Steve Collins

Last updated

Steve Collins
Steve Collins.jpg
Collins in 2010.
Born
Stephen Collins

(1964-07-21) 21 July 1964 (age 59)
Cabra, Dublin, Ireland
Other namesCeltic Warrior
Statistics
Weight(s)
Height6 ft (183 cm)
Reach71 in (180 cm)
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights39
Wins36
Wins by KO21
Losses3

Stephen Collins (born 21 July 1964) is an Irish former professional boxer who competed from 1986 to 1997. Known as the Celtic Warrior, Collins is the most successful male Irish boxer in recent professional boxing history, having held the WBO middleweight and super-middleweight titles simultaneously and never losing a fight as champion.

Contents

Collins's first nineteen professional fights all took place in the United States. In 1988 he won the Irish middleweight title, and the regional American USBA middleweight title the following year, defending the latter successfully in Atlantic City and Las Vegas. In his first two world championship challenges, both for the WBA middleweight title, Collins lost a close decision to Mike McCallum in 1990 and a majority decision to Reggie Johnson in 1992. He also challenged unsuccessfully for the European middleweight title later in 1992, losing a controversial decision to Sumbu Kalambay in Italy.

It was not until Collins reached his early 30s that he fulfilled his potential, becoming WBO middleweight champion in his third world title attempt with a fifth-round TKO victory over Chris Pyatt in 1994, before then moving up in weight to defeat the undefeated Chris Eubank and claim the WBO super-middleweight title in 1995. More success followed, as Collins successfully defended his title by winning the rematch against Eubank later in the year. Collins successfully defended his title another six times before pulling out of a proposed fight in October 1997 against rising Welsh star, Joe Calzaghe, and retiring from the sport, with Collins frustrated by his inability to get a fight against the pound for pound number one boxer of the time, Roy Jones Jr., who was then fighting in the light-heavyweight division.

Having competed against some of the best boxers on both sides of the Atlantic during his career, Collins tends to be linked more to an era in the UK and Ireland during which there was a notable rivalry between British boxers Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn, both of whom Collins fought close to the end of their careers and defeated twice.

Professional career

Early years in Boston

Steve Collins won 26 Irish titles as an amateur before turning professional in Boston, Massachusetts (USA) in October 1986. Collins worked out of Petronelli Brothers gym in Brockton, Massachusetts alongside Marvin Hagler. His debut fight was against Julio Mercado on the undercard of a bill that featured Irish Americans; his future trainer Freddie Roach and the future Fight of the Year winner Micky Ward. Collins beat Mercado by way of knockout in the third round.

In Boston, Massachusetts in 1988, he defeated former Olympian and British Super Middleweight champion Sam Storey to win the Irish middleweight title, then defeated world No. 5, Kevin Watts to win the USBA middleweight title. After reaching 16–0, Collins stepped in as a substitute in a WBA middleweight title fight after Michael Watson was injured in training, and fought 12 rounds against Mike McCallum in Boston in 1990. Collins was supported by a large crowd of Irish Americans as he battled the champion McCallum, with the fight being close early on before McCallum started to tire as Collins gained momentum in the later stages to bring a close finish at the end of 12 exciting rounds. McCallum got the win by unanimous decision.

In 1992, Collins lost a majority decision to Reggie Johnson in a closely contested slugfest for the vacant WBA middleweight title (which had been stripped from McCallum because he signed to fight IBF champion James Toney). Collins then lost by split decision to Sumbu Kalambay for the European title in Italy, before beating Gerhard Botes of South Africa to win the WBA Penta-Continental middleweight title in 1993.

WBO middleweight champion

Collins then moved to Belfast under the management of Barney Eastwood before basing himself in England where he joined Barry Hearn's Matchroom Boxing. Alongside him was Paul "Silky" Jones, his sparring partner and good friend who later went on to become WBO light-middleweight title holder. Collins was trained by Freddie King in the Romford training camp.

In May 1994, Collins finally won a world title by defeating Chris Pyatt by stoppage in five rounds to become the WBO middleweight champion. Early in 1995, Collins relinquished this title without a defence as he was having difficulty making the 160lbs middleweight limit.

In March 1995, Chris Eubank (41-0-2) had been scheduled to have a third WBO super-middleweight title fight against Ray Close. Eubank and Close had two fights over the previous two years (their first fight a draw, and their second fight a narrow split decision win for Eubank), but Close was forced to withdraw from their scheduled third fight after failing an MRI brain scan. Collins then stepped into Close's place, moving up to super-middleweight to take on Eubank.

WBO super-middleweight champion

Collins defeated the then unbeaten long-reigning champion Chris Eubank in Millstreet, County Cork, Ireland, in March 1995, by unanimous decision (115–111, 116–114, 114–113), to win the WBO super-middleweight title. Collins had enlisted the help of Tony Quinn, and they led the press to believe that Collins would be hypnotised for the fight, which noticeably unsettled Eubank. True to form, Collins sat in his corner and did not move, listening to headphones during Eubank's ring entrance. Collins knocked Eubank down in the eighth round, and was well ahead on the scorecards at the end of Round 9, but Eubank finished the fight strongly as he tried to save his unbeaten record and knocked Collins down in the tenth round, coming close to a stoppage. Eubank was unable to finish the job, and Collins held on for victory.

The film One Night in Millstreet is about the 1995 fight with Eubank.

In their September 1995 rematch in Cork, Collins performed brilliantly, changing his usual fighting style by adopting wild, brawling tactics throughout which Eubank really struggled to deal with. Despite most TV pundits and commentators giving Collins a wide points victory with scorecards in the region of 117–111 and 118–110, the three judges saw the fight very differently with Collins only winning by a close split decision, 115–113, 115–113 and 114–115. Collins successfully defended his WBO super-middleweight title seven times, including two fights against Nigel Benn in 1996.

In the summer of 1997, Collins reportedly stated in the press that he had no motivation left, as he had spent the best part of his career chasing Roy Jones Jr. for a fight that had been promised to him many times. Collins is reported to have stated in Boxing World that he had spent so long chasing Roy Jones Jr. that money was no longer important; that he would "fight him in a phone box in front of two men and a dog", but the bout never materialized. A WBO super-middleweight title fight against Joe Calzaghe was agreed for October 1997, but Collins got injured 10 days before the scheduled fight, with Collins then making a statement saying that fighting Calzaghe would do nothing to satisfy the desire he had for fighting Jones.

Collins then added he wanted to retire on a high note with a good pay day, "Joe is a good up-and-coming kid, but he wouldn't fill a parish church". As Collins couldn't get the fight with Jones, Collins decided to retire.

In 1999, Collins announced his decision to come out of retirement to fight Roy Jones Jr. Controversy surrounded the proposed fight, as WBC and WBA light heavyweight champion Jones decided to fight the IBF light heavyweight champion and old Collins foe Reggie Johnson (which Jones won by a shutout 120–106 on all three judges' scorecards), In training, Collins collapsed during a sparring session Although tests and a brain scan could not find any problems, Collins decided that it was a warning to make him stop boxing, and he retired for a second time. [1]

Collins retired in 1997, with a record of 39 fights, 36 wins (21 knockouts) and 3 losses.


Retirement

Collins has not entirely faded from the spotlight since his retirement. In 1998 he appeared in the film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels as a boxing gym bouncer. In 1999 he made a cameo appearance in "Sweetest Thing", a music video by U2. On 15 January 2013, at the age of 48, Collins announced plans to fight Roy Jones Jr. [2] He went on to appear in a number of exhibition bouts in preparation for the proposed Jones fight.

In 2014, Collins joined the Army Reserves, and in 2017, transferred to 253 Provost Company [3] of the 4th Regiment Royal Military Police in London where he had been living for the previous 20 years. [4] He gained promotion to Lance Corporal and qualified as an army boxing coach.

Collins appears in the film One Night in Millstreet.

Professional boxing record

39 fights36 wins3 losses
By knockout210
By decision153
No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
39Win36–3 Flag of the United States.svg Craig CummingsTKO3 (12), 1:175 Jul 1997 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, ScotlandRetained WBO super-middleweight title
38Win35–3 Flag of France.svg Frederic SeillierTKO5 (12), 2:208 Feb 1997 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg London Arena, London, EnglandRetained WBO super-middleweight title
37Win34–3 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Nigel Benn RTD6 (12), 3:009 Nov 1996 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg NYNEX Arena, Manchester, EnglandRetained WBO super-middleweight title
36Win33–3 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Nigel Benn TKO4 (12), 2:446 Jul 1996 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg NYNEX Arena, Manchester, EnglandRetained WBO super-middleweight title
35Win32–3 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Neville Brown TKO11 (12), 0:549 Mar 1996 Flag of Ireland.svg Green Glens Arena, Millstreet, IrelandRetained WBO super-middleweight title
34Win31–3 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Cornelius Carr UD1225 Nov 1995 Flag of Ireland.svg Point Theatre, Dublin, IrelandRetained WBO super-middleweight title
33Win30–3 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Chris Eubank SD129 Sep 1995 Flag of Ireland.svg Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork, IrelandRetained WBO super-middleweight title
32Win29–3 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Chris Eubank UD1218 Mar 1995 Flag of Ireland.svg Green Glens Arena, Millstreet, IrelandWon WBO super-middleweight title
31Win28–3 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Chris Pyatt TKO5 (12), 2:2711 May 1994 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ponds Forge, Sheffield, EnglandWon WBO middleweight title
30Win27–3 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Paul WesleyPTS89 Feb 1994 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Brentwood Centre, Brentwood, England
29Win26–3 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Johnny MelfahTKO4 (8)22 Jan 1994 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg King's Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland
28Win25–3 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Wayne Ellis KO9 (10)30 Nov 1993 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Cardiff, Wales
27Win24–3 Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg Gerhard BotesTKO7 (12)26 Jun 1993 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Earls Court Exhibition Centre, London, EnglandWon vacant WBA Penta-Continental middleweight title
26Win23–3 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ian StrudwickTKO7 (10)20 Feb 1993 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Earls Court Exhibition Centre, London, England
25Win22–3 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Johnny MelfahTKO3 (8), 2:486 Feb 1993 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Cardiff, Wales
24Loss21–3 Flag of Italy.svg Sumbu Kalambay SD1222 Oct 1992 Flag of Italy.svg Verbania, ItalyFor European middleweight title
23Loss21–2 Flag of the United States.svg Reggie Johnson MD1222 Apr 1992 Flag of the United States.svg Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey, USFor vacant WBA middleweight title
22Win21–1 Flag of the United States.svg Danny Morgan KO311 Dec 1991 Flag of Ireland.svg National Stadium, Dublin, Ireland
21Win20–1 Flag of France.svg Jean-Noel CamaraKO325 May 1991 Flag of France.svg Salle Marcel Cerdan, Brest, France
20Win19–1 Flag of the United States.svg Kenny SnowTKO3 (10), 3:0011 May 1991 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Maysfield Leisure Centre, Belfast, Northern Ireland
19Win18–1 Flag of the United States.svg Eddie HallUD1024 Nov 1990 Flag of the United States.svg Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, US
18Win17–1 Flag of Venezuela.svg Fermin ChirinoTKO6 (10)16 Aug 1990 Flag of the United States.svg Sheraton Hotel, Boston, Massachusetts, US
17Loss16–1 Flag of Jamaica.svg Mike McCallum UD123 Feb 1990 Flag of the United States.svg Hynes Convention Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USFor WBA middleweight title
16Win16–0 Flag of the United States.svg Roberto RosilesTKO9 (10), 0:5221 Nov 1989 Flag of the United States.svg Showboat Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, US
15Win15–0 Flag of the United States.svg Tony Thornton MD1216 Jul 1989 Flag of the United States.svg Broadway by the Bay Theater, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USRetained USBA middleweight title
14Win14–0 Flag of the United States.svg Kevin WattsUD129 May 1989 Flag of the United States.svg Resorts International Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USWon USBA middleweight title
13Win13–0 Flag of the United States.svg Paul McPeekTKO9 (10)7 Feb 1989 Flag of the United States.svg Trump's Castle, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
12Win12–0 Flag of the United States.svg Jesse LantonUD810 Dec 1988 Flag of the United States.svg Boys Club, Salem, New Hampshire, US
11Win11–0 Flag of the United States.svg Muhammad ShabazzTKO4 (10)22 Oct 1988 Flag of the United States.svg Boys Club, Salem, New Hampshire, US
10Win10–0 Flag of the United States.svg Michael DaleUD830 Jul 1988 Flag of the United States.svg Romuva Park, Brockton, Massachusetts, US
9Win9–0 Flag of the United States.svg Lester YarbroughUD1026 May 1988 Flag of the United States.svg Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers, Boston, Massachusetts, US
8Win8–0 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Sam Storey UD1018 Mar 1988 Flag of the United States.svg Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, USWon Irish middleweight title
7Win7–0 Flag of the United States.svg Bennie SimsUD89 Dec 1987 Flag of the United States.svg Broadway by the Bay Theater, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
6Win6–0 Flag of the United States.svg Mike WilliamsUD620 Nov 1987 Flag of the United States.svg Resorts International Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
5Win5–0 Flag of the United States.svg Harold SoutherUD829 Oct 1987 Flag of the United States.svg Memorial Auditorium, Lowell, Massachusetts, US
4Win4–0 Flag of the United States.svg Richard HolmesKO110 Oct 1987 Flag of the United States.svg Attleboro, Massachusetts, US
3Win3–0 Flag of the United States.svg Richard HollowayKO2 (4)20 Dec 1986 Flag of the United States.svg Strand Theatre, Boston, Massachusetts, US
2Win2–0 Flag of the United States.svg Mike BonislawskiUD427 Nov 1986 Flag of the United States.svg Strand Theatre, Boston, Massachusetts, US
1Win1–0 Flag of the United States.svg Julio MercadoKO3 (4), 1:5524 Oct 1986 Flag of the United States.svg Memorial Auditorium, Lowell, Massachusetts, US

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References

  1. Independent article on retirement
  2. "Steve Collins coming out of retirement aged 48 to fight Roy Jones Jr". RTÉ News. 15 January 2013.
  3. Soldier magazine, December 2018, page 48, article 'On the beat'.
  4. Irish Independent article Former world champ signs up for Royal Military Police
Sporting positions
Regional boxing titles
Preceded by Irish middleweight champion
18 March 1988 – March 1995
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Darren Sweeney
Preceded by
Kevin Watts
USBA middleweight champion
9 May 1989 – February 1990
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Reggie Johnson
World boxing titles
Preceded by WBO middleweight champion
11 May 1994 – March 1995
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Lonnie Bradley
Preceded by WBO super-middleweight champion
18 March 1995 – 5 July 1997
Retired
Vacant
Title next held by
Joe Calzaghe