Aaron McKenna and his brother Stephen had sparred countless rounds together, it was a familiar routine for the up-and-coming Irish boxers during their early years training in Los Angeles.
The pair pushed each other hard and by McKenna’s own admission their sessions were competitive.
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During one session in 2018, however, an unexpected spectator upped the stakes -watching from ringside was Kendrick Lamar.
The rap superstar had just finished his own training session at the gym when McKenna and his brother began eight rounds of technical sparring.
“Me and Stephen looked at each other straight away,” McKenna recalled.
The pair are competitive, he said, so having the rap superstar watch on only spurred them on.
Lamar stayed for every round.
McKenna, who was living in California at the time would go on to regularly cross paths with Lamar at the gym.
“We got talking to him after and got on well with him,” he said.
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“Real nice fellow, down to earth, no arrogance or nothing.”
When McKenna had a fight scheduled at Fantasy Springs casino, more than four hours from Los Angeles, Lamar decided he wanted to attend.
Just before the boxer from the little village of Smithborough in County Monaghan was due to make the walk to the ring, the rapper appeared at his dressing room door.
“He came to my dressing room and wished me luck,” McKenna said.
“For someone of his magnitude to come in and wish me luck just shows how good of a person he is.”
McKenna went on to score a second-round knockout.
The pair remained in touch until the boxer returned to Ireland with his family during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Lamar’s fame has only grown in the years since.
In 2025, he won five Grammy Awards for his hit song Not Like Us before headlining the Super Bowl halftime show.
‘Kendrick welcome in Monaghan’
Speaking recently on Sky Sports Toe2Toe podcast, McKenna reflected on the unlikely friendship.
The 26-year-old now finds himself preparing for a much bigger moment.
When Lamar was watching ringside, McKenna was a teenager with only a handful of professional fights behind him.
In August he will challenge Italian fighter Etinosa Oliha for the vacant IBF middleweight world title in Dublin.
“I’m starting to come into my prime years,” he told BBC News NI.
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“This is where my career has really taken off.
“My next fight is for the world title, so I’m hitting the big stage now.”
Years after catching the attention of one of the world’s biggest music stars in a Los Angeles gym, McKenna is getting ready for what could be the biggest night of his own career.
He is preparing for that fight at the family gym in Monaghan, with sparring partners from the UK and the US flying over.
And if one familiar face wanted to make the trip, he said there would be a warm welcome waiting.
“Kendrick is always welcome,” he said.
“An open invitation anytime. Maybe he’ll come to the fight.”
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