Most predict it will be more all-out-war than chess match when Gary ‘Spike’ O’Sullivan and Chris Eubank Jr trade leather in London on December 12, but the Cork fighter’s coach, Paschal Collins, believes there will be a battle of wits proceeding the first bell.

Mind craft will play a vital role who wins the eagerly anticipated grudge match claims the Celtic Warrior Gym boss.

The Collins brothers have mind games previous with the Eubanks after former World champion Steve messed with the head of Chris Senior before becoming the first man to beat the English fight legend back in 1995.

Indeed, Collins made the now infamous head doctor Tony Quinn as famous as Dr Quinn Medicine Woman ahead of one of the greatest nights in Irish sport, employing various tactics to get into the head of then-superstar super middleweight Eubank.

The fighter now known as ‘English’ admits the Celtic Warrior was the first fighter to have a mental affect over him in terms of making him want to beat up the Irish man in the build up to the clash, and states it played a part in his performance.

Steve Collins however has since stressed that all the Quinn antics were somewhat of a con and all he did was ensure that, unlike others before him, he wasn’t going to be beaten by the then-World champ before he even entered the ring.

Indeed, the Dubliner points to the fact he beat Eubank on the return as evidence he was the better of the two when they meet.

However, despite playing down the power of the mind element of those famous Irish victories, Spike’s trainer Paschal Collins believes the pre-fight head-to-head brain battle could prove as important as any physical contest in the ring come December 12th.

Speaking to Irish-boxing.com Collins claims the Cork middleweight has already gotten to Eubank Jr, and the years of taunting and Twitter back-and-forths have played a part.