Eddie O’Leary

Category
1986
About This Inductee

Pringle

In his career, Eddie O’Leary was called “The Pride of Pringle”, one of five fighting O’Learys. He made his ring debut while still a high school student at age 15. By World War II, Eddie had 239 amateur and professional fights, winning 226 of them. As an amateur, he was a Diamond Belt Golden Gloves champion in the flyweight division. As a pro, he fought several featherweight and lightweight championship contenders, including Joe Mafei, Al Brown and Carlos Cuelas. He was set to fight world bantamweight and featherweight champion Henry Jeffra, but was drafted into the Army for World War II. O’Leary.was lightweight champion at Fort Reilly, Kan., before going overseas as a machine gunner with Gen. George Patton’s Third Army. He suffered a knee injury in the war that prevented him from making a ring comeback.