Mikey O’Sullivan - a young local boxer on a mission

 

Anyone who switches from amateur boxing to the professional version, as the likes of Scott Gammer. Mike Morrison, Lee Edwards and Steve Davies would tell you, will find an amazing difference in terms of the necessary commitment, stamina and sheer will to win - and someone who has already discovered that after just two fights is Mikey O’Sullivan.
 
Mikey hails from a family of boxers, his father Kevin, granddad Dacka, Wayne and his sons, and brother Chris , with dad Kevin still helping out with the coaching at Cardigan Amateur Boxing Club, where the Croft brothers, Iwan and Garan, are doing so well in the tough world of pro fighting.
 

Glittering career at amateur level

 
Mikey went in to professional boxing after a glittering career at amateur boxing where his list of successes included five Welsh titles, being a British champion as he beat Paul Smith Jnr (whose father of the same name was one of four brothers who boxed professionally.
 
Not content with that little lot, Mikey also travelled out to Colorado for the World Championships  and returned with a bronze medal - and when he competed in the Moldavian Competition in Rumania, he did so well that he was awarded a special decorative belt to take home with him!
 
His final vest again qualified him for another tilt at the British Crown but it was at this time that Mikey decided it was the right time for him to turn professional, which he realised was a long and winding road but which he was prepared to give it his best shot.
 

Promising professional debut at the Utilita Stadium in Cardiff

 
Competing at super featherweight level, O'Sullivan made his pro debut opening the undercard on the Lauren Price v Stephanie Pineiro bout at the Utilita Stadium in Cardiff, and was on the front foot from the off as he easily out-maneuvered his Costa Rican opponent.
 
Perez was in his 47th pro fight but looked spent by the final round after O'Sullivan landed some heavy blows to the body, and with his family in attendance, the teenager was given every round by the judges to take the verdict by 40-32.






 

Win number two comes in similar style

 
It caught the eye of promoter Ben Shalom from the Boxxer Stable of fighters and after more intense training he had his second contest in Bolton against a strong Mexican named Jorge Luis Huerta  Balleza, who is now resident in the UK.
 
He put his opponent on the canvas in the second of four rounds and again was a clear-cut winner.
 
Mikey would day that just walking through the crowds is an experience that is impossible to describe - and they were on their feet again when he put Jorge Luis on the seat of his pants in the second round before winning on a unanimous points decision over four rounds.



 

Working hard in training in Manchester

 
Now Mikey is experiencing the frustrating side of the pro-fight game because he trained very hard for 10 weeks in readiness for his third fight, again on a Lauren Price undercard but unfortunately the show was called off because Lauren sustained an injury in training.
 
He has been boxing at Super Featherweight but eventually aims to compete in the Featherweight category, which has a weight limit of 57kgs, which we estimate is just over nine stone so he needs to keep super-fit to keep at that weight!
 
Mikey now works out from Manchester, where he is trained by Anthony Krolla, himself a former World Champion, and has to adapt to another ten-week programme which builds him up in readiness to fight again, with sessions devoted to strength and conditioning, lots of running and care with diet - but with little sparring until before the final weeks because of the risk of a cut eye or muscle damage.





 

And finally . . .

 
“I normally train every day, other than a rest day every Sunday, and have to limit my time spent back home with my family - and I’ve even taken spells of work in places like an abattoir to make ends meet.
 
“It can be tough sometimes but I make sure I stay fully focussed, with dad and the rest of my family giving me every encouragement.” Mikey told us - and we have no doubt that he will give himself every chance of making a name for himself in this very tough world of professional boxing!