‘We’re the Fighting Irish’ – Defiant Pierce O’Leary warns title opponent
The Big Bang Pierce O’Leary [10(6)-0] is ready to tame ‘The Lion’ to win what he firmly believes will be many title belts when he goes for the WBC International super lightweight title at The 02 on 26 November, live on BT Sport.
O’Leary takes on Emmanuel Mungandjela for the vacant title on a card headlined by Zach Parker against John Ryder trading for the WBO Interim world super middleweight championship on Saturday.
The Namibian arrived in London in a confident mood and predicting a big knockout win, prompting the Dub to fire a warning in his direction.
The Frank Warren guided fighter told the away corner fighter he won’t make it past the fourth.
‘The Irish are in the building’
— Irish-Boxing.com (@Irishboxingcom) November 24, 2022
A fired up Pierce O’Leary predicts a KO win this Saturday night.
Credit Queensberry. pic.twitter.com/FN4nJLRLsL
It’s the Sheriff street puncher’s first experience of title action but he is adamant it won’t be his last.
“I’m straight in for a big title,” said the 22-year-old Dubliner. “In my first fight for Frank Warren I was going to fight for the WBC Youth title but it was hard to get an opponent under 23 so I said to skip it and then go for the big one – and it’s only going to get bigger and bigger!”
O’Leary’s personal scouting mission of his Namibian opponent only amounted to a matter of seconds, but he will be aware that Mungandjela holds a solid record, is on a 14-fight winning streak and could be motivated to change his career on a big TV show.
“I was given a film of one of my opponent’s fights to have a look at, but it went the distance, so I only watched 10 seconds of it and that was it, enough for me.
“At the end of the day, fighters bring different stuff on the night, so it is about being a champion, proving myself on the night and adapting.”
The Queensberry debut O’Leary referred to came against Nicaraguan Robin Zamora, who was brutally poleaxed in the second round at the Copper Box on an occasion he relished after finally finding himself on the big stage.
“It was amazing, but I found him a bit tricky at the start. I knew it was eight rounds and I would catch him, as soon as his feet got slow and that would be it. I switched southpaw, and started to adapt a bit better because I go southpaw in the gym against Henry Turner for the whole thing. It is my trick, I am like the matrix and I can do it all. It is just a matter of timing in the ring and I’ve got to be patient.
It’s nearly Pierce O’Leary time.
— Irish-Boxing.com (@Irishboxingcom) November 25, 2022
The 2021 Irish Boxing Knockout of the Year winner is on a four fight KO streak. Will he make five in London on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/AmkugMAvhF
“He wanted to win and ruin my career. I wasn’t going to let that happen so I had to go in, suss him out for the first round and for the second round Al told me to put the gas on, so that is what I went out and done,” he recalled, before paying tribute to the army of fans who travelled over to support him in London in numbers that a local fighter would be proud of.”
