February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
A 28-year-old graduate of the University of Glasgow who’s pursuing a second master’s degree at Hunter College, O’Sullivan fought with smarts and the intensity of Wayne McCullough to earn a 5-0 decision in the four-rounder that opened the 2005 Golden Gloves finals.
Even though she beat the national champion, the result was hardly an upset as O’Sullivan had decisioned Warner, a 34-year-old actress living in Manhattan, in the Metros last December.
“I knew I had to beat her again, so I came out fast,” said O’Sullivan, a losing Gloves finalist in 2003 and 2004.
“She may be the champion of this and that, but I’m the champion in New York.”
With a paucity of 106-pound fighters around, O’Sullivan reached the finals without throwing a punch. She received two byes while Warner had a bye and a win.
Yet there was no evidence of ring rust on O’Sullivan as she pumped one-twos in Warner’s face for most of the bout, often while backpedaling. In addition, Warner’s straightforward style and tendency to load up instead of matching her opponent’s work rate put her at the mercy of O’Sullivan’s text-book punches.
It wasn’t until the third stanza that the national champion dug in and gave it a go. She came out of her corner throwing big punches that backed up O’Sullivan. However, the Irish lass hung in there and introduced an uppercut to her repertoire to keep off the mauling Warner.
Warner’s offensive fizzled in the fourth round and O’Sullivan resumed her dominance in a performance akin to the “Pocket Rocket” for her ability to keep busy.
“I had more movement than she had,” O’Sullivan said.
Asked if she would defend her title next year, the new champion replied: “Maybe,” before adding, “I just beat the number one; she’s the national champion. It was a 5-0 decision, so I must be doing something right.”
The Crown Heights resident starts most of her days with a 6:30 training session at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn Heights before heading to her job as a supervisor with forensic case management firm EAC-Link at the Brooklyn Supreme Court.
Said trainer Devon Cormack, a world kickboxing champion who has worked with O’Sullivan since 2000: “She’s a thinker in the ring with good technique. I didn’t teach her like other amateurs. I want her to look and analyze, to not get hit, to use her head and make good decisions. That’s what she’s been doing.”
O’Sullivan started boxing in 1997 while working in New York on a J-1 visa.