Hammer time – Dee Sullivan determined not to be nailed again – ‘Vanilla Gorilla’ on comeback trail

‘Sometimes your the hammer and sometimes your the nail.’

Dee Sullivan [1-1(1)] has very pragmatic old school big man approach to dealing with being knocked out as he looks to bounce back from a shock defeat.

‘The Vanilla Gorilla’ was upset by the big punching and game Mateusz Kubiszyn as a memorable Falls Park night got off to a disastrous start last August.

The sizable cruiser was caught and taken out in the first round of the first bout on Michael Conlan’s Feile undercard.

He looks to bounce back at the Ulster Hall on Saturday’s #MTKFightNight this coming Saturday and seems to be using some simple logic to put the surprise reverse behind him.

“At the end of the day it’s a fight. Sometimes you’re the hammer and sometimes you’re the nail,” he explains before revealing he is keen to amend some errors.

“It’s been easy to get excited for this bout and I want to right a few wrongs.

“I know how good I am and I hope to show everyone that this year. I am undefeated in the Ulster Hall so all being well I’ll do my absolute best to keep it that way.”

“I’ll wear my heart on my sleeve and fight my heart out. I am an Irish warrior and I’ll always try and show that when I fight.”

The Belfast fighter seems in a good place and appears to be motivated to impress.

However, he admits things were not easy in the immediate aftermath of the Summer defeat.

“It was a bit of a rollercoaster over the last few months. It was a shock defeat to take,” he continues before revealing he takes solace in the fact his opponent was above journeyman level.

“I reflected on my opponent’s record and his calibre of opponents.

“I found out he was a a professional kickboxing champion and most of his wins were knockouts, so for me to fight him in my second fight and it being a last minute change, it’s not all bad.”

Elsewhere on the card, a fascinating battle sees Sean McComb face Mauro Maximiliano Godoy, David Oliver Joyce fights former world champion Lee Haskins for the WBO European super-bantamweight title, Gary Cully takes on Joe Fitzpatrick for the BUI Irish lightweight title, unbeaten Lewis Crocker collides with John Thain, plus much more action.