IRELAND could soon have another European champion.

The north and south have produced a number of them from Rinty Monaghan to Carl Frampton and Dubliner Pierce O’Leary might be next.

The vacant European super-lightweight title will now be contested by O’Leary and Jon Fernandez if a deal can be reached. This follows on from yesterday’s announcement that Dalton Smith had withdrew from his position as ‘next mandatory’ challenger after injury ruled him out from facing Fernandez in December. Matchroom had hoped to schedule Smith vs. Fernandez in February but the Spaniard’s team said no to the idea.

Fernandez vs. O’Leary will now go to purse bids with the deadline just six days away. This would be cancelled, however, if a deal can be agreed by both parties before then.

O’Leary is due to return to action on Queensberry’s latest Magnificent 7 card on December 7 at Wembley Arena. An opponent is yet to be announced but it could be that the 24-year-old lands the biggest fight of his career in four weeks’ time.

Queensberry signed O’Leary in February 2022 and the Irishman has added five more wins to his record taking him to 15-0 (8 KOs). Fernandez would provide a serious test of O’Leary’s credentials, however. The Las Vegas-based Spaniard went 10 rounds with O’Shaquie Foster in 2018 and gave Michel Rivera a scare before being knocked out in the eighth. But since losing to Samuel Molina in December 2022 Fernandez has racked up three wins against Petr Petrov, Andy Colquhoun and Jezzrel Corrales, respectively.