'Wait for the call!' - Chamberlain ready to make good with O'Leary bout

Fresh off a surprise draw with Jack Rafferty last August, 'Thunder' had hoped to push on and further bolster his rising stock.

But fates have conspired to delay his return to the ring. Originally set to be out last December, plans fell through for the star.

Then, a bout with Pierce O'Leary in the spring hit the skids when Chamberlain came down with a chest infection beforehand.

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The end result has been a lengthy wait to get his shot. But it won't matter when he steps into the ring tonight in Dublin.

"It's been pretty slow," he tells DAZN News. "I was meant to be out, but... circumstances outside of my hands. I'm feeling good.

"This camp's gone on forever. I feel like I've been living at the gym for however long. But I'm looking forward to jumping back."

He quirks his lips. "I've got a good life. I don't get caught up. I'm always ready. You've just got to stay ready and wait for the call.

'The pressure isn't on me'

Chamberlain heads to the 3Arena this weekend, seeking to score one of the biggest wins of his career across the Irish Sea.

The star stresses he is used to the underdog tag. Rafferty underestimated him and came away with spoils shared last summer.

"I'm no stranger to facing people in their own back garden," he notes. "I did it with Jack, and I'll do it with Pierce. It's irrelevant.

"The pressure isn't on me. He's defending for the first time. May the best man win on the night, but I'm going there for an upset."

He isn't fazed by heading overseas either - and after several months spent chomping at the bit, he is happy to deliver his promise.

"I won't turn down a fight," he adds. "As long as it makes sense, I'll do it wherever. I've got gloves, I'll travel. Pay me what I want and I'll go.

"I've only been to Ireland for two press conferences, but absolutely nothing is different. It's still a boxing ring, it's still a pair of gloves.

He shrugs, "Fight weeks are all the same, and at the end of the day, when you get in there on the night, all the boxing rings are the same."

'I feel like he's overlooking me'

Chamberlain undoubtedly will have plenty to do against O'Leary. The latter has looked composed on his way towards the summit.

But the Englishman believes he can exploit certain facets of his opponent's game plan, even if his cards remain close to his chest.

"We know he's unbeaten," he concurs. "But I believe he hasn't fought anybody at my level as of yet. I feel like he's overlooking me.

"It's the same as Rafferty. He thought he was going to do a job on me, and that wasn't the case. He's in for a harder one than he thinks."

Whatever the result, Chamberlain knows this is an opportunity to put himself in the shop window amid a crowded international scene.

Defeat would likely not prove fatal to his long-term ambitions. But he will be aware just what triumph in Ireland lays out for him.

"Victory takes me to a big fight, and a big night," he says. "I believe it propels me onto the world stage at super-lightweight."

He gives a shark-like grin. "Pierce is no mug. He's tough, he's game and he's going to be up for it. We've got a big job to do. 

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