Pierce O’Leary hopes to follow in Katie Taylor’s footsteps with Croke Park fight

Taylor will bring the curtain down on her stellar career with a first ever bout at Croke Park on September 5 against Flora Pili.

IBO light-welterweight champion Pierce O’Leary has set his sights on following in the footsteps of Irish compatriot Katie Taylor by fighting at Croke Park. Pic: Leon Farrell / Photocall Ireland

IBO light-welterweight champion Pierce O’Leary returns to 3Arena on Saturday, but has set his sights on following in the footsteps of Irish compatriot Katie Taylor by fighting at Croke Park.

Undefeated Queensberry boxer O’Leary marked his Dublin bow on St Patrick’s Day in March by stopping Maxi Hughes after five rounds to delight a bumper crowd at 3Arena and claim the vacant IBO belt.

Dublin-born O’Leary stepped out to a raucous reception at the indoor venue in his home city three years on from the sport’s early-awaited return to Ireland at 3Arena when Irish great Taylor fought Chantelle Cameron – ending a seven-year wait for professional boxing to return to the country.

Taylor, who holds the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, IBO light-welterweight titles, will bring the curtain down on her stellar career with a first ever bout at Croke Park on September 5 against Flora Pili.

It will mark a lifelong ambition for Taylor to headline at the 82,300-seater stadium and O’Leary plans to fill the void left by the Irish idol after he takes on Mark Chamberlain in a world title contest at 3Arena on Saturday night.

“When Katie retires after this one, I think I’ll be the one to step in there and fulfil the spot. I have all the capabilities to do it, I have the team behind me and the work ethic,” O’Leary told Press Association.

“All I want to do is box, keep winning and fighting on the biggest stages. People say, ‘where is your dream venue you would like to box at? Las Vegas, blah, blah,’ but no, it’s Croke Park.

“Once Katie smashes this and once again she is the blueprint, she did the 3Arena for me.

“And when she will do and I know for a fact she will do, when Croke Park on September 5 is a successful night, she will give me the doorway again to go back there for a major unification I think.”

Since a professional debut in Belfast in 2019, O’Leary has developed a big following and under the recent guidance of Queensberry promoter Frank Warren cemented his place as one of Ireland’s great hopes in the post-Taylor era.

O’Leary said: “I am just blessed to have the people behind me and be the people’s champ.

“The likes of Ricky Hatton, he could pull crowds and I believe I am from a working class area. Doing what I am doing now, I can’t let the people down.”