Pierce O’Leary will look to be crowned continental king this summer.
The Dubliner fights for the European light welterweight title on June 7.
‘Big Bang’ was initially mandated to fight Spain’s Jon Fernandez for the vacant strap, but instead fights Liam Dillion at Portman Road on the undercard of Fabio Wardley and Jarrell Miller’s Queensberry-promoted heavyweight clash.
It’s a massive opportunity for a massive puncher who hasn’t put a foot wrong since turning over. Dillion has proved himself at domestic level, winning British title honours but the fact he has done so at super featherweight and fought down at 130lbs as recent as last year will make O’Leary, who is as solid a light welter as you can find, favourite.
The Brit’s supporters will argue he has mixed with a higher calibre of opponent than the much-fancied Dublin Dockland’s graduate while pointing to the fact, he comes into the bout on a light welterweight win and is ranked by the EBU at the weight.
If the 25-year-old does strap the blue strap around his waist, he will become just the 16th Irish fighter to do so and just the second Dub after Bernard Dunne.
Dunne, who became European Champion by defeating Esham Pickering in 2006, used the belt to usher in a famous era for capital boxing and O’Leary will look to do the same.
It’s understood Queensberry plans to come to Dublin, where they will promote an O’Leary-topped 3Arena card, provided the knockout puncher wins at the home of Ipswich Town next month.
“Next stop, European Title. On June 7th I step into the ring to claim what’s mine and bring it back to the homeland,” O’Leary said.
