AS PROVEN by Lewis Crocker vs Paddy Donovan 2, a mammoth Belfast crowd would almost certainly show up for any all-Irish dustup, including a particularly appealing one between Sean McComb and Pierce O’Leary.
While the pair belong to different promotional stables, with McComb, 19-2 (5 KOs), at GBM Sports and O’Leary, 17-0 (9 KOs), a Queensberry Promotions fighter, their potential super-lightweight showdown nonetheless makes a great deal of sense.
For starters, it would likely sell out the Odyssey Arena in Belfast, or in fact any decently-sized venue in Ireland, and not only deliver a compelling battle – their contrasting styles gelling perfectly – but allow the winner to bolster his claim for a world title shot.
Before that, though, McComb must first come through his assignment against Ben Crocker, who doubtless has ambitions of his own, tomorrow night, when he will look to become the IBF European champion in Sheffield, England.
While being an otherwise meaningless belt, the item of Jewellery would, in theory, give the 33-year-old an IBF world ranking at 140lbs, which, in turn, should only make him a more enticing option for O’Leary.
“We would love to go back to Belfast, and it’s something that’s still in talks,” McComb tells Boxing News, revealing that such conversations have been shared with his promoter, Izzy Asif.
“If I win a title here [on Saturday] then we could potentially look to do a show in Belfast in February or March next year.
“I’ve asked to fight [O’Leary] numerous times now. It’s fallen through for a few reasons, and I don’t quite know why, but that fight’s definitely on my radar.
“I think Pierce is capable of winning a world title, and I think that I’m capable of winning a world title as well, so maybe somewhere along the line we can get it on for an all-Irish world title fight, or just an all-Irish fight. Who knows?
“I would take that fight in the morning, and I’m sure he’d do the same, so maybe it’s inevitable.”
A homecoming in the capital of Northern Ireland, where the appetite for boxing is as fierce as ever, seems to represent a natural, and entirely reasonable, next step for McComb.
“Belfast has always been recognised as a boxing city, and has always had the talent, but only now are these big promoters starting to give opportunities to Belfast fighters,” he adds.
“For the kids coming through, when they see Lewis Crocker and [Anthony] Cacace become world champion, it makes them realise that it’s possible.
“We’ve never had the same backing here that fighters get in England, but now, the promoters have almost been forced to give us more opportunities.”
When it comes to opportunities, the Belfast man hopes, more than anything else, that a route for him to reach world honours will present itself soon enough.
He did, of course, have the chance to put himself in line for a world title shot when he faced Arnold Barboza Jr last year.
Only, rather than coming away with a clear as day victory, as what was justified by his performance, McComb was instead forced to suffer a highly controversial defeat.
“It was a tough time, especially because I was left in the shadows and didn’t get any opportunities for over a year,” he recalls.
“It was a dark place to be in, but the resilience I showed is now starting to work in my favour.
“The only thing that frustrates me is that these judges aren’t held accountable. We put an appeal in with the WBO, but they just looked at that appeal and said, ‘No, we’re not even going to look at that decision.’”
Having left that time in his life firmly in the past, McComb is now eager to secure the most meaningful fights, including a possible matchup with O’Leary, as he looks to capitalise on what he feels are his prime years.
But first, ‘The Public Nuisance’ must take care of business against Crocker, most likely by putting his crafty southpaw style into motion.
