A very exiting night of boxing returns to Dublin, Ireland this weekend. Matthew Macklin tops the bill at the 3 Arena when he takes on Jorge Sebastian Heiland in a crucial world-title eliminator. However, the best fight of the night appears to be Anthony “Fitzey” Fitzgerald against Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan based on the evidence from the prefight build-up. The two fighters have been brewing a rivalry for years and they finally step into the ring together this Saturday night to settle their differences, live on Sky Sports.
The rivalry between the two nearly escalated into an all-out brawl during the final press conference this week. The two fighters started with a war of words when being quizzed by the awaiting media.
Gary O’Sullivan talks about how well training camp has been for him. “I’m feeling the best I’ve ever felt, training has been very good and I have had the best sparring with Billy Joe Saunders and Martin Murray who is the WBC number 1, so you can’t get better preparation than that.”
“I’ve abstained from sex for 6 weeks for this fight as well” which was interrupted by laughter from the crowd. “Anthony’s been training over in Marbella, he’s a single man and he’s been fooling around over there.” O’Sullivan then went on to add “This is going to benefit me, I’ll be stronger and more aggressive for this fight.”
Anthony Fitzgerald also showed that there is no love lost between the two. “All the talking is done now, all the training is done. When I get that eejit I’m going to punch him from pillar to post. It’s as simple as that I’m going to kill you”
When asked about what kind of fight it’s going to be on Saturday night “Fitzey” claims he is ready for an all-out war. “I’m ready for war it’s as simple as that. I just want to fight, that’s what I’m bred for.” On the topic of 0’Sullivan seeing a sports psychologist, Fitzgerald added. “And another thing, get rid of that Sports psychologist, you gobsh**e, he’s robbing you with no balaclava. I fear no man inside or outside of the ring!”
After their war of words the pair were involved in a physical altercation when they got together for a head-to-head photo opportunity. A clearly angered Fitzgerald give “Spike” a shove as soon as their eyes made contact. O’Sullivan tried to infuriate Fitzgerald further by giving the Dublin fighter a kiss on the cheek, “Fitzey” responded with a thudding slap to the side of O’Sullivan’s head before being pulled apart so another blow could not be landed. Eddie Hearn, the Matchroom promoter, was caught in the middle trying to hold both fighters apart, whilst “Spike” stepped back with a huge smile on his face, knowing he may have won this round as an enraged Fitzgerald was trailed away.
Many people in Ireland are extremely excited about this fight, the pair finally get into the ring together and this bout may steal the show from the main event. The rivalry has now reached boiling point just in time and in front of a packed audience this fight should be explosive. Both fighters will put everything on the line for the win and it’s a real 50/50 fight. Anthony Fitzgerald says he is ready for an all-out war whilst Gary O’Sullivan claims he is a class above. This should be a great grudge match and has all the ingredients to be a night to remember.
