'Spike' Earns Fourth Straight Win In Boston

By Stephen Tobey at ringside in Boston: Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan earned his fourth straight victory and third consecutive stoppage, defeating Liverpool, England’s Nick Quigley in the fourth round of a scheduled 10-round middleweight bout on Saturday at the House of Blues.

Referee Arthur Mercante stopped the fight at 1 minute and 23 seconds of the fourth after O’Sullivan tagged Quigley with three straight right hands, driving him into the ropes.

O’Sullivan, of Cork, Ireland, first hurt Quigley toward the end of the third, when he found a home for his straight right hand, snapping Quigley’s head back and bloodying his nose. Between the third and fourth rounds, a commission doctor visited Quigley’s corner.

O’Sullivan, whose own nose was bleeding, pressed the action early in the fight, but Quigley also landed some solid shots of his own.

“He hits hard,” O’Sullivan said. “I tried to put more pressure on him.”

O’Sullivan, 33, is now 26-2 with 18 knockouts. It was his fourth straight win since he lost to Chris Eubank, Jr. on Dec. 15, 2015.

Quigley, 29, dropped to 15-3 (3). It was his first fight since Feb. 6, 2016.

“Spike hits very hard,” Quigley said. “It was my first fight in 19 months and it may have been too much, too soon.”

In the co-feature, Albanian-born featherweight Dardan Zenunaj of Sherman Oaks, California, knocked out Recky Dulay of the Philippines in the third round of a scheduled 10 at super featherweight, winning the vacant WBO/NABO title.

Zenunaj dropped Dulay twice in the first round and once in the third before referee Gene Del Bianco stopped the fight at the 1:50 mark of the third.

Zenunaj (14-3, 11 Kos) dropped Dulay with his first solid punch, a left hook. Later in the round, Dulay took a knee after absorbing another left hook.

In the third, Zenunaj landed two right hands to the chin, forcing Dulay to a knee before Del Bianco stopped the fight. Dulay dropped to 10-3 (7).

Everton Lopes of Salvador Bahia, Brazil won a six-round split decision against Rafael Reyes of Reynosa, Mexico at lightweight. Leo Gerstel and Martha Tremblay scored it 59-55 for Lopes. Gary Litchfield scored it 58-56 for Reyes. Lopes is now 6-0 (2). Reyes is 7-12 (5).

Greg Vendetti of Stoneham, Massachusetts won an eight-round unanimous decision against Casey Kramlich of Portland, Maine at super welterweight. Gerstel and Litchfield scored it 80-72. Tremblay scored it 79-73. Vendetti is now 16-2-1 (10); Kramlich is 8-1-1 (4).

Ray Moylette of Islandeady, Ireland stopped Michael Clark of Columbus, Ohio in the second round of a scheduled six at super lightweight. Moylette (7-0, 3 KOs dropped Clark three times before Del Bianco stopped the fight at 11 seconds of the second round.

Clark dropped to 44-18-2 (18).

Shayna Foppiano of Everett, Massachusetts stopped Lamarya Geary of Philadelphia in the first round of a scheduled four at super lightweight. Mercante stopped the fight with Geary on the ropes at the 1:36 mark. Foppiano was making her pro debut.

Carlos Gongora of Esmeraldas, Ecuador won an eight-round unanimous decision against Henry Beckford of Coram, New York at super middleweight. The scores were 79-73 (twice) and 80-72. Gongora is now 10-0 (8). Beckford is 6-7 (1).

Mike Ohan, Jr. of Holbrook, Massachusetts earned his first pro knockout, stopping Demetrius Thomas of Philadelphia in the second round of a scheduled four at welterweight. Mercante stopped it at 2:47. Ohan is now 3-0 (1); Thomas is 0-6.