Steve Collins - What is the deal with this guy?

[BehindTheLight]

I was just looking thru the boxing records and I noticed that this guy beat Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank twice?

I've never really heard of him before and I don't recognize any other names that he has beaten.
He won a title in his last fight and then just retired.
I'm sure all of this is common knowledge, but I wasn't following boxing that closely back then.

[Goodnight, Irene]

I was just looking thru the boxing records and I noticed that this guy beat Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank twice?

I've never really heard of him before and I don't recognize any other names that he has beaten.
He won a title in his last fight and then just retired.
I'm sure all of this is common knowledge, but I wasn't following boxing that closely back then.

Fair enough if you weren't following that closely, but how long have you been following? He's pretty well-known.

Granted, he's no all-time legend of the ring, but he had a pretty damn decent career, all-in-all. Capable fighter, worth watching in his day, too. Check him out on DVD or YouTube

[JDC]

I was just looking thru the boxing records and I noticed that this guy beat Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank twice?

I've never really heard of him before and I don't recognize any other names that he has beaten.
He won a title in his last fight and then just retired.
I'm sure all of this is common knowledge, but I wasn't following boxing that closely back then.

Eubank and Benn were bigger names at Middleweight and were at the end of their careers. Collins performed much better at Lightheavyweight(where all 4 of the bouts you mentioned happened). He was never beaten as a Lightheavy.

He's also had a feww small acting roles, one of which was in either Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels or Snatch.

[Woller]

The four fights were actually for the WBO Super-Middleweight title.

Collins was not great but very good, and had a strong ching and tons of guts.

Woller

[SaadOffTheDeck]

I was just looking thru the boxing records and I noticed that this guy beat Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank twice?

I've never really heard of him before and I don't recognize any other names that he has beaten.
He won a title in his last fight and then just retired.
I'm sure all of this is common knowledge, but I wasn't following boxing that closely back then.

Eubank and Benn were bigger names at Middleweight and were at the end of their careers. Collins performed much better at Lightheavyweight(where all 4 of the bouts you mentioned happened). He was never beaten as a Lightheavy.

He's also had a feww small acting roles, one of which was in either Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels or Snatch.

Not a word of the Boxing portion of this post is correct. Eubank & Benn were much bigger names at Super Middle and that's where Collins faced them. Actually you're correct that he was never beaten at Light heavy, but then again Ivan Calderon is undefeated at Welterweight. When someone is asking about a fighter they know nothing about, it's better not to say anything than to fling out nonsense.

For the thread starter

Collins was tough as hell, very aggressive but not much power. He gave a spirited effort against McCallum in losing a wide decision. Had a couple more high profile fights that he lost at Middleweight before moving up and then he surprised everyone. Definitely worth watching, his chin and will were grade A. Sometimes that's enough. It was a fairly rare case of a guy who seemed to be just a notch below the best, move up in weight and start beating borderline HOF caliber guys.

[BehindTheLight]

I was just looking thru the boxing records and I noticed that this guy beat Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank twice?

I've never really heard of him before and I don't recognize any other names that he has beaten.
He won a title in his last fight and then just retired.
I'm sure all of this is common knowledge, but I wasn't following boxing that closely back then.

Eubank and Benn were bigger names at Middleweight and were at the end of their careers. Collins performed much better at Lightheavyweight(where all 4 of the bouts you mentioned happened). He was never beaten as a Lightheavy.

He's also had a feww small acting roles, one of which was in either Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels or Snatch.

Not a word of the Boxing portion of this post is correct. Eubank & Benn were much bigger names at Super Middle and that's where Collins faced them. Actually you're correct that he was never beaten at Light heavy, but then again Ivan Calderon is undefeated at Welterweight. When someone is asking about a fighter they know nothing about, it's better not to say anything than to fling out nonsense.

For the thread starter

Collins was tough as hell, very aggressive but not much power. He gave a spirited effort against McCallum in losing a wide decision. Had a couple more high profile fights that he lost at Middleweight before moving up and then he surprised everyone. Definitely worth watching, his chin and will were grade A. Sometimes that's enough. It was a fairly rare case of a guy who seemed to be just a notch below the best, move up in weight and start beating borderline HOF caliber guys.

Thanks for that info. I know Eubanks and Benn were big names and I was so surprised to see both of them lose to the same guy twice. Thanks again.

[Deno1986]

One of my favourite Irish fighters because of his great heart and warrior attitude. My first ever boxing event that I went to was Collins vs Neville Brown in Cork and he gave a masterclass that night. He was a cult hero in Ireland during the 90's, unfortunately over the past few years he has had his problems in his personal life - assault allegations etc.

Collins was known to use a sports physchologist to hypnotise him before fights - whether he actually did or not is debatable, it was used to 'spook' opponents more than anything in my opinion and I think it affected Eubank in some way - there is a documentary called 'Mind Games' on Youtube.

>>Mind Games: Collins vs Eubank<<

>>Steve Collins vs Eubank I Part 1<<

[dom74]

One of my favourite Irish fighters because of his great heart and warrior attitude. My first ever boxing event that I went to was Collins vs Neville Brown in Cork and he gave a masterclass that night. He was a cult hero in Ireland during the 90's, unfortunately over the past few years he has had his problems in his personal life - assault allegations etc.

Collins was known to use a sports physchologist to hypnotise him before fights - whether he actually did or not is debatable, it was used to 'spook' opponents more than anything in my opinion and I think it affected Eubank in some way - there is a documentary called 'Mind Games' on Youtube.

>>Mind Games: Collins vs Eubank<<

>>Steve Collins vs Eubank I Part 1<<

Watching him enter the the ring in the second Eubank fight and have a Dwarf dressed as a leprachaun go and throw green dust on a posing Eubank is classic

[Deno1986]

One of my favourite Irish fighters because of his great heart and warrior attitude. My first ever boxing event that I went to was Collins vs Neville Brown in Cork and he gave a masterclass that night. He was a cult hero in Ireland during the 90's, unfortunately over the past few years he has had his problems in his personal life - assault allegations etc.

Collins was known to use a sports physchologist to hypnotise him before fights - whether he actually did or not is debatable, it was used to 'spook' opponents more than anything in my opinion and I think it affected Eubank in some way - there is a documentary called 'Mind Games' on Youtube.

>>Mind Games: Collins vs Eubank<<

>>Steve Collins vs Eubank I Part 1<<

Watching him enter the the ring in the second Eubank fight and have a Dwarf dressed as a leprachaun go and throw green dust on a posing Eubank is classic

He really got into Eubanks mind in the build up to their two fights. Chris didn't know what was going on

[Goodnight, Irene]

"Watching him enter the the ring in the second Eubank fight and have a Dwarf dressed as a leprachaun go and throw green dust on a posing Eubank is classic " - Dom

Childhood memories

Eubank had that, "WTF!?" look out & about at that

[dom74]

"Watching him enter the the ring in the second Eubank fight and have a Dwarf dressed as a leprachaun go and throw green dust on a posing Eubank is classic " - Dom

Childhood memories

Eubank had that, "WTF!?" look out & about at that

Good on Collins i thought. Hated Eubank but only coz he beat Benn

[funso banjo baby]

steve collins was a dismally boring fighter

a peak eubank and benn would have tore him apart

[Deno1986]

One of my favourite Irish fighters because of his great heart and warrior attitude. My first ever boxing event that I went to was Collins vs Neville Brown in Cork and he gave a masterclass that night. He was a cult hero in Ireland during the 90's, unfortunately over the past few years he has had his problems in his personal life - assault allegations etc.

Collins was known to use a sports physchologist to hypnotise him before fights - whether he actually did or not is debatable, it was used to 'spook' opponents more than anything in my opinion and I think it affected Eubank in some way - there is a documentary called 'Mind Games' on Youtube.

>>Mind Games: Collins vs Eubank<<

>>Steve Collins vs Eubank I Part 1<<

Mine too! Collins was a feckin' legend. Heart like a lion, a pure brawler!
I remember when they was all talk about a fight with Calzaghe and Collins was asked about a potential fight. Collins replied "Sure that fellow wouldn't fill a parish Hall!" Classic!
He never got to fight RJJ He once said that he would even fight RJJ in a telephone box watched only by two men and a dog, just to get RJJ to fight him. He was desparate for that fight.
I remember watching the first Eubank fight in a pub in LImerick city. The craic was unreal savage!! One of my alltime greatest sporting nights....

Ah jaysus, back from the dead Feargal - havn't seen ya post in a while! Would have loved to see him fight Calzaghe, I think Jones would have been to good for him but you would never know with Collins.

[funso banjo baby]

i put in def in the calzaghe category...fit..fast but dsnt have any kind of dig and just outworks over the distance

dull dull dull

[hurlock]

he also beat chris pyatt of england who was as good as eubanks & benn.

you should notice names like mcallum & reggie johnson who outscored collins in the states where he plyed his trade, coming back to face the likes of benn & eubanks was a honeynoon for him.

[skelp]

steve collins was a dismally boring fighter
a peak eubank and benn would have tore him apart

WTF?

Collins was a solid pro. His early losses to Mike McCallum and Reggie Johnson (both, future world champions) made him harder and more determined to win. He trained under the Petronelli Brothers, who molded Marvin Hagler into a world beater.

He spooked Eubank by claiming he had been hypnotised to win their fight, it prayed on Eubank's mind and he lost the psychologial war. There was a moment in the fight though when Eubank put him down and backed off refusing to finish him; the memory of the Watson tragedy prevented him from ending it. Eubank confessed to this some years later. Collins got of the hook, but; his work rate was extraordinary, almost superhuman.

His wins over Nigel Benn can be dismissed, Benn had been retired for about 18 months, he did not have the fitness required to compete with Collins. Collins was never a boring fighter.

Collins was fortunate to win the first Benn contest, as Benn allegedly tore a tendon in his ankle so could not finish the fight. I sometimes wonder if this was the case. Was that injury genuine or did he throw the fight? as he seemed to be out of his depth.

[Deno1986]

I've noticed Funso Banjo Baby is turning into a bit of a troll.

[dempseyfire]

Collins wasn't boring, and he had a ton of heart and guts. But one can't help to think he basically got Benn and Eubank at the right time. He's the classic example of making the most of one's abilities.

[Crease]

Collins was a s strong as an ox... And he was a "Great" fighter...
You don't beat the likes of Eubanks and Benn... TWICE if you're not.

[hhaehre]

Collins would have given Eubank trouble at any point in Eubanks career. Eubank liked to decide when to fight but Collins would never accommodate such luxury.

[My2Sense]

Collins was one of those fighters who spent the bulk of his career in the shadows of others and then emerged late in his career with some big wins. He lost title shots vs. Mike McCallum and Reggie Johnson, but gave a strong, gutty account of himself each time. When he finally got the big fights with Eubank and Benn, all three of them were past their primes and nearing the end of their careers. I thought Collins won both his fights with Eubank rather decisively, contrary to what the scorecards read. Collins was lined up to fight an up-and-coming Joe Calzaghe at the end of his career, but retired suddenly after what turned out to be his last fight, in which he was dropped; Calzaghe then fought Eubank for Collins' vacant title instead.

There was talk of Collins coming back to perhaps fight Roy Jones or some other big name opponent, but it was discovered that he had some sort of brain injury (don't know the exact details about that) and he stayed retired.