Spike O’Sullivan Shoots Down Retirement Talk
‘It is in my bollock!’
That’s the simple and emphatic answer Gary O’Sullivan gives when asked if his fight on St Patrick’s Day will be his final appearance in the ring.
The Once Upon a Time in the West card ‘Spike’s fight populates is being billed as a farewell night for his Celtic Warrior Gym stablemate Ray Moylette.
Despite being seven years ‘Sugar Ray’s’ senior, the Cork light middleweight is adamant he isn’t following the same path into the sunset.
“It is in my bollock,” he responds when asked if Sunday in Castlebar could be the last time we see him in a ring.
“Win, lose, or draw, it’s not a goodbye. I just want to get back in and fight. I am going to keep going regardless.”
The Cork light middleweight hasn’t been seen in the squared circle since May of 2022 and since he lost to Erislandy Lara in a WBA light middleweight title fight.
It was a difficult period for the former Irish champion – and while he never felt he was done with boxing he wondered if it was done with him.
“Retirement never crossed my mind, although I thought I might not get the chance or I might never get invited back to fight. Still, I always wanted to fight. It was hard. I missed it,” he adds before explaining why he went a full calendar year without a fight for the first time in his career.
“I fought Lara then I broke my ankle on December 23rd [2022] playing football in the garden with my kids. I started back training in June in Salou with Niall Kennedy and nothing materialised before the end of the year, unfortunately. It’s the first full calender year I didn’t fight in since I turned over.”
O’Sullivan more than most has been a fighter with a plan. Throughout his career, he has always had a big-name target and used every media opportunity to hunt them down.
Things are different this time around for the man who turns 40 later in the year. The floor isn’t littered with dropped names post the interview. It seems Spike just wants to fight.
“I’m just looking forward to getting back in Mayo and getting the cobwebs off and see how we go from there.”
