Spike O’Sullivan: “Strength and Honor”

 On January 11th , live from the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX, Jaime Munguia (34-0) will be moving up to Middleweight to fight the veteran Gary Spike O’Sullivan (30-3) in a twelve round fight on DAZN.

For Munguia, who has publicly mentioned his difficulty in making the Super Welterweight limit of 154 pounds, there should be no issue making the middleweight limit of 160 pounds but the real question is whether he will be able to deal with shots from much bigger guys and will his power move up with him.

As for Spike O’Sullivan, he has been in this position before where he is being matched with an opponent that some may feel is a level or two better than he is but that doesn’t stop the Irishman from going in there and giving those guys all they can handle for as many rounds as the fight lasts.

We are about two weeks away from what can possibly be O’Sullivan’s last shot at getting himself a title fight with someone like Gennadiy Golovkin or Demetrius Andrade at middleweight or one of the Super Welterweight champions in the near future. First things first, he has to be victorious while looking impressive against the former Super Welterweight Champion 2.

I recently caught up with Spike O’Sullivan and here is what he had to say leading up to the big fight.

AG: Spike, thank you for taking the time out of your training camp to speak to me today. How are you feeling, where did you hold your camp for this fight and did you stay with the same team?

GSO: I held my training camp in Dublin, Ireland and things have been going very well with the same team. I feel really good and the weight is good as well. When I fought Lemieux I was a bit heavy when I came in at 161 but for this fight against Munguia, I will be on weight.

AG: By the time we reach the fight in January, you would have been 10 months removed from the ring. With only one fight in 2019, can you tell the fans what has led to the ring inactivity?

GSO: I was in the gym the whole time preparing for a couple of different fights but was waiting for the visas to come through and since there were issues, the fights never happened.

AG: How has the preparation for this fight against Jaime Munguia different if any, then previous training camps?

GSO: I brought in some new sparring partners to mimic Munguia’s fighting style and they have done a really good job working with me. We also brought in Conor McGregor’s trainer, Coach John Kavanagh, to work on my strength & movement for this fight.

AG: You have been in with guys like Chris Eubank Jr. and David Lemieux. Do you see Munguia being a fighter at that level and if not, what is your perception of his fighting style?

GSO: Munguia is a very good fighter and has accomplished a lot already for his age. He has defended his title five times and I put him right up there with Eubank, Lemieux and Saunders.

AG: You are now 35, do you feel as though this is a crossroads fight for you given that the sport of boxing isn’t so nice once you start getting into your mid to late thirties?

GSO: No, I don’t see it as a crossroads fight as I am fighting Munguia who was a champion at 154. After I win this fight, I will be fighting either at 154 or at 160 this upcoming year.

AG: This fight is being held at the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX and it will be your first time fighting there. Being that the fight is in what most will call “home turf” for Munguia, do you feel like a knockout is necessary in order to come out victorious?

GSO: Maybe so but I like the challenge of going into someone’s backyard to fight them. I can outbox him and win convincingly by points.

AG: What would you like to tell the fans that will be tuning in January 11th on DAZN or seeing this fight live in San Antonio?

GSO: I’m looking forward to fighting in front of the Mexican fans that have not seen me in the past as I have a Mexican fight style. I am expecting a war on January 11th as I have trained very hard so it will be an excellent fight and one to remember.

AG: Where can fans follow you on social media?

GSO: They can follow me on twitter @spike_osullivan , Instagram @garyspikeosullivan and on Facebook (Gary Spike O’Sullivan).

Gary Spike O’Sullivan is a guy that is hard not to like as he loves to interact with boxing fans on social media and has a great sense of humor. He is in tough as Jaime Munguia is a savage in the ring but as we have learned in the past year or so, you can never count out the old savvy veterans as they tend to teach the young fighters a thing or two when they are underestimated.

Can Spike O’Sullivan pull off the upset and catapult himself back into the world title conversation at Middleweight?  One thing is for sure, just like the title of the 2007 movie he was in, Gary Spike O’Sullivan will fight with “Strength and Honor.”

You will have to tune into DAZN on January 11th to see if Spike O’Sullivan pulls off the first upset of 2020.

You can follow me on twitter @abeg718 and on Instagram @nyfights.