Aaron McKenna may be tall, and have a frame that he claims could one day carry him to heavyweight, but he made the weight well on Friday.

On Saturday, live on Sky Sports at the 3Arena in Dublin, McKenna fights Etinsoa Oliha for the IBF championship.

Both came in under the middleweight limit, McKenna was 159.6lbs, Oliha 159.1lbs.

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McKenna proved himself world class with a tremendous victory over Liam Smith, a former WBO 154lbs champion, last year. He wants to demonstrate his quality again against Oliha and become Ireland's first middleweight world champion since Andy Lee.

"It did definitely open a lot of eyes, my last fight [against Smith], because of the fashion I did it in, it was a really dominant fight in my favour," McKenna told Sky Sports.

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"To fight a former world champion in Liam Smith was a massive name to have on my record. A lot of people were predicting me to lose. So that was another bonus, once I beat him in the fashion I did, it opened a lot of eyes and really got my name out there.

"Going into that fight I was the underdog and not many people gave me a chance. But I knew that was my time to really show the world how good of a boxer I am. Not many people expected me to have that style but I've been saying it for years, of how good of a boxer I am.

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"Now's another chance to really shine again."

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McKenna is determined to build from here. "Once I become world champion I'm going to take over the division," he said.

"I want to clean up the division. The 160lbs division is there to be cleaned up. So I want to become undisputed and then become a multiple-weight world champion.

"I want the biggest and best fights, I want to take on guys with undefeated records, or guys who are world champions and prove to myself I'm the best in the world. If I can't get the champions at 160lbs, I'll take them on at 168lbs, it doesn't matter to me. I'll take care of business on Saturday first."

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On the undercard Callum Walsh fights Tyler Denny in a dangerous test. Walsh, who has spent much of his previous career at super-welter, was exactly on the 160lbs limit. Denny was 159.7lbs.

Light-heavyweight talent Joe Ward hopes to announce himself to the professional sport against hard-punching, unbeaten contender Artjom Kasparian.

Both made weight, Ward scaled 174.08lbs and Kasparian was 174.2lbs.

"It's going to be unbelievable," Walsh told Sky Sports. "It's going to be a great card the whole way through.

"The buzz is going to be high. Quick fights, good fights back to back and keep the buzz going and by the time I come out it's going to be unbelievable in there.

"We can continue to show that Ireland does produce some of the best fighters in the world."

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'Reality is better than any script you could write'

McKenna had a fierce final face off with Oliha at the ceremonial weigh in at the 3Arena on Friday night.

McKenna vs Oliha is exactly the type of world title fight Zuffa Boxing's Dana White wants to stage.

"Unbeaten records on the line, fights that actually really mean something. Once a guy gets into the top five and you look at the opponents he's fought and he's been through the gauntlet of the toughest guys in the division and then he becomes a world champion, then he is the world champion," White told Sky Sports.

"You know who the champ is, you saw him fight everybody on the way up and that's what fight fans want to see."

White could see Aaron McKenna and Callum Walsh fighting one another down the line, if they are both victorious on Saturday.

"Anything's possible. I don't ever make predictions before the fight because you don't know how the fight's going to play out," White said. "Reality is better than any script you could have written. What you do is you let reality play out.

"You have to let this stuff this play out and that's how stars end up being built."

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The full card all made weight comfortably. Top Scottish prospect Sam Hickey, in a contracted 162lbs bout with Brad Axe, was 161.3lbs just the same as his opponent.

Louis Greene was 159.4lbs and Daniel Bucuic was 158.4lbs for their middleweight bout.

The undercard stream will begin at 5pm on Saturday, with Patrick O'Connor (200.5lbs), a formidable American cruiserweight prospect with Irish roots, opening the show against Spain's 6-1 Juan Manuel Moriel (191lbs 2oz).

Derry's Connor Coyle (158.8lbs) will be looking to launch himself into the mix with the top middleweights in his bout with America's Mark Beuke (159.6lbs).

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Stevie McKenna (159.7lbs) will be in action ahead of his brother's world title fight. He fights former sparring partner Owen O'Neill (158.5lbs).

All the fighters got a sample of the 3Arena atmosphere at the ceremonial weigh in on Friday. That though is just a foretaste of what's to come on tomorrow.

"It should be crazy on Saturday night," White said. "The match-making's incredible and on paper you know how a fight looks and how it feels and how it should play out. Hopefully that's the case when they get in there. That's what we've got on Saturday night."

Watch Aaron McKenna and Etinosa Oliha fight for the IBF world middleweight title in Dublin on Saturday, live on Sky Sports. Get Sky Sports or stream boxing with no contract.