Spike O’Sullivan Dismisses Retirement Talk and Draws Inspiration from Bernard Hopkins
Gary ‘Spike’ O’Sullivan still feels young and is taking inspiration from an old friend — and one of the oldest to ever do it — as he dismisses retirement talk.
The Cork favourite, who has shared the ring with the likes of Chris Eubank Jr, David Lemieux, and Jaime Munguia, fights for the first time in over a year and only the second time since 2022 on JB Promotions New Dawn card at the National Stadium on Friday.
Rumour suggested the clash was to be the last of one of the more successful and storied Irish boxing careers of recent time.
However, the 41-year-old says that is the case and that he plans to fight on taking motivation from one of the sport’s great ageless wonders.
“I’m feeling good, feeling youthful, even though I may not be very youthful, but I feel it anyway,” O’Sullivan told The Rocky Road podcast. “I guess that’s the most important thing. I feel really, really good. I’m sparring with lads in their 20s and I feel good. I feel like I can still do it.”
The Celtic Warrior Gym favourite says he’s drawing inspiration from his friend and former world champion Bernard Hopkins — the legendary American who defied time by holding a world title at 49.
“I’m inspired by my good friend, Bernard Hopkins, who was world champion at 49,” O’Sullivan explained. “Actually, one time I was at a press conference in LA when I fought with Golden Boy Promotions and there were numerous world champions in the room. He singled me out and said he thought I looked very healthy and fit and so on. I thought it was very nice coming from him, and I feel like I can go on to be like him.”
O’Sullivan trades leather with Mateusz Pawlowski over six rounds on the Jay Byrne promoted card.
