Pierce O’Leary Handed Surprise Irish Revenge Mission
Pierce O’Leary has been handed an out-of-the-blue Irish revenge mission.
The Dubliner will fight Maxi Hughes in his Dublin homecoming clash later this month.
The 26-year-old was initially pencilled in to fight Mark Chamberlain at the 3Arena on March 14.
However, the English fighter has withdrawn from the vacant IBO title fight due to injury and Hughes steps in.
It’s not an ideal scenario, but as realistic late replacements go, Hughes would be hard to match.
The Leeds native brings plenty of narrative to the table, considering his Irish previous.
While he comes into the fight on the back of a defeat, Maximus is probably a bigger name than Chamberlain, is a decorated, experienced fighter and seems to carry around Irish cryptonite.
Hughes holds wins over no fewer than four Irish fighters, registered at all different stages of a long and storied career.
He first upset and ended the career of James Fryers in Belfast back in 2016. Four years later, he surprised a then-rampant Jono Carroll, who also fights on the March 14 bill, before beating Paul Hyland in a British title fight in 2021.
Most recently, he outpointed Gary Cully, another boxer on the upcoming 3Arena-hosted Queensberry bill – and now he has his sights set on European champion O’Leary.
“He’s out,” Frank Warren told BoxingScene. “He got a bad infection and was on an antibiotic drip in hospital.
“He’s still recovering, so hopefully we can reschedule for in future, providing Pierce gets through Maxi Hughes. It’s a great shame. Sold-out show, but we’ve still got a great main event and a great undercard.”
