If Misfits — or any other burgeoning promotion — ever fancy shaking their Money Trees hard enough to tempt one of the world’s biggest stars into the ring, Aaron McKenna (20-0, 10 KOs) believes that record-breaking rapper Kendrick Lamar would have a field day.

“I wouldn't doubt him against anyone,” The Ring’s No. 6 middleweight laughed. “He’d have no problem.”

Although Lamar’s love of the sport is well known, he has far bigger things on his plate than preparing for four rounds against the likes of Jordan McCann, Ibiza Final Boss or Big Stacks but whilst McKenna can certify the Californian certainly knows how to hold his own hands up, the Irishman confirmed that he is also a genuine fan.

It is eight years since a teenage McKenna first met the hip-hop superstar when he and his brother Stevie were training in Los Angeles.

“We walked into the gym and there he was. It was 2018. Me and Stephen just looked at each other straight away, we could not believe it,” McKenna said.

“He was sitting there in the gym and we got talking to him. Me and Stephen then done a spar, he sat there and watched the whole thing. We've seen him a few more times in the gym, it was a regular occurrence.

“I had a fight coming up in Fantasy Springs, which is like a four-hour drive from LA... he made the trip down there and watched the fight.

“Just before I was going to walk out to the ring — literally two to three minutes before I was walking out — he came in and wished me luck.”

Lamar was already a major global star when the unlikely friendship began and on August 8, McKenna gets the opportunity to make the boxing world sit up and take notice.

McKenna’s vacant IBF middleweight title fight against Italy’s Etinosa Oliha (22-0, 10 KOs) will headline Zuffa Boxing 10, taking place at Dublin's 3Arena.

McKenna is guaranteed to enjoy plenty of local support on the night but wouldn’t hesitate to leave an extra ticket at the door if Lamar decided to make the trip.

“I've an open invitation for Kendrick, if he wants to come to a fight in Ireland,” he said.

“I remember talking to him and he was very fond of Ireland. He liked the Irish people so it'd be great to see him back here again.”