CORK middleweight boxer Gary 'Spike' O’Sullivan reckons that a showdown with IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO champion Gennady Golovkin would be a life changer.

The Mahon orthodox, the current WBO Inter-Continental champion, is in line to step in as a replacement after Saul Alvarez announced yesterday that he’s pulling out of his megabucks rematch with Golovkin scheduled for Las Vegas on May 5.

The announcement appears to be a case of jumping before he was pushed as the Mexican warlord would almost certainly have been suspended by the Nevada State Commission after testing positive on two occasions for taking the banned substance clenbuterol in February.

O’Sullivan is scheduled to trade leather in Las Vegas on May 4 against an opponent to be confirmed.

The Leesider would jump at the opportunity to meet Kazakhstan-born Golovkin who is considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.

”I think it’s going to happen and his team know where I stand at the moment,” said O'Sullivan. “I believe it will happen so hopefully it’s confirmed soon. I’m prepared for Las Vegas in May.

”I have the utmost respect for him (Golovkin) as a fighter. He’s a great champion. It would be a life-changing fight for me either way.”

Alvarez insists that he failed the doping test after eating contaminated meat, a statement with was backed up by his promoters Golden Boy, who are one fight into a four-bout promotional deal with O’Sullivan.

Golovkin’s team insist that the May 5 card will go ahead as planned, but at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and not the T-Mobile Arena in the same city.

O’Sullivan is the frontrunner to get the call, although IBF mandatory challenger Sergiy Derevyanchenko of Ukraine, who was beaten by Irish Olympian Darren O’Neill at the 2010 Europeans, is also being touted.

"Anyone who booked a plane ticket or who was planning to come to Las Vegas for Cinco de Mayo (May 5) weekend to see GGG fight don't cancel your ticket because we're planning a GGG fight on May 5 whether it's against Canelo or somebody else,” said Tom Loeffler.