Unheralded Nigerian-Italian, Etinosa Oliha, will face the biggest challenge of his career tomorrow in Dublin, reports fightnews.com.

The AGON middleweight (22-0, 10 KOs) will fight for the vacant IBF world championship at Zuffa 10 in the 3Arena in Dublin. In front of up to 14,500 spectators, the undefeated Oliha will face the equally undefeated local favourite Aaron McKenna (20-0, 10 KOs).

For Oliha, the world championship fight is the fulfilment of a lifelong dream and the reward for years of patience. “I am incredibly happy and grateful for this opportunity. I have worked for this my whole life. Aaron is a good boxer, and I respect him, but I believe in myself and my abilities. I’m coming to Ireland to win and bring the IBF title home,” says the 28-year-old.

The road to the top wasn’t straightforward, however. Although Oliha has been among the world’s best middleweights for years, he had to wait longer than expected for his world title opportunity. Giving up, however, was never an option for the AGON boxer.

“I had to be very patient. There were moments when I simply had to trust the process. But I never stopped working. I stayed in the gym every day and continuously improved. I believe that everything happens for a reason, and now my time has come.”

His success story with AGON Sports began rather by chance. Oliha had actually only travelled to Mallorca for sparring sessions. There, he made a lasting impression on the team led by promoter Ingo Volckmann. “I was only there to spar. Luckily, the team recognised my qualities. My performance in sparring led to a contract with AGON Sports. That moment changed my career. Since then, I’ve worked hard and seized every opportunity to get closer to my dream.”

Aaron McKenna now awaiting arguably the toughest challenge of his career so far. The Irishman enjoys home advantage and is considered a technically skilled and agile boxer. But Oliha and his coaching team, led by head coach Davide Greguoldo, feel perfectly prepared.

“Aaron is a good fighter. He has his strengths; otherwise, he wouldn’t be fighting for the world championship. We, together with our team, have analysed him thoroughly and know what he does well. On August 8th, everyone will see what we’ve prepared.”

A victory would not only make Oliha the new IBF world champion, but also fulfil a lifelong dream.

“This title would mean everything to me. It would be the result of years of sacrifice, hard work, and discipline. Becoming world champion would change my life. Above all, it would be a sign that with faith, dedication, and perseverance, anything is possible.”

This presents Oliha with the chance to crown himself on the biggest stage of his career. A victory in Dublin would not only make the undefeated middleweight champion his first IBF world champion, but also mark a new chapter in the success story of AGON Sports. The world championship fight will be broadcast live in Germany on BILDplus.