Lee Cutler has resumed his war of words with rival Stephen McKenna ahead of the pair being on the same Bournemouth card for the first time since their epic middleweight clash.
Both are part of Zuffa Boxing 07 at the Bournemouth International Centre this Saturday, live on Sky Sports, where hometown hero Chris Billam-Smith faces Ryan Rozicki to headline Zuffa Boxing’s first promotion outside of the United States.
McKenna returns to the ring for the first time since seeing his perfect professional record ended by Cutler via majority decision in December 2024, where the Irishman was floored twice in a gruelling contest that followed a fiery build-up.
“The Hitman” faces American James Street before Cutler takes on former southern area champion Aaron Sutton, with a rematch between the two rivals a possibility should both prevail on Saturday.
“If they [McKenna and his team] want the rematch after this, we can do that – I’m not bothered,” Cutler told Sky Sports.
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Lee Cutler floored Stephen McKenna twice and celebrated victory with a worm breakdance move after getting a majority decision in Liverpool
“Stevie’s just Stevie. We’ve seen him around a few times, but he just has absolutely nothing about him when there’s no cameras around or his dad isn’t by his side.
“I’m forgetting about him though for the time being and concentrating on Aaron Sutton, who’s in front of me.”
Bournemouth-born Cutler fights in his hometown for the first time since 2023 and ends a 14-month absence from the ring, with the 30-year-old looking to return to winning ways after a controversial technical decision defeat – due to an alleged headbutt – to Sam Eggington.
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Highlights from Sam Eggington’s eventful win over Lee Cutler last April
“Chaos resumes at home and I cannot wait to be back in the ring, let alone at home,” Cutler added. “It’s going to be an exciting night.
“I have to win. This is a must-win fight for me. I want to get into the massive fights that everyone’s excited about. I need to get through this – I’m not overlooking Aaron Sutton, but you’re going to see chaos Saturday night.
“You want to perform in front of these guys [Zuffa Boxing] and you want them to be like ‘there’s something about that lad and I can’t wait to see him box again’.”
McKenna: I built up Cutler’s career!
An ambitious McKenna is targeting a summer homecoming on Zuffa Boxing’s Ireland show on rather than a reunion with Cutler, with ‘The Hitman” keen to build on his record of claiming 10 of his 11 professional fight wins via knockout.
“I’m the most exciting fighter probably in this side of the world in boxing so you can always expect mayhem when I arrive,” McKenna told Sky Sports. “The Hitman has been training hard so expect a very explosive fight on Saturday night.
Lee Cutler defeated Stephen McKenna during their 2024 clash in Liverpool
“I want a first-round knockout on Saturday night and then I want to be on the Dublin show – that’s my plan. I want to impress Dana White, I want to impress Nick Khan [TKO] and then make big fights happen in Ireland. That’s the vision for me.”
On the idea of a Cutler rematch, McKenna added: “I’m not really interested in him, we’ve been there and done that. I built him up and up in his career so he really needs me to excel. Let him go his own way and let’s see how he gets on.”
Watch Zuffa Boxing 07 this Saturday live on Sky Sports, with early coverage streamed from 5pm ahead of live action on Sky Sports Action, Sky Sports Main Event and Sky One from 7pm. Get Sky Sports or stream boxing with no contract.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com
