The two were initially due to fight on March 14. However, a serious chest infection forced Chamberlain (17-1-1, 12 KO’s) to pull out, leaving O'Leary (19-0, 11 KO’s) without an opponent for his long awaited homecoming.

Eventually, Maxi Hughes answered the call and O’Leary bullied the clever veteran to a fifth-round stoppage win.

Chamberlain watched the fight and although reasonably impressed by the way O’Leary dealt with the usually tricky Hughes, the 27-year-old from Portsmouth isn't having sleepless nights thinking about their meeting.

“He done what he was meant to do. Obviously, respect to Maxi for taking the fight on such short notice, but Pierce done what he had to do. Maxi, we all know, is a lightweight and a lot smaller man,” Chamberlain said at the fight's launch press conference.

Chamberlain is one of the sport's most even tempered fighters. The tall southpaw shot to wider prominence with a pair of impressive performances on Riyadh Season shows.

Although he enjoyed the trappings and attention his Saudi Arabian adventures brought him, speaking to him beforehand was no different from the type of casual chat you would have with him before one of his early career undercard appearances.

Last August, Chamberlain traveled north to fight Jack Rafferty at a worn ice rink on the outskirts of Manchester.

After battling to a brutal 12-round draw with "The Demolition Man," Chamberlain sat quietly in the dated, cold changing rooms and broke down the fight candidly as he flicked through his phone.

O’Leary grew up less than half a mile from the 3Arena, and a large, loud crowd is expected to support him on August 1. The prospect of fighting another heavy handed hometown hero holds absolutely no fears for Chamberlain.

“I’ve just got to make sure I train hard and turn up on the night, and that's it really. It's irrelevant it being in Dublin, in his back garden as such, because the pressure on the outside, the people on the other side, the he said, she said and people booing and all that is irrelevant. At the end of the day, it's just me and Pierce in the ring.

“Whatever else gets said outside here or or outside the the venue, it's irrelevant really. August 1 its just me and Pierce in there on the night. So that's all we need to focus on.”