Tension building as O'Leary faces Chamberlain

"Thanks to Mark for showing up this time." Those were the words used by Dublin's Pierce O'Leary towards Briton Mark Chamberlain as he looked to get under his opponent's skin in their final media conference before Saturday's fight.The pair were originally scheduled to meet in March, but weeks before the bout Chamberlain was forced to withdraw due to a chest infection. O'Leary then took on late replacement Maxi Hughes who he dispatched within five rounds, and since the bout was rescheduled, "Big Bang" has not allowed Chamberlain to live it down. This time they will clash for the IBO light-welterweight belt at the 3Arena in Dublin."He's got a bit of a bee in his bonnet this time around," Chamberlain told BBC Sport. "Boxing's a dangerous sport even when you are at full strength and if my team let me go into the biggest fight of my life after what I had been through, then they would not be there for my best interests. "I had an ambulance sent to my house and was told to get onto a course of antibiotics, either way the fight's been offered to me for a second time so here we go again."O'Leary has now mentioned this point to Chamberlain more than once in the build-up to the fight, with a noticeable tension already building between the two. Portsmouth's Chamberlain, 27, comes into this contest after a fight of the year contender against Jack Rafferty last summer that ended in a draw. He has 17 wins with just one defeat, and on Saturday is looking to become the first man to beat O'Leary, who is expecting a capacity crowd in his home city.O'Leary was devastating in his performance against Hughes last time out, making his way to the ring in front of a vibrant crowd before delivering them a stoppage victory. The 26-year-old is unbeaten across his 19 fights and will be boxing in Dublin for the second time as a professional. "There's nothing like fighting in Dublin and having support like this is priceless," he said in the pre-fight media conference."Mark can study me all he likes but I'm the wrong person to study, the way that we've been preparing in the gym is special. "The best chance he had of beating me was in the last fight, and he still wouldn't have beaten me so he's especially not doing it this time."Chamberlain was previously tipped to fight for a world title after winning two fights by stoppage on big cards in Saudi Arabia. But his career faltered in late 2024 as he was beaten by Josh Padley at Wembley Stadium on the undercard of Anthony Joshua against Daniel Dubois. A win for "Thunder" on Saturday would not only be a significant upset in O'Leary's home city, but would also likely propel him back towards fighting for major honours in the sport. "I know what to expect on the night as they're all going to be there for Pierce," Chamberlain added. "At the end of the day it's just us two in there and I'll blank out the noise, I've trained hard and I'm ready for 12 rounds."I'm looking forward to getting back out there and having a fight, I'm going to win and I'm going for the upset."