PIERCE O’LEARY SUFFERED the first defeat of his professional career as he was stopped in the 10th round by Mark Chamberlain at Dublin’s 3Arena.
O’Leary endured a disastrous start to an absorbing contest, finding himself on the canvas twice inside the opening three rounds.
Dublin’s ‘Big Bang’ showed plenty of courage to drag himself back into the contest, dropping Chamberlain with a body shot in the seventh, and he was even in the ascendancy when Chamberlain found one last arrow in his quiver to down O’Leary for the final time in the 10th.
A rocking 3Arena was stunned into silence as Chamberlain scaled the ropes in jubilation, while O’Leary, favoured by most entering the 12-round, must now take a more scenic route towards his ultimate goal of becoming a world champion.
His rebuild may even include a rematch with Chamberlain down the line, such was the entertainment and atmosphere they generated at The Point, their bout broadcast live on DAZN.
O'Leary applauds as Chamberlain's victory is confirmed. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
While Chamberlain’s walk to the ring was initially booed, the 8,000-strong crowd couldn’t help but to join in with Ben E. King’s Stand by Me. As the Englishman’s entrance music transitioned to by Show Me Love by Laidback Luke and Steve Angello, however, it was drowned out by a chorus of Olé Olé.
O’Leary’s emergence from his dressing room had moments previously been beamed around the arena on the big screen, invoking a huge noise which punctured the sing-along to Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’. Walked to the ring by Irish boxing legend and fellow Dubliner Steve Collins, O’Leary entered to a rendition of Christy Moore’s Ride On, a favourite of his grandfather’s which was performed live onstage by his aunt, Emma.
O’Leary, who lives on Sheriff Street, not even half a kilometre from the 3Arena, was serenaded by the thousands of locals who had bought tickets to watch him especially, the atmosphere comparable to a Katie Taylor event or a Bernard Dunne night of yore.
Portsmouth’s Chamberlain cracked a smile as his in-ring introduction was roundly booed once more. O’Leary, still sporting his trademark Paddy cap with his robe long since removed, stared intently across the ring at his opponent as MC Thomas Treiber completed the formalities.
After the first bell sounded, Chamberlain landed the first shot in anger, a straight left hand down the pipe which didn’t perturb his host.
The English southpaw proceeded to establish his range more comfortably than O’Leary in the early exchanges, solidifying the round with another rangy left hand which knocked back the head of the more tentative O’Leary with 20 seconds remaining.
That was a signpost: in a more rip-roaring second round, during which O’Leary stunned Chamberlain with a right hand, Chamberlain decked his opponent with another left.
It was a strange knockdown: Chamberlain had knocked O’Leary off balance with something of a full-body shunt, but that he clipped the Dubliner with a left hand on his way down meant that it had to be scored officially. It was a proper clip, too, because O’Leary returned to his feet with a visibly broken nose, looking bemused.
Wobbly on his feet, he ate more Chamberlain shots and required the sound of the bell to save him.
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O'Leary's nose was broken from the second round. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
In the third, O’Leary still appeared unsteady and Chamberlain capitalised, dropping him for the second time with a close-range, left-handed counter. Again, O’Leary was forced to survive, and he clung on into the fourth.
Dublin’s ‘Big Bang’ showed remarkable powers of recovery over the next three minutes, seizing momentum as he picked perfect angles and began to close the physical distance between him and his opponent, cracking Chamberlain to both decks off either hand.
The 3Arena was rocking once more as the bell sounded, and O’Leary carried that momentum into the fifth, winning his second round as he set a pace that Chamberlain appeared to struggle with, again targeting both body and head.
Chamberlain, however, regained his composure in the sixth, reestablishing his jab and slowing the tempo something more comfortable. O’Leary mostly chased shadows throughout the session, some momentum lost.
O’Leary’s nose, through which he had been unable to breathe since the first knockdown, was a continuous issue, gushing blood down his face and into his mouth.
His face was a mess when he pulled something from the fire, a right hand to Chamberlain’s solar plexus downing the visitor for the first time with just over 10 seconds remaining in the seventh.
Chamberlain, consulting with his corner, rose to his feet just on time, and this time, the bell came to his favour.
O'Leary drops Chamberlain in the seventh. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
O’Leary, who would have smelled blood were it anatomically possible, went on to take the eighth, narrowing the gap to a round or two at most.
With four sessions remaining, the fight was in the balance, and the Dub appeared the more energised.
O’Leary took the ninth, too, with a couple of three-or-four-punch salvos against the ropes which roused the crowd, while Chamberlain’s sole response was a solid left hand as O’Leary made a slightly tired retreat at centre-ring.
But Chamberlain’s left hand was there again when he needed it: he closed the show from nowhere in the 10th, bringing the Dubliner to a standstill with an uppercut, and felling him for the final time with another straight left and a combination of complementary shots for good measure.
Referee Leszek Jankowiak correctly waved the fight off as O’Leary slumped forward onto the canvas.
He and Chamberlain embraced heartily moments later, O’Leary smilingly congratulating his victorious opponent and planting a kiss on his cheek.
Chamberlain, who had seconds earlier mounted the ropes and screamed “I told you all!” at the home crowd, was reciprocal.
The 26-year-old O’Leary [19-1, 11KOS] has plenty of time to rebound from his first career defeat as a professional, while Chamberlain, 27, stunned Dublin to take a step closer towards world honours.
Cork man Cairns shines, while Ireland’s rising heavyweight star improves to 3-0
Steven Cairns (R) knocks down Senan Kelly en route to a fifth-round stoppage victory. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Earlier on the card, Cork man Steven Cairns improved to 15-0 (10KOs) with a highly impressive fifth-round stoppage of Kildare’s Senan Kelly, now 12-2 (2KOs).
Moving up in weight from lightweight, Douglas native Cairns was punch-perfect, displaying high ring IQ to outclass former Irish welterweight champion Kelly, who was coming down a division and had never previously been stopped.
Cairns dropped Kelly hard with an impeccably timed counter left hook early in the fifth round. Leixlip man Kelly showed excellent conditioning and bravery to regain his footing at the count of eight, but the 24-year-old Cairns produced a mature finish to force the hand of referee David John Irving, who waved off the bout with Kelly still on his feet.
There were better fortunes for another Kildare man, Gary Cully [20-2, 11KOs], who came from behind to resuscitate his career with a stunning last-round knockout of Limerick’s Lee Reeves [16-2, 11KOs].
There remains concern, however, for Reeves, who remained unconscious as he was removed from the arena. It’s understood the 31-year-old was taken to hospital for scans.
Their bout was an all-time classic Irish derby, with thrilling back-and-forths throughout. Reeves appeared to have built a lead when Cully was deducted a point for continually losing his gumshield, albeit it seemed to be accidental on each occasion rather than an underhanded attempt by ‘The Diva’ to gain a moment’s reprieve.
The 30-year-old Cully was previously hot prospect whose career trajectory dipped following defeats to Jose Felix and Maxi Hughes in 2023 and 2024. However, he pulled a spectacular victory from the bag — his most impressive in several years — as he dropped the tiring Reeves with a check right hook in the final round before knocking his opponent out with a powerful left hand inside the last minute.
Cully, however, was reticent to celebrate as Reeves received treatment on the canvas. The Limerick man was subsequently taken to hospital for further treatment.
Elsewhere, rising Irish heavyweight star Adam Olaniyan [3-0, 3KOs] earned the third straight stoppage win of his fledgling pro career, halting Liverpudlian journeyman Deepak Pathak [1-7, 1KO] with a powerful straight right hand in the second round.
Former underage amateur standout Olaniyan, 20, again impressed in front of his hometown audience, displaying his broad palette of technical skills before flooring Pathak, who incidentally wore a Mayo GAA crest on his trunks.
Olaniyan, who is managed by Brian Peters, will return to the ring on Katie Taylor’s undercard at Croke Park in five weeks’ time.
Belfast light-welterweight Seán McComb [22-2, 6KOs], meanwhile, continued his world-title pursuit with a stay-busy points victory over durable Argentinian journeyman Miguel Cesario Antin [20-23-1, 8KOs].
Dublin light-middleweight newcomer Bobbi Flood improved his record to 3-0 (2KOs) with a composed fourth-round stoppage of Bradford’s Tariq Davis [0-3], whose corner threw in the towel as the popular Flood began to raise the temperature inside an already caldron-like 3Arena.
There was defeat, however, for Dublin’s veteran light-middleweight Craig O’Brien [15-5, 2KOs]. The 36-year-old boxed excellently against unbeaten Northampton man Ben Fail [12-0, 7KOs] and likely led the bout until Fail produced a stunning left hook to stop O’Brien at the end of the fifth.
O’Brien, 36, initially received treatment in the ring but was able to sit up on his stool and, eventually, leave the arena on his feet.
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Pierce O'Leary suffers stoppage loss to Mark Chamberlain in Dublin thriller
PIERCE O’LEARY SUFFERED the first defeat of his professional career as he was stopped in the 10th round by Mark Chamberlain at Dublin’s 3Arena.
O’Leary endured a disastrous start to an absorbing contest, finding himself on the canvas twice inside the opening three rounds.
Dublin’s ‘Big Bang’ showed plenty of courage to drag himself back into the contest, dropping Chamberlain with a body shot in the seventh, and he was even in the ascendancy when Chamberlain found one last arrow in his quiver to down O’Leary for the final time in the 10th.
A rocking 3Arena was stunned into silence as Chamberlain scaled the ropes in jubilation, while O’Leary, favoured by most entering the 12-round, must now take a more scenic route towards his ultimate goal of becoming a world champion.
His rebuild may even include a rematch with Chamberlain down the line, such was the entertainment and atmosphere they generated at The Point, their bout broadcast live on DAZN.
While Chamberlain’s walk to the ring was initially booed, the 8,000-strong crowd couldn’t help but to join in with Ben E. King’s Stand by Me. As the Englishman’s entrance music transitioned to by Show Me Love by Laidback Luke and Steve Angello, however, it was drowned out by a chorus of Olé Olé.
O’Leary’s emergence from his dressing room had moments previously been beamed around the arena on the big screen, invoking a huge noise which punctured the sing-along to Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’. Walked to the ring by Irish boxing legend and fellow Dubliner Steve Collins, O’Leary entered to a rendition of Christy Moore’s Ride On, a favourite of his grandfather’s which was performed live onstage by his aunt, Emma.
O’Leary, who lives on Sheriff Street, not even half a kilometre from the 3Arena, was serenaded by the thousands of locals who had bought tickets to watch him especially, the atmosphere comparable to a Katie Taylor event or a Bernard Dunne night of yore.
Portsmouth’s Chamberlain cracked a smile as his in-ring introduction was roundly booed once more. O’Leary, still sporting his trademark Paddy cap with his robe long since removed, stared intently across the ring at his opponent as MC Thomas Treiber completed the formalities.
After the first bell sounded, Chamberlain landed the first shot in anger, a straight left hand down the pipe which didn’t perturb his host.
The English southpaw proceeded to establish his range more comfortably than O’Leary in the early exchanges, solidifying the round with another rangy left hand which knocked back the head of the more tentative O’Leary with 20 seconds remaining.
That was a signpost: in a more rip-roaring second round, during which O’Leary stunned Chamberlain with a right hand, Chamberlain decked his opponent with another left.
It was a strange knockdown: Chamberlain had knocked O’Leary off balance with something of a full-body shunt, but that he clipped the Dubliner with a left hand on his way down meant that it had to be scored officially. It was a proper clip, too, because O’Leary returned to his feet with a visibly broken nose, looking bemused.
Wobbly on his feet, he ate more Chamberlain shots and required the sound of the bell to save him.
In the third, O’Leary still appeared unsteady and Chamberlain capitalised, dropping him for the second time with a close-range, left-handed counter. Again, O’Leary was forced to survive, and he clung on into the fourth.
Dublin’s ‘Big Bang’ showed remarkable powers of recovery over the next three minutes, seizing momentum as he picked perfect angles and began to close the physical distance between him and his opponent, cracking Chamberlain to both decks off either hand.
The 3Arena was rocking once more as the bell sounded, and O’Leary carried that momentum into the fifth, winning his second round as he set a pace that Chamberlain appeared to struggle with, again targeting both body and head.
Chamberlain, however, regained his composure in the sixth, reestablishing his jab and slowing the tempo something more comfortable. O’Leary mostly chased shadows throughout the session, some momentum lost.
O’Leary’s nose, through which he had been unable to breathe since the first knockdown, was a continuous issue, gushing blood down his face and into his mouth.
His face was a mess when he pulled something from the fire, a right hand to Chamberlain’s solar plexus downing the visitor for the first time with just over 10 seconds remaining in the seventh.
Chamberlain, consulting with his corner, rose to his feet just on time, and this time, the bell came to his favour.
O’Leary, who would have smelled blood were it anatomically possible, went on to take the eighth, narrowing the gap to a round or two at most.
With four sessions remaining, the fight was in the balance, and the Dub appeared the more energised.
O’Leary took the ninth, too, with a couple of three-or-four-punch salvos against the ropes which roused the crowd, while Chamberlain’s sole response was a solid left hand as O’Leary made a slightly tired retreat at centre-ring.
But Chamberlain’s left hand was there again when he needed it: he closed the show from nowhere in the 10th, bringing the Dubliner to a standstill with an uppercut, and felling him for the final time with another straight left and a combination of complementary shots for good measure.
Referee Leszek Jankowiak correctly waved the fight off as O’Leary slumped forward onto the canvas.
He and Chamberlain embraced heartily moments later, O’Leary smilingly congratulating his victorious opponent and planting a kiss on his cheek.
Chamberlain, who had seconds earlier mounted the ropes and screamed “I told you all!” at the home crowd, was reciprocal.
The 26-year-old O’Leary [19-1, 11KOS] has plenty of time to rebound from his first career defeat as a professional, while Chamberlain, 27, stunned Dublin to take a step closer towards world honours.
Cork man Cairns shines, while Ireland’s rising heavyweight star improves to 3-0
Earlier on the card, Cork man Steven Cairns improved to 15-0 (10KOs) with a highly impressive fifth-round stoppage of Kildare’s Senan Kelly, now 12-2 (2KOs).
Moving up in weight from lightweight, Douglas native Cairns was punch-perfect, displaying high ring IQ to outclass former Irish welterweight champion Kelly, who was coming down a division and had never previously been stopped.
Cairns dropped Kelly hard with an impeccably timed counter left hook early in the fifth round. Leixlip man Kelly showed excellent conditioning and bravery to regain his footing at the count of eight, but the 24-year-old Cairns produced a mature finish to force the hand of referee David John Irving, who waved off the bout with Kelly still on his feet.
There were better fortunes for another Kildare man, Gary Cully [20-2, 11KOs], who came from behind to resuscitate his career with a stunning last-round knockout of Limerick’s Lee Reeves [16-2, 11KOs].
There remains concern, however, for Reeves, who remained unconscious as he was removed from the arena. It’s understood the 31-year-old was taken to hospital for scans.
Their bout was an all-time classic Irish derby, with thrilling back-and-forths throughout. Reeves appeared to have built a lead when Cully was deducted a point for continually losing his gumshield, albeit it seemed to be accidental on each occasion rather than an underhanded attempt by ‘The Diva’ to gain a moment’s reprieve.
The 30-year-old Cully was previously hot prospect whose career trajectory dipped following defeats to Jose Felix and Maxi Hughes in 2023 and 2024. However, he pulled a spectacular victory from the bag — his most impressive in several years — as he dropped the tiring Reeves with a check right hook in the final round before knocking his opponent out with a powerful left hand inside the last minute.
Cully, however, was reticent to celebrate as Reeves received treatment on the canvas. The Limerick man was subsequently taken to hospital for further treatment.
Elsewhere, rising Irish heavyweight star Adam Olaniyan [3-0, 3KOs] earned the third straight stoppage win of his fledgling pro career, halting Liverpudlian journeyman Deepak Pathak [1-7, 1KO] with a powerful straight right hand in the second round.
Former underage amateur standout Olaniyan, 20, again impressed in front of his hometown audience, displaying his broad palette of technical skills before flooring Pathak, who incidentally wore a Mayo GAA crest on his trunks.
Olaniyan, who is managed by Brian Peters, will return to the ring on Katie Taylor’s undercard at Croke Park in five weeks’ time.
Belfast light-welterweight Seán McComb [22-2, 6KOs], meanwhile, continued his world-title pursuit with a stay-busy points victory over durable Argentinian journeyman Miguel Cesario Antin [20-23-1, 8KOs].
Dublin light-middleweight newcomer Bobbi Flood improved his record to 3-0 (2KOs) with a composed fourth-round stoppage of Bradford’s Tariq Davis [0-3], whose corner threw in the towel as the popular Flood began to raise the temperature inside an already caldron-like 3Arena.
There was defeat, however, for Dublin’s veteran light-middleweight Craig O’Brien [15-5, 2KOs]. The 36-year-old boxed excellently against unbeaten Northampton man Ben Fail [12-0, 7KOs] and likely led the bout until Fail produced a stunning left hook to stop O’Brien at the end of the fifth.
O’Brien, 36, initially received treatment in the ring but was able to sit up on his stool and, eventually, leave the arena on his feet.
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