Spike O’Sullivan suspects former foes of doping

Gary ‘Spike’ O’Sullivan suspects five of his professional opponents of using performance-enhancing drugs.

The Cork light middleweight took a hardline stance against doping, a topic that took centre stage in the sporting world last weekend.

Discussing the fall of the Born Rivals card and Connor Benn’s failed drug test in his new Irish Examiner column the Rebel County fighter called for anyone caught dopping to be charged with attempted murder.

The 38-year-old Celtic Warrior Gym light middleweight also revealed he feels five of his 36 opponents had used Peds.

“There are too many cheats in boxing,” Spike said.

“The only way to finally start getting rid of them is for any fighter found to have taken performance-enhancing drugs to be charged with attempted murder.

“I’ve fought 36 times in my professional career. I’m pretty sure five of them were against fighters who doped.

“How many boxers have we seen die in a ring or on his way out of it? How many more have been left brain damaged?

“And still there are guys out there getting pumped with stuff that is going to put their opponent at risk of all of the above.

“It’s criminal, which is why we need criminal charges. Call it what it is. Not just cheating — attempted murder. Then prosecute it as such.”

O’Sullivan also lamented the reputational damage the most recent failed test may have on the sport and the fighters involved.

“I don’t want to be here in the weekend paper tearing down my own sport. I actually had a lovely column written nice and early this week.

“It was about what the names Benn and Eubank meant to Irish sports fans of a certain age and I was remembering walking to Páirc Uí Chaoimh on that magical night in 1995 with my father and three of my brothers to see Eubank Snr and Steve Collins and me being the only Irishman in the place roaring for Eubank.

“But what do the names Benn and Eubank mean to fans and casual viewers after the past 72 hours?

“They mean boxing back in the dock, back in the gutter. A mortifying mess that only showed the world how grubby and money-hungry those at the centre of some of the biggest fight nights are.

“It showed the world that words don’t matter and actions don’t matter either. Only money matters.”