or WBA champion Erislandy Lara as an alternative.
Ortiz would deliver extra consideration and current Adames with a harmful offensive fighter who applies stress, punches exhausting, and has already operated at the next aggressive stage than McKenna. Beating Ortiz would do much more for Adames’ status than profitable an argument about sparring carried out seven years in the past.
Lara would provide one other unification and the chance to face one of many division’s most achieved champions. His age makes him a much less imposing opponent than he was a number of years in the past, however his timing, left hand, and counterpunching would nonetheless check Adames.
McKenna (21-0, 10 KOs) stays a respectable choice as a result of he owns the IBF title. Nonetheless, his restricted recognition exterior Britain and Eire makes the matchup tougher to promote with out the sparring story. Adames can acquire one other belt by defeating him, however Ortiz and Lara would entice larger curiosity.
If McKenna desires the struggle, his staff can reply to Adames and start negotiations. If not, Adames has extra interesting names accessible than persevering with a dispute over personal health club rounds from 2019.
