'Spike' O'Sullivan: I'm nearly there now. I’m almost at the pinnacle

When O’Sullivan insists he’s never trained as hard in his life ahead of the WBA world middleweight title fight on Saturday, he is saying it less as a boxing trope and more as a cold matter of fact

TAILOR-MADE: 'I look good in a suit'. Pic: Clive O'Donohoe

GARY ‘Spike’ O’Sullivan is WhatsApping me details of Tuesday’s Altipeak endurance session, as if I don’t believe the Cork man when he says he is going above and beyond human thresholds to land a first world boxing title at the grand young age of 37.

“It’s special high-altitude training, done in the equivalent of 40-degree heat. Today’s session brought my heart rate to 101% of its capacity,” he explains.