The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Ryan “Big Youth” McKenzie continues to put on a spectacular show in Verona, New York.

The six-foot light heavyweight won his second consecutive professional fight for the year at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino where he pulled off a sixth round unanimous decision over Steven “Too Sharp” Tyner out of Albany on the undercard of ESPN’s Friday Night Fights.

All three judges scored the fight 60-54 in his favour. “It was a real good fight,” was how McKenzie summed up his latest triumph in an interview with The Tribune.

With the victory, McKenzie, who turned pro in 2006, improved to 13-0 with his fifth victory since leaving the Bahamas in 2012.

“It feels awesome to be undefeated. Everything is heading in the right direction,” he said. “It was a good fight, so it felt good winning the unanimous decision. I won all six rounds. I felt good about the way I fought.”

McKenzie, who has started to develop his own following in the area, whipped the crowd into a frenzy when he began to pummel Tyner on the ropes early in the second round.

Continuing to keep momentum in his favour in the third, McKenzie landed a left hook on Tyner’s body and a couple of rights to his face. McKenzie landed another flurry of punches to open the fourth round, including two strong right hooks to Tyner’s face, but he refused to go down.

Tyner regained his composure and actually landed a brief flurry of punches early in the fifth but McKenzie took over again with a series of powerful right hooks to Tyner’s face. McKenzie would then land a couple more in the final round and came away with a unanimous decision. “It all boils down to hard work and just do what I’ve always been doing, learning to refine my skills in the boxing ring, stay on the road training and doing a little more than everybody else in the gym,” McKenzie said. “After all of that, it tends to show in the ring.

“So I’m just continuing to work hard, put in a little more extra time and stay focused. No drinking, eating right, hitting the gym six days a week. All of that plays a role. And everyday I go into the gym, I try to learn something new from my coach. So I’m just trying to keep an open mind and take in everything. I can’t complain.”

Fighting in front of about 3,500 fans, McKenzie said he has been adopted in Sarasota, Utica and Canastota where he currently resides and he’s making the best of his decision to take a leave of absence from his job at the Riu Hotel on Paradise Island to fulfil his dream of becoming a world boxing champion.

McKenzie is hoping to be back in the ring in June when Friday Night Fights returns. But because he wasn’t hurt at all in his last fight, he’s prepared to return to action on short notice if something else comes up in the meantime. “I’m in really good condition right now,” he said.