Tony Collins

[dondada]

Someone's mailed me with a 'where are they now?' request about Tony Collins:

http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_ ... &cat=boxer

Anyone know?

[deadpan]

No, but I'd be fascinated to find out. Good looking loudmouth unable to back up his boasts. I remember him landing arse over tit vaulting the rope ahead of the Swift fight. Funny as an Alan Partridge double bill.

[Deserter]

Yep, he and his brother were billed as the new stars when they were emerging, and Tony used to brag about schooling the likes of Eubank in the gym, but couldn't cut it when it mattered.
George was derailed by Gary Jacobs wasn't he?

[Tommy Gunn13]

The brothers were brought along as the next best things,neither reached the heights as they was expected to..
I think when George lost to Gary Jacobs it was his first loss amatuer or pro...
Id like to know what both are up to nowadays...

[palooka]

I'd like to know how they were both getting on. I remember watching Tony Collins v Wally swift and what a fight! I don't care that neither ever hit the big time; that was a brilliant bout I weren't too keen on how George came across on telly and in Boxing News etc but that most likely was not really how he was. He was game as hell but a bit fragile for the proper hitters (Laing) and hard men (Till). Hope all are doing well now.

[Deserter]

I'd like to know how they were both getting on. I remember watching Tony Collins v Wally swift and what a fight! I don't care that neither ever hit the big time; that was a brilliant bout I weren't too keen on how George came across on telly and in Boxing News etc but that most likely was not really how he was. He was game as hell but a bit fragile for the proper hitters (Laing) and hard men (Till). Hope all are doing well now.

I think you're getting mixed up Simon. From memory, I'm positive it was Tony who was the gobby obnoxious one and he was definitely the one who got stopped by Till, not George.
Just checked George's record and didn't realise the fight with Jacobs was as close as it was (assuming the scorecard was an accurate reflection of the fight itself, which isn't always the case as we know!). I'd forgotten about the Laing bout but I have to say whoever selected Laing for George's first bout after a hard 12-round loss to Jacobs should be shot! Talk about how to destroy whatever confidence a fighter has left in one easy move

[palooka]

Deserter; you are right; I did get them mixed up. I was going from (a poor) memory. No disrespect to either of em intended :)

[Tommy Gunn13]

cheers for correcting me mercman

[bennie]

The brothers were brought along as the next best things,neither reached the heights as they was expected to..
I think when George lost to Gary Jacobs it was his first loss amatuer or pro...
Id like to know what both are up to nowadays...

George Collins also lost as an amateur. He was KO'd by Gary Stretch live on TV. The bout was televised as Collins was about to break some sort of record for the number of unbeaten bouts. Stretch, however, obviously hadn't read the script.

After that Collins turned professional and went on a long winning streak against hand-picked opponents before losing to Jacobs and then coming unstuck, big-time, against Kirkland Laing: 'The Gifted One' knocking Collins out in explosive fashion. As an aside, all the Collins boys turned professional very young (there were three of them George, Tony and Ben) with George going into the paid ranks at the age of 17. I have heard it rumoured though that, in reality, he was a few years older than this and, to be fair,George Collins did look very mature for his years. The Collins boys are from gypsy traveller stock and it is not unknown for ages to be approximated in traveller circles.

I don't think Ben went pro.

[bennie]

Oh, maybe he did.

[Tommy Gunn13]

Was the Gary Stretch-George Collins fight an ABA final???

[bennie]

Was the Gary Stretch-George Collins fight an ABA final???

From memory, which is increasingly unreliable, it was an NABC final. Collins was looking to equal Errol Christie's schoolboy and junior title record.

[Old bones Ian]

allegedly said that Tony Collins is the boxer who should of gone further than he did, said he lacked the discipline outside the ring to reach his full potential.

[orbtastic]

Was the Gary Stretch-George Collins fight an ABA final???

From memory, which is increasingly unreliable, it was an NABC final. Collins was looking to equal Errol Christie's schoolboy and junior title record.

Wasn't it on record breakers or something?

[ERIC GUY]

I aint seen them for a few years, but see Les Stevens a lot, who was their coach at Pinewood star ABC, and George brings his son to the gym, so we might be seeing another little George Collins soon,

[scrap iron]

allegedly said that Tony Collins is the boxer who should of gone further than he did, said he lacked the discipline outside the ring to reach his full potential.

Apparently he was into the rave scene of the early 1990s in a big way.

This is something I've heard a few times before as well. Acid house had suddenly gone massive and illegal raves were happening around and off the M25 when Tony was coming up (excuse the pun). Legend has it Tony was a fan of the rave scene and would do a lot of pills in between fights, he even had the acid house smily face on his shorts. Makes you wonder how good he could have been if he laid off the partying.

[orbtastic]

Same was said to be true of Georgie Smith?