Pierce O'Leary (born 28 February 2000) is an Irish
professional boxer
Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...
who has been the
European
European, or Europeans, may refer to:
In general
* ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe
** Ethnic groups in Europe
** Demographics of Europe
** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...
super-lightweight
Light welterweight, also known as junior welterweight or super lightweight, is a weight class in combat sports.
Boxing Professional boxing
In professional boxing, light welterweight is contested between the lightweight and welterweight divisions, ...
champion since June 2025 and held the
WBC International title in the same weight division since November 2022.
Career
A nine-time Irish amateur champion, O'Leary turned professional in 2019, signing a promotional contract with
MTK Global
MTK Global (Mack The Knife Global) was a boxing and mixed martial arts management and event promotions company founded by Irish crime boss Daniel Kinahan and former professional boxer Matthew 'Mack the Knife' Macklin . Originally established in 2 ...
. He made his pro-debut on 11 October that year, defeating Oscar Amador on points over four rounds at
Ulster Hall
The Ulster Hall is a concert hall and grade A listed building in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Situated at 34 Bedford Street in Belfast city centre, the hall hosts concerts, European classical music, classical Concert#Recital, recitals, craft fai ...
in
Belfast
Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
.
Unbeaten in his first 10 professional fights and now signed to
Frank Warren's Queensbury Promotions, O'Leary claimed the vacant
WBC International
super-lightweight
Light welterweight, also known as junior welterweight or super lightweight, is a weight class in combat sports.
Boxing Professional boxing
In professional boxing, light welterweight is contested between the lightweight and welterweight divisions, ...
title thanks to a unanimous decision win over Emmanuel Mungandjela at the
O2 Arena O2 Arena may refer to:
*The O2 Arena, London
* O2 Arena, Prague
*The 3Arena, Dublin, formerly known as The O2
*The Uber Arena, Berlin, formerly known as O2 World
*The Barclays Arena
Barclays Arena (originally known as the Color Line Arena an ...
in London on 26 November 2022.
He made the first defense of his championship at the
SSE Arena in Belfast on 27 May 2023, stopping Alin Florin Ciorceri in the first round.
On 23 September 2023, he retained his title with a unanimous decision victory over Kane Gardner at
Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena () (originally the Empire Pool, currently known as OVO Energy, OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, Greater London, England. The 12,500-seat facility is Greater Lond ...
in London.
Two more successful defenses followed as O'Leary stopped Hovhannes Martirosyan in the ninth round at
Resorts World Arena
bp pulse LIVE is a multipurpose indoor arena located at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Solihull, England, just outside Birmingham. It has a capacity of 15,685 seats. The venue was built as the seventh hall of the NEC complex. After 1 ...
in
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
on 16 March 2024, and then prevailed via unanimous decision against Darragh Foley back at the SSE Arena in Belfast on 28 June 2024.
In his next outing, he stopped Jose Edgardo Perdomo in the third of their scheduled eight-round non-title contest at Wembley Arena in London on 7 December 2024.
O'Leary defended his championship for the fifth time against
Liam Dillon at
Portman Road
Portman Road is a association football, football stadium in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, which has been the home ground of Ipswich Town F.C., Ipswich Town since 1884. The stadium has also hosted many England youth international matches, and one E ...
in
Ipswich
Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...
on 7 June 2025, with the vacant
European
European, or Europeans, may refer to:
In general
* ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe
** Ethnic groups in Europe
** Demographics of Europe
** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...
super-lightweight title also on the line. He won via unanimous decision.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:OLeary, Pierce
Living people
2000 births
Irish male boxers
Light-welterweight boxers
21st-century Irish sportsmen
Place of birth missing (living people)
European Boxing Union champions