Irishman Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan is hoping to land a shot against WBO 154 pound champ Patrick Teixeira this summer, and the 33-year-old is confident he will be able to do a quick destruction job on Teixeira if the fight does come off.
Speaking with Irish-Boxing, O’Sullivan said he has come up short in previous big fights, with Billy Joe Saunders, Chris Eubank Jr, and David Lemieux, but that he was going up against “guys that have been bigger than me.”
O’Sullivan pointed out the fact that he has never lost a fight held at 154 pounds, and he said he feels he can repeat the quick stoppage job Curtis Stevens did on Teixeira, Stevens stopping him in two rounds in 2016. O’Sullivan says his team has been in contact with Golden Boy about the fight.
“He got knocked out by Stevens, and I think I’m like Stevens in height and style,” O’Sullivan said of Teixeira. “He got knocked out in the second round by Stevens, and I think it could be the same outcome for me.
“I haven’t been in touch with Golden Boy myself, but (trainer) Paschal Collins has been in touch with Ken Casey and Golden Boy. I think it would be a great fight. I suppose it’s the first time in a championship fight that I’ll be fighting a fella my own size.
“It makes a difference. All the other fights have been against guys that have been bigger than me and heavier.”
O’Sullivan said he would not care one bit if he entered the ring with Teixeira as the underdog, that he’s been in the position before and it never worried him.
If this fight is made, it could prove to be an exciting, explosive affair; maybe a short fight as O’Sullivan says could indeed be the case. Teixeira recently called out Terence Crawford, challenging the unbeaten pound-for-pound start to move up in weight and fight him.
It might be that Teixeira is looking at bigger names than O’Sullivan, but he could have his hands full with the Irishman if the fight is made. Southpaw Teixeira is currently 31-1(22) and he last fought in November when he won the interim WBO title with a decision win over Carlos Adames.
O’Sullivan, the older man by seven years at age 36, is currently 30-3(21) and he last saw action in March of last year when he stopped Khiary Gray.
Both guys are hungry for a fight.