Buoyed by back-to-back wins in the last three months, New York-based “Lethal” Larry Fryers is calling out Pierce O’Leary to find out if the WBC International super lightweight titlist dubbed “The Big Bang” is as good as hyped.
Fryers, who’s 13-6-1 [5 KOs] and at age 32 is nine years older than the undefeated Dubliner with dynamite in his fists [12-0, 7 KOs], made his challenge through the site Irish-boxing.com.
The Monaghan native told the site that a desire to find out if O’Leary was as good as regarded prompted him to throw down the gauntlet at the youngster.
Fryers believes that he’d be by far the best fighter the hard-hitting O’Leary has faced and said he could prove a real measuring stick for O’Leary’s Promoter Frank Warren.
“I want O’Leary as there is a lot of hype around him and I want to find out if it’s real,” Fryers told Irish-boxing.com. “So far, he is doing the business but against no one of note, so why not do it against me? I’d be by far the best he would have come up against, I’ve been in with quality guys and have pushed them all. If Frank Warren wants to see if what he has is real, I’d love the opportunity to dance with him.”
According to Irish-boxing.com, O’Leary is close to confirming a fight on a big heavyweight undercard – and it’s said an opponent is already lined up. “However, if the away corner needs to be filled, Fryers is willing to step in.”
The web site also notes that Fryers could be an option further down the line. Should O’Leary, a Dublin Docklands graduate, seek another fight later this year or early in 2024, Fryers could be a ticket-selling opponent with an Irish title on the line.
Fryers is coming off a sixth round technical decision over the Kazakh-born Dimash Niyazo in Atlantic City last month. The victory earned him the fringe WBB super lightweight title.
Before that, Fryers, who fights out of upstate Westerlo, New York, near Albany, had stopped Joshua David Rivera in the sixth and final round of their scrap at the Sony Hall in Manhattan, New York, in April.
O’Leary’s last bout was a first round TKO of the Spanish-based Romanian Alin Florin Ciorceri, in defense of his
WBC International title in Belfast last May. O'Leary had ended that fight with a left hook to the head.
FEARGAL SURGERY
Forced out of his last scheduled fight in New York last month by injury, Tyrone lightweight “Fearless” Feargal McCrory returns States-side this weekend for surgery.
“The surgery is for a hernia,” McCrory [14-0, 7 KOs] told the Echo. “We tried to cover it up and fight on the June card, but after receiving medical advice, we decided as a team it was best to get it fixed right away.
“I get my surgery in Abington Hospital in Philadelphia on July 24th and have been told I have to rest for four weeks. So, I want to fight 10 weeks after the surgery. I still want to fight twice before Christmas and recovery depending, I will still do that.”
Aged 31, McCrory’s last action was third round KO of Brazilian puncher Eduardo Pereira Dos Reis at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia last April.
States-side, McCrory lives in Woodlawn, New York, and trains at Colin Morgan’s Gym in Fulton Street, lower Manhattan.
COYLE WAIT
In Pinellas Park, Florida, world-ranked Derryman Connor “The Kid” Coyle is back in camp while awaiting word on his next fight that could take him closer to a title. He’s ranked #4 in the middleweight division by the World Boxing Association [WBA].
