Golden Boy hoping for a Quigley v Spike World Title fight in Ireland

Check the contract, that was the message from David Haye to Spike O’Sullivan [28(20)-3(2)] post the Cork man’s world title final eliminator defeat to David Lemieux last Saturday night.

While covering the fight for BT Sport, the former two-weight world champion questioned whether Golden Boy would look for a way out of promoting the two fights remaining on the contract they have with Mahon middle in light of his first round stoppage defeat.

However, Robert Diaz quickly moved to allay fears the Celtic Warrior Gym fighter may be dropped and even laid out a mouthwatering road map for the company’s two Irish 160lb fighters.

Golden Boy’s chief matchmaker claimed he is still interested in pitting Spike and Jason Quigley [14(11)-0] against each other – and even more exciting for Irish fight fans is the revelation that he can see the bout being a world title fight in Ireland.

A number of things would have to fall in place, but the fact it’s a future option is good news for the domestic scene in Ireland as well as Spike, a fighter some suggested was now in a vulnerable position.

Speaking to the42, Diaz noted that Donegal’s Quigley is closing in on a world title tilt and, if he manages to win a strap, his first defence could be against O’Sullivan.

“This is not because of the outcome of [Saturday] but when I signed Spike my first thought was ‘imagine Spike and Jason in Ireland’. It would be huge,” said the fight boss

“Jason has his track and he’s on a road to fight for the world title. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen with our plan to fight Murata in October.”

“But I think within the next couple of fights he could be challenging for a world title. He wins that, and Spike has a successful couple of fights back, that would be massive.”

Diaz did admit that defeat can often break a contract, but promised that won’t be the case for ‘promoters; dream’ O’Sullivan.

Indeed, he claims the manner of the defeat might have done the 34-year-old Murphys Boxing man a favour in that regard.

“In most cases after an options package when you lose that breaks the contract,” Diaz outlined.

“But in this particular case he got caught by one punch – he didn’t get beaten up. Anybody can get caught, even the best fighter in the world can get caught.”

“It’s actually worse if he got beaten up by for eight or nine rounds. If that was the case then maybe you say ‘you better retire brother’ but he got caught.”

“Gary is a great fighter and he’s a promoter’s dream, now it’s just a matter of us bringing him back.”

Quigley had been in line to face Top 10 middleweight and Olympic gold medallist Ryota Murata in Las Vegas on October 20th.

This bout fell through, and the Ballybofey man now boxes two nights previous in Los Angeles as he continues his return form a year out through hand injury.

O’Sullivan, not wanting a full camp to go to waste, will return to training this weekend and hopes to fight again before the end of the year.