Pierce “Big Bang” O’Leary was knocked out by England’s Mark Chamberlain in the 10th round of his 3Arena headliner on Saturday night.
The Dublin boxer, whose record is now 19-1, had his opponent on the canvas in the seventh round, but suffered two knock-downs and was stopped in the 10th. He has lost his IBO world title, generally considered to be a stepping stone to the four more prestigious world belts.
O’Leary was born and raised just around the corner in north Dublin’s Sheriff Street, and the roof had almost come off the 3Arena by the time the opening bell had rung.
O’Leary pushed the pace in the first round, but Chamberlain was happy to fight on the back foot and find counter shots off the ropes, landing a couple of glancing blows in the first.
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The fight burst into life late in the second round, as O’Leary landed a clean shot that looked to have his opponent in trouble.
The Dubliner followed in, eagerly throwing a couple of wild shots, and was caught with a counter left hand that put him flat on his back. After getting to his feet and surviving the count, O’Leary just about held on to survive the final 20 seconds of the round.
Chamberlain was happy to continue on the back foot in round three, walking the home fighter on to a couple of heavy shots, with the Irishman struggling to avoid the southpaw’s rear left hand.
Disaster struck late in the round, as O’Leary was floored again, this time with a perfectly timed left uppercut.
O’Leary rose and survived the final seconds of the round again, but his face was a bloody mask by the end of the session.
Spurred on by the raucous crowd, O’Leary worked his way back into the fight in the fourth though, landing consistently with his jab as well as adding a couple of power shots. This time it was the challenger who went back to his corner with a bloodied nose.
The fifth and sixth rounds returned to the opening pattern of O’Leary pressuring and Chamberlain counterpunching, but it was the Englishman who had the greater success. From the middle of the sixth onwards, O’Leary’s nose was completely burst, with strings of blood continuously leaking out.
The seventh saw the challenger survive a late knock-down after O’Leary struck him with a right hook to the body at close range. O’Leary pressed this advantage home by doggedly following Chamberlain around the ring throughout the eighth.
The end came in the 10, when O’Leary was caught with another counter, which Chamberlain followed up with a flurry to force the referee to stop the fight. Promoter Frank Warren confirmed after the fight that there was a rematch clause and that he would like to schedule that fight when both fighters are ready again.
On the undercard, Cork’s Steven Cairns (15-0) and Dublin’s Adam Olaniyan (3-0) and Bobbi Flood (3-0) continued their unbeaten streaks with stoppage victories.
Naas’s Gary Cully (now 19-2) scored a knock-out in the final round of a back-and-forth scrap with Lee Reeves (16-2), but the fight was overshadowed after the Limerick fighter had to be stretchered out of the ring and was brought to hospital.
In a statement, Warren said: “All our thoughts and prayers are with Lee Reeves and his family at this time as he remains in hospital. Everyone at Queensberry is thinking of him and we’re in constant contact with his team regarding his condition as we hope for positive news.”
