Stevie McKenna maintained his relentless march up the ranks of the welterweight division as he easily accounted for Brendon Denes at the Wembley Arena on Saturday night.

The Monaghan man put his opponent under pressure from the opening bell to the last, as the contest was eventually ended at the start of the fifth round as his opponent was unwilling to continue.

McKenna went at Denes with his renowned aggressive approach in the first minute of the contest, taking control of the centre of the ring, and while his Zimbabwean opponent looked to showcase his own skills, throwing throughout, he was unable to trouble the 25-year-old Irish fighter.

More of the same from McKenna in the second round, working the body well with his powerful left hooks against his shorter opponent. Denes was forced to drop his guard midway through the round to protect his body amidst the non-stop action of the aggressor, and was rocked by a straight right to the head.

Denes took a count in the third round, complaining that he was hit in the back of the head, and then went over once more by way of a shove by the Monaghan brawler.

During the break, Denes was clearly struggling with his footwear and had to start the fourth round with the sole of his boot flapping against the canvas.

And it was another comfortable round for McKenna, which saw Denes hit the canvas once again, before referee Bob Williams ripped off the sole of his boot.

McKenna went all out for the victory as Denes was offering little in return, and while the shots came at a ferocious pace, his opponent, to his credit, made it to the bell.

But there would be no more action in this one as Denes remained on his stool as the bell went for the fifth, forcing Williams to call off the contest with 22 seconds on the clock.

The win brings the Smithborough native's record to a flawless 13-0, with 12 of the wins coming by way of knockout.

"You have to entertain in this game," said McKenna, speaking on Sky Sports after the fight. "I wanted to go in there and get the knockout, which I did. He was highly ranked and it was a good step-up fight for me at this stage of my career.

"Nobody wants to fight me. I have called out numerous fighters and they don't want to know but hopefully we can make those fight happen."