Mark Chamberlain picked up the best win of his career away from home against Pierce O’Leary last night.
O’Leary and Chamberlain went to war over 10 rounds, producing a Fight of the Year contender.
Coming into the bout, O’Leary was the favourite, although the threat posed by ‘Thunder’ was clear to see. The Irishman was unbeaten, with an impressive 19 wins to his name.
From the first bell, it was clear that Chamberlain would be a major problem. He boxed well behind his jab early on, setting up some sickening shots with his left hand from the southpaw stance.
A major factor in his success was his control of the range. He kept O’Leary at the perfect distance to unload his back hand while probing with his jab and remaining relatively out of danger.
Chamberlain scored a knockdown in the second round. It appeared that the Irishman had tangled his legs and was heading towards the canvas anyway, but Chamberlain capitalised as he was falling and clipped his man.
O’Leary returned to his corner after the second round having been dropped, but another major factor in the fight had emerged: the damage to his nose.
Blood poured from his nose from the second round onwards as a result of what appeared to be an early break, something that continued to bother him for the remainder of the fight.
In the third round, O’Leary began to enjoy his first successes in what was a relatively difficult round to score. However, Chamberlain then unloaded a heavy uppercut in the pocket that floored the 26-year-old for a second time.
The tide began to turn during the middle stages of the fight as O’Leary started to close the distance and punish Chamberlain in front of his Dublin faithful.
The Brit appeared to have exerted a lot of energy during his early onslaught, so a clear avenue emerged for O’Leary to change his fortunes.
He scored a knockdown of his own in the seventh round after pinning Chamberlain in his corner before clipping him with a devastating right hand to the solar plexus that sent his man down.
Chamberlain lumbered back to his corner but did well to recover.
Going into the 10th round, it appeared to be a genuine pick’em. Some observers had the scores level, while others had Chamberlain ahead by one round, but everything was still to play for.
That was until Chamberlain put together a vicious onslaught that left O’Leary on the canvas, prompting the referee to stop the contest immediately.
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The victory crowned ‘Thunder’ as the new IBO super-lightweight world champion.
Royston Barney-Smith vs Reece Bellotti
Bellotti was expected to provide a major acid test for ‘RBS’, who continues to be hailed as one of British boxing’s brightest prospects.
That expectation proved to be misplaced as Barney-Smith put a beating on the experienced Bellotti in just his 17th professional outing.
From the opening bell, ‘Sugar Boy Roy’ looked to punish his man. He produced a brutal beating in the first round and appeared set to record the ninth stoppage of his career.
Bellotti did well to stand firm and see out the fight, with the judges’ scorecards reading 98-92, 100-90 and 99-91 after 10 rounds.
Remaining Undercard
Gary Cully and Lee Reeves put on a spectacle on the undercard in a hugely fan-friendly contest.
Cully was deducted a point in the fifth round for repeatedly losing his gumshield.
The 30-year-old secured a crucial stoppage in the 10th and final round. He floored Reeves twice before scoring a devastating knockout with just seconds remaining in the bout.
Steven Cairns produced an impressive performance in a local derby against Senan Kelly. He dropped Kelly in the fifth round, which proved to be the beginning of the end, with the referee stepping in shortly afterwards.
Queensberry are clearly the dominant force in boxing’s blue-ribbon division: the heavyweights.
Many of the world’s best heavyweights are partnered with Warren, from Daniel Dubois and Agit Kabayel to Fabio Wardley and Moses Itauma. They are the clear powerhouse in the division.
Warren’s newest prospect is Adam Olaniyan, a standout Irish amateur who made his third professional appearance and recorded a third successive stoppage against Deepak Pathak.
Bobbi Flood scored his second knockout in three fights with a dominant showing against Tariq Davies, while Sean McComb picked up a shutout points victory over Miguel Cesario Antin.
Machlan Arthur and John Joe Carrigan recorded stoppage victories of their own in the third and fourth rounds respectively.
Naseem Hamed’s son, Sami, entered the professional ring for the first time, more than a year after his last Misfits Boxing appearance. He secured a comfortable points victory, dropping Bela Istvan Orban twice over four rounds.
