Fresh off his victory this past Thursday in Boston, Mass., Ireland’s once-beaten middleweight Spike O’Sullivan (19-1, 12KO’s) has been added to the “McMayhem in Midtown” card, held on Saturday, March 14, at the Theater at Madison Square Garden.
The event, promoted by DiBella Entertainment, Murphy’s Boxing, Ring of Fire Promotions and FDNY Bravest Boxing will feature both professional and amateur bouts, and is headlined by former world-title challenger Patrick “The Punisher” Hyland (29-1, 13KO’s) taking on Manuel de los Reyes Herrera (21-15-1, 15KO’s).
The co-feature bout of the evening sees the long-awaited return of popular light heavyweight contender-turned-New York firefighter Will “Power” Rosinsky (17-2, 9KO’s) as he squares off against Paul Gonsalves (7-5, 3KO’s). The amateur portion of the card will mark the third meeting between the FDNY Bravest Boxing team and Garda Siochana Boxing team of the Irish National Police Force, who will be making the trip over from Ireland with the 2015 Transatlantic championship at stake.
O’Sullivan, hailing from Cork, Ireland, is promoted by Ken Casey’s Murphys Boxing. Casey, the lead singer for platinum-selling American Celtic band, The Dropkick Murphys, began working with the popular Irishman following his loss to the undefeated WBO #1-ranked middleweight Billy Joe Saunders. In November of last year, O’Sullivan scored arguably his best victory to date, a devastating first-round TKO over perennial contender Anthony Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald had previously gone the distance with both former interim WBA middleweight champion Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam and current WBO middleweight champion Andy Lee.
With a cult-like following along the entire Eastern seaboard, Casey has used the band’s popularity to build O’Sullivan’s fan base here in the U.S. and a raucous crowd is expected to be on hand for his New York City debut.
“I love new adventures and St. Paddy’s weekend in New York is going to be electric,” said O’Sullivan. “On March 14, I intend to entertain the fans and show them what I can do in the ring. I will aim to send them home wanting to come see me fight again and feeling that they got great value for their ticket money.”
“Spike is an awesome guy and a great exciting fighter to watch. I am excited for the New York fans who will get their first chance to see Spike in action,” said Casey.
In anticipation of his New York debut, O’Sullivan will make his way to the empire state a couple of weeks early, and spend time meeting with fans at the Dropkick Murphys at Irving Plaza in Manhattan on March 8th, 9th and 10th. Tickets for the card will also be available for purchase at these shows.
An opponent for O’Sullivan will be named shortly.
Tickets for “McMayhem in Midtown” are priced at $100, $65 and $35, and can be purchased by calling the DiBella Entertainment office at (212) 947-2577. Tickets may also be purchased by visiting www.murphysboxing.com. Doors open at 7:00 PM, with the first bout scheduled for 7:30 PM.
