Last minute sponsor rescues Paschal Collins' Cork show
Nancy Spain’s bar on Barrack St., Cork has overnight become the official supporters' club to boxer Gary ‘Spike’ O’Sullivan. Severe flooding on Ireland’s south coast nearly put paid to a card that was also set to include Eddie Hyland, Ian Tims and Billy Walsh. Luckily, a late notice sponsor was found and the show will go on.
Paschal Collins, Gary’s manager and trainer, describes the events that saved this local bill from cancellation: “Monday was probably one of the weirdest nights of my life, in what should have started out as a busy exciting week with the countdown to O’Sullivan’s Irish title fight against Belfast’s Ciaran Healy.
"I received a last minute phone call from our main sponsor telling me that his premises were flooded and his insurance won’t pay out so he would have to withdraw sponsorship, leaving me in a position with no choice but to cancel the show.
"Then came the hard bit: telling the fighters there was no fight and as a former fighter I know what the feeling is like when a fight falls through, but when it’s a title fight and on the same week it’s a double blow. After I gave Spike the news I was surprised at how mature he was about it all; he understood it wasn’t my fault and took it on the chin like a man.
"After spending a couple of hours on the phone cancelling everything it was almost midnight - I was exhausted and heading to bed when I received a phone call from Spike’s brother Nyle telling me that his boss, the owner of Nancy Spain’s Bar, would put forward the money. I paused for a moment before answering because I had just cancelled the whole show, it was off, and any normal person would have just accepted that fact. As a former professional boxer I have that never-say-die gene and off I went, 12 o’clock at night, trying my best to put everything back as it was three hours earlier.
"I expect that everybody thought this fella was not the full shilling or they must have thought it was a wind up, but it wasn’t, and after a couple of hours on the phone the show was back on and for Spike’s sake - thank God. I have never seen anybody prepare for a fight like he has for this one.
"I would also like to thank the Boxing Union of Ireland for their understanding, Paddy Hyland for his help with gloves and everybody that helped along the way but most of all to Nyle O’Sullivan and the Nancy Spain’s bar in Cork.”
"I would also like to thank the Boxing Union of Ireland for their understanding, Paddy Hyland for his help with gloves and everybody that helped along the way but most of all to Nyle O’Sullivan and the Nancy Spain’s bar in Cork.”
Submitted by Steve Wellings on 3 December, 2009 - 17:03
