O’Leary refused to fold. The champion battled back over the middle rounds, applying constant pressure despite what appeared to be a broken nose. He enjoyed success in the fourth and fifth before edging the sixth. The comeback reached its high point in the seventh when O’Leary landed a right to the body that dropped Chamberlain for the only knockdown of the challenger’s night.
Chamberlain recovered in the eighth by using his reach and southpaw jab to regain control. O’Leary continued pressing in the ninth, but the momentum swung for good in the tenth.
A left uppercut from Chamberlain opened the door for a foll
