Pierce O’Leary vs Liam Dillon Predictions: Unbeaten O’Leary gets a real test in Dillon

Pierce O’Leary will contest the vacant European super lightweight strap with Liam Dillon this Saturday, June 7. The fight takes place on the Fabio Wardley vs Justis Huni card at Portman Road in Ipswich. DAZN will screen the event live.

Here are my Pierce O’Leary vs Liam Dillon predictions ahead of this quality match-up.

Pierce O'Leary vs Liam Dillon Odds

O’Leary is 1/20 here, a tad shorter than I might have made it myself but very understandable given his pedigree. Dillon is 8/1 but he loves being an underdog. The draw is 25/1.

Pierce O'Leary vs Liam Dillon Fight Preview

Dublin’s unbeaten O’Leary is no stranger to a big card. His 16 fights have taken him to the O2 Arena in London, The SSE in Belfast, Wembley Arena and the Birmingham NEC. Portman Road is unlikely to phase O’Leary, who brings the WBC international super lightweight title and a number-10 ranking with that organisation to the ring.

In the opposite corner stands Dillon, a fixture of domestic title scraps and a former British champion. He made his bones with an upset victory over Qais Ashfaq to win the crown. Losses to a resurgent Reece Bellotti and Ryan ‘Piranha’ Garner carried no shame considering their pedigree. But suffering his first two career losses saw Dillon re-think his approach.

Dillon moved up in weight for a pair of victories, seeing off journeyman Stefan Vincent before beating unbeaten Mace Ruegg in a pick-em. The latter victory has earned Dillon another night in the spotlight with a title on the line. Still only 29 years of age, this chance has arrived at the perfect time.

But O’Leary is the favourite for a reason. A dominant win over Namibia’s tough customer, Emmanuel Mungandjela, in 2022 set tongues wagging. A first-round knockout over Alin Florin Ciorceri followed to keep O’Leary’s name in the conversation.

The tests got tougher and the wins kept coming. British campaigner Kane Gardner was outpointed. Belgium’s unbeaten hot prospect Hovhannes Martirosyan was knocked out. Darragh Foley, the gritty Australia-born Irishman who extended Jack Catterall and beat Robbie Davies Jr., lost to O’Leary by unanimous decision.

After closing out 2024 with a soft-touch eight-rounder, stopping 6-3 Jose Perdomo in three rounds, O’Leary is back in the hard fights. The fights where he is put in front of a man who, like himself, does not know when he is beaten.

Dillon loves an upset, O’Leary is riding the crest of a wave. You cannot fault the matchmaking here. A bout that has that always-absorbing dichotomy at play. Both are very good fighters, but the loser will inevitably have a ceiling put upon them. There is nowhere else to go with a defeat.

O’Leary losing would puncture those world title dreams. Dillon doing so would relegate him to gatekeeper status, a former British champion who could not surpass that achievement. Neither man is drinking at the Last Chance Saloon, they’re too good for that. But their progress would be capped in defeat.

Everyone loves the heavyweights, and Fabio Wardley is a war-machine, but I could see O’Leary and Dillon stealing the show. With everything on the line and judging by their previous bouts, this could be exciting from the get-go.

Pierce O'Leary vs Liam Dillon Full Card

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Pierce O'Leary vs Liam Dillon Prediction

I never feel comfortable picking against Liam Dillon. His will to win has carried him to victories few predicted. But he can be undone. The Bellotti fight was a classic but the right man won. The Garner outing was another contest that set pulses racing, but again Dillon was a justified loser.

I can see a similar situation under the Portman Road lights. A riotous bout with questions being posed by Dillon’s fists that O’Leary has never had to answer before. But I think the Dubliner will find the solutions to every problem and emerge a points winner at odds of 19/10.

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