Boxing: Ageless Sullivan still dreams of title shot

By PETER JESSUP

age 33, most boxers have had more than enough. Titles achieved or dreams gone, it's all over.

Not Sean Sullivan.

With four New Zealand professional belts in his trophy cabinet, fights in Australia, England and Germany and a record of 62-10 (24 knockouts), Sullivan still hasn't had enough.

"I still feel fit and ready for it. I've been lucky I haven't had any bad injuries. I still dream of getting that world title shot," he said.

But age is catching up. This year he was knocked down for the first time since 1984, when 26-year-old David O'Neill from Vanuatu dropped him early in a 12-rounder. Typically, Sullivan came back to win on points.

Raised in an Irish Catholic environment, his dad Gil had a lifelong involvement in boxing and Sean and older brother Marty have been on the Auckland fight scene since they were kids.

He holds the national titles at welterweight (66.82kg), light-middleweight (70kg), middleweight (72.73kg) and super-middleweight (76.36kg). The last of those was won in May and was dedicated to Gil, who died in April.

But Sullivan now finds it hard to lose weight to make the lower divisions and has set his sights on middleweight as he seeks a big pay-day.

Always super-fit, to the point where stamina and determination have saved him when opponents should have won, Sullivan puts in four to five hours training a day, six days a week.

Like most ageing sportspeople, he's training and playing smarter. Less road work - more aerobic training, specialised weights work and stretching.

"I've been trying a range of different things to keep myself mentally fresh. The road work now is mainly fast and intense."

A shift to trainer Alex Sua has also kept him sharp, he said.

This weekend Sullivan is in Australia helping their middleweight champ Ricky Thornberry prepare for a fight with Anthony Mundine.

Next week he goes up against Daniel Tai, an accomplished boxer out of the game for a year, in a 12-round middleweight fight on the undercard of the K1 event in Auckland.

The aim is to keep in touch for what he hopes will be a bout on an undercard involving Thornberry in Germany next month.

It will be the second visit to Germany for Sullivan and he is hoping partner Carli will again be ringside.

They like Sullivan's tough style in Germany. He likes having his partner along.

"I feel comfortable with her watching. She understands what I have to do and she knows I keep myself in good shape so she doesn't worry [about injury]."

Outside the ring, he loves his "other" work, training youth who might otherwise end up on the wrong side of the tracks.

He started seven years ago and has since been drafted in to help at the Weymouth correctional centre.

Through Sports Management Ltd he does contract work for a variety of organisations, "trying to help kids feel better about themselves" through sport.

"I enjoy it. It's frustrating at times - kids with alcohol and drug problems, behavioural problems. But you take the good with the bad. The good can be really good."