Briton Mark Chamberlain traveled to Dublin and stopped Pierce O'Leary in the 10th round Saturday night, claiming the IBO light-welterweight belt in front of a capacity crowd of around 7,000 fans.
According to BBC Sport, Chamberlain dropped O'Leary twice in the early rounds before nearly being stopped himself in the seventh. A ferocious body shot from the Irish fighter sent Chamberlain to the canvas, and he was slow to rise. He survived the count and managed to weather the pressure before the bell.
The fight turned again in the 10th. Chamberlain landed a combination that dropped O'Leary's hands, then pressed forward with a series of clean shots, including a straight right hand that sent O'Leary crashing into the ropes and down to the canvas. The referee waved it off.
Chamberlain, from Portsmouth, improves to 18 wins and one defeat. The victory ends a difficult stretch. His only loss came against Josh Padley in 2024, and his most recent fight before Saturday was a draw with Jack Rafferty in Altrincham last summer.
After the fight, Chamberlain spoke to DAZN and acknowledged the challenge of fighting on O'Leary's home ground.
"First of all respect to Pierce for giving me this opportunity," he said. "I'm not a stranger to an away day and anyone that knows me knows that I will fight anyone and if that means that I have to go into the champions' back garden then I will do that."
He also addressed the moment in the seventh that threatened to derail him.
"I've never been hurt before in a fight but that body shot stopped me in my tracks but fortunately I was able to get thorugh it and weather the storm."
Chamberlain said the win was the product of new work in the gym and already has his next request in mind.
"We've been working on new things in the gym and it's all paid off, I asked Frank (Warren) in the dressing room before the fight if we could bring a show down to Portsmouth, I'd love that."
Fight promoter Frank Warren confirmed after the fight that a rematch clause exists in the contract, meaning Chamberlain and O'Leary could meet again in the near future.
In the chief support, 22-year-old Royston Barney-Smith of Southampton beat Reece Bellotti across 10 rounds to claim the vacant IBO intercontinental super-featherweight belt. Barney-Smith, who holds the British and Commonwealth titles in the division, outclassed Bellotti despite the challenger pressing forward and finding moments of success throughout the fight.
