text: Spike pulls off a stunning success - Herald.ie
  Cork middleweight captures WBO crown
  Sean McGoldrick – 18 December 2017 02:30 AM
  Gary O'Sullivan knocks out Antoine Douglas, of the U.S. in the seventh round to win the WBO Intercontinental middleweight boxing championship title in Laval, Quebec. Photo: AP
  He was the outsider in the fight which was the chief support for the WBO World middleweight title clash between Billy Joe Saunders - who took the belt from Ireland's Andy Lee - and local favourite David Lemieux.
  Saunders comfortably retained his crown on points. He challenged Golovkin after the fight - and had a response for the fans who had booed him.
  "Golovkin, you kept saying you want my WBO belt when I was 14 stone, out of shape and wasn't in love with boxing," he said.
  "Then you wanted to fight me. Fight me now. Now fight me, because we'll be seeing a different story. You'll be punching fresh air."
  He added: "And thank you very much Montreal and all you fans coming out to see me.
  "I know you're booing me because I whipped your fighter's arse. But you know, that's boxing."
  However, it was O'Sullivan who grabbed the headlines as he dominated his contest.
  He had a big fifth round, catching Douglas - who had only lost once before - with a series of clean shots.
  He caught Douglas again with another clean right in the seventh round and the favourite looked out on his feet.
  He did stay standing but O'Sullivan simply piled on the pressure before his opponent crumbled to the canvas.
  He managed to get back tohis feet but the referee stopped the contest.
  Gennady Golovkin holds all the other versions of the World middleweight title and the indications are that he will fight Canelo Alvarez again - their previous contest earlier this year ended in a draw.
  It is doubtful whether Saunders - who inflicted a first ever defeat on O'Sullivan when they clashed in the Wembley Arena in 2013 - would be willing to put his title on the line against Spike.
  But regardless of the politics at the higher end of the middleweight category, O'Sullivan deserves huge credit for rebuilding his career.
  He has done that mostly with fights in the United States after losing to Chris Eubank Jr two years ago.
  He moves on to a record of 27 wins and two losses and his dream of bringing a world belt back to his native city remains a real possibility.
  He trains in the Celtic Warriors gym in Dublin under the guidance of Packy Collins.
  The latter had another success earlier in the United States when Gorey Garda Niall Kennedy maintained his one hundred percent record after stopping Danny Calhoun in the second round, courtesy of a body shot, to go 10-0.
  "I'm absolutely over the moon," tweeted Kennedy who sparred with world champion Anthony Joshua earlier this year.