‘I don’t want gimme fights’ – Daniel O’Sullivan content to be challenged

Daniel O’Sullivan [1-0] all too aware his aim has to be true when he steps into the ring against Dale Arrowsmith [5(1)-67(6)-2] on Saturday night.

The Dublin light middleweight takes on the experienced English journeyman on the Rising Out of the Ashes card at The National Stadium this weekend and is expecting an early career test.

The Brit away fighter comes into the fight on the back of a win and former coach ‘Daniel San’s’ homework also suggests Arrowsmith also comes to Dublin with the ability to make the Celtic Warrior Gym fighter look silly – and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

The Celtic Warrior Gym fighter wants to be tested, wants to learn, wants to move fast, and suggests an Arrowsmith fight allows him to do just that.

“I’ve watched bits of him, he actually fought the guy I fought on my debut, so I watched that. He is tricky and awkward and he is coming off a win, he won two weeks ago, so if you’re not good enough he can beat you.

“You have to be on it on the night. He can make you look silly, if you try go kill him he’ll make you look very silly, so you have to put in a decent performance against him,” he tells Irish-boxing.com before revealing he is happy to have such a fight.

“Big time,” he responds when asked if it’s the kind of test he wants. “Even for my debut I told Pascal I don’t want any gimme fights, especially for lads paying to see you, they don’t want to see you knocking a lad out in one round. Plus you’re not learning anything from it. You want to learn in these fights. You don’t want to get in there and just make yourself feel good by dropping someone in the first round.”

The Pascal Collins trained 154lber also takes a step up in terms of rounds.

“This is my first six-rounder too, I said to Pascal after that last fight that it still felt like an amateur fight. I felt in the fourth round I was only getting into it. I think the six rounds would suit me more.”

O’Sullivan wants to maintain that kind of progress and has no desire to pad out a record. He tipped his hat to Owen O’Neill and Owen Duffy, who fight each other for the BUI Celtic title on TG4 on Saturday’s MHD card, as well as Jamie Morrissey, who won the same title at super middleweight in just his fourth fight – and revealed he wants to follow their lead.

“There is a lot of us at that weight, and as I was saying before, I’m not going to call out names two fights in, but the lads are fighting for a Celtic title on the same night and if you look at the likes of Jamie Morrissey he won the Celtic title in his fourth fight. You have to take inspiration from that, he took the risks and got the reward. The lads fighting in the North are taking the risk too and a lot of us are willing to fight each other, so why not? The best way to learn is to fight each other, win lose or draw. Plus it generates more buzz, everyone loves them. People aren’t going to keep come watch us fight opponents, there are enough light middleweights there for us to get in against each other.”

The regular seconds to the Celtic Warrior Gym fighters is hoping to return to the corner after he returns a win on Saturday.

“It’s deadly to be fighting on the undercard of Craig[O’Brien], I’ve been in the corner for all his fights and I hope to be in the corner for this one. It will be deadly,” he adds before revealing his excitement at making the transition through the ropes at the famous Dublin venue.

“The amount of times I’ve done corners for lads at the National Stadium and now I get the chance to fight there myself it’s deadly. I fought there in the amateurs but a week out from the amateur fights I’d be bricking it. I didn’t want to fight there at all. Even the thoughts of the stadium, the big ring, i didn’t like it. Now I’m buzzing for it, its a pro fight, a pro show and I know how good the atmosphere can be.”