Pierce O’Leary returns to the ring as he takes on Mark Chamberlain tomorrow night.
O’Leary and Chamberlain were originally scheduled to fight a few months ago, but Chamberlain was forced to withdraw through injury.
‘Big Bang’ remains unbeaten after 19 bouts, with an impressive 19 wins and 11 of those coming by way of stoppage.
He is set to headline the 3Arena for the second time on the bounce, just months on from his stoppage victory over former world champion Maxi Hughes.
In that bout, he picked up the vacant IBO super-lightweight world title, which he puts on the line this Saturday, with the contest set to be broadcast live on DAZN.
This marks O’Leary’s second appearance in his home city of Dublin.
He has recorded back-to-back stoppages, with the first coming against Braian Esequiel Ronner, whom he stopped in the eighth round.
Chamberlain could prove to be the Irishman’s toughest test to date, with a record of 17 wins, one loss and one draw.
The sole loss of his career came against Josh Padley in 2024, who upset him on the undercard of Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois.
Since that loss, Chamberlain has fought just twice. The first was a shutout points victory over Miguel Angel Scaringi.
He returned to the ring last August in what proved to be a Fight of the Year contender against Jack Rafferty.
Despite being held to a draw, ‘Thunder’ produced a hugely impressive performance.
Despite being a year younger, O’Leary is the more experienced professional, with 104 rounds under his belt compared to Chamberlain’s 91.
Prediction: O’Leary may prove to be too sharp and should win on points, possibly even forcing the first stoppage defeat of Chamberlain’s career.
Royston Barney-Smith vs Reece Bellotti
Amateur standout Barney-Smith takes a major step up on Saturday as he and Queensberry look to fulfil his incredibly high potential. The 22-year-old has a perfect record of 16-0, with eight of those victories coming by way of stoppage.
He impressed last October on the undercard of Fabio Wardley vs Joseph Parker, scoring a wide points victory over Danny Quartermaine across 10 rounds. With that win, he claimed the IBF and WBO European super-featherweight titles.
He was last in action in April, stopping Conor McIntosh in just two rounds after dropping him three times.
Barney-Smith continues to prove that he is one of Frank Warren’s brightest prospects, and a win on Saturday would only emphasise that.
He faces a tough test in Bellotti, who has plenty of experience at a high level, having fought Raymond Ford, Jordan Gill, Aqib Fiaz, Michael Gomez Jr, Ryan Garner and Josh Padley.
He was unfortunate against Padley last October. The pair fought across 10 rounds, and it was a much closer contest than the judges’ scorecards suggested, with the cards reading 99-92, 97-93 and 97-93.
Prediction: Barney-Smith to continue his triumphant run and make a real statement with a stoppage victory over Bellotti.
Remaining Undercard
Gary Cully faces a tough fight against Levi Reeves and could scrape a points victory, while Steven Cairns should pick up a hard-fought win over Senan Kelly.
One half of the Fail twins, Ben Fail, is back in action and should extend his record to 15-0 with a decisive victory over Craig O’Brian.
Sean McComb should pick up the seventh stoppage victory of his career against Miguel Cesario Antin, while Queensberry prospects Bobbi Flood and Adam Olaniyan should also secure stoppage wins.
John Joe Carrigan and Lachlan Arthur should remain unbeaten, while Prince Naseem Hamed’s son, Sami, makes his professional debut and should win on points.
