Pierce O’Leary looks to make another big step forward in his career by facing Darragh Foley in Belfast this weekend. Bookmakers have a clear favorite ahead of this bout. Here is our O’Leary vs Foley prediction.
O’Leary vs Foley Prediction: Who’s Got the Advantage?
Pierce O’Leary Preview
‘Big Bang’ is one of the hottest prospects from Ireland and enters this contest with a perfect 14-0 record. He won 8 of his fights by way of knockout.
O’Leary grew up in Dublin and found his way to the boxing gym at an early age. He had an incredible amateur career and while we do not have an official record, we can confirm that he won over 150 fights while losing only nine times. He won the National Championships 9 times and represented his country at multiple European championships before turning pro in 2019.
Big Bang won his first title in 2023 when he faced Alin Florin Ciorceri for the WBC International Super Light. Since then, he made two defenses, defeating Kane Gardner and Hovhannes Martirosyan.
This will be an interesting challenge for the 24-year-old Dubliner. His opponent is a southpaw boxer with a reach advantage which makes him a tough matchup for any orthodox fighter. But Pierce is also 11 years younger and training with the likes of former unified light welterweight champion Josh Taylor.
O’Leary has a clear advantage ahead of this bout. But before we announce our O’Leary vs Foley prediction, we have to analyze the strengths of the challenger.
Darragh Foley Preview
Foley’s story is unlike that of any other professional boxer. He started boxing when he was 15 and started his amateur career 2-3 years later. However, he fought only 11 fights and lost 10 of them, which made him quit boxing for years.
He worked as an electrician and then as an estate agent. His decision to return to boxing came after he took time off to travel to Thailand. After moving to Australia with his partner, he had nowhere to train and was forced to lie about his amateur record in order to get accepted into a gym. And he had to prove himself by sparring with Chris John, one of the most decorated Indonesian boxers in history.
But we are not here to discuss his hardships, so we will fast-forward to his big break in 2023. Foley was offered a short-notice fight against Robbie Davies Jr. and by his own words, everyone wanted him to lose the fight. To the surprise of the whole boxing world, Foley dropped him down in the second round and the fight ended in the third after Davies retired with an ankle injury.
Foley’s last appearance was in May 2023 when he fought former title contender Jack Catterall. Unfortunately, this bout proved that Super Foley was not ready to face the best in the world. He lost via unanimous decision and the scorecards evidence the dominant nature of his defeat (88-99, 89-98, 90-97).
Our Pierce O’Leary vs Darragh Foley Prediction: A Long Bout to Close the Evening
Darragh Foley loves being the underdog. He has proven time and time again that he is better than people know and his win over Davies Jr. is a prime example. He has more experience than the young Dubliner and has faced some of the best in the business.
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Nevertheless, we have to side with Big Bang for our O’Leary vs Foley prediction. The youngster is more versatile and better prepared for this fight. Foley’s southpaw stance may cause him some problems and we doubt that O’Leary will get a knockout here.
And since betting on his moneyline would make you no profit, we advise you to focus on other markets. The safest option is to bet on a decision win here or over 8.5 rounds.
Vlad is a former amateur MMA fighter. After a series of injuries, he found a different way to connect with the sport and its fanbase - through writing. He's been covering everything-UFC for over 5 years on various platforms and has been part of the team at NYFights since early 2022.
