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http://www.skysports.com/skysports/arti ... 84,00.html

Collins gets on my nerves.

Tosspot, if he'd fought Eubank or Benn at their peaks they'd have knocked him spark out the pikey.

Hahahahaha.

He's just a normal "Wish-That-I would-Have-Done-This" fighter who tries to make like he was a more special fighter than he actual was. He was just a little bit better than average and like you said...in their primes Benn and Eubank would have easily handled him, I don't think they would have knocked him out, but out-pointed him for sure...I'd have hated to see what Roy Jones would have done to him!

You must be the only person who reads the sky website.

That interview was from last November, the guy was simply drumming up interest for his DVD, I don't see what your problem is.

Fair enough.

Why did he really retire?

I read that he had injuries or something and thats why he retired.

QUESTION: Hi Steve, Can you please tell us the moment when you first knew that you wanted to retire?
Laurence Butler
STEVE COLLINS: On a cold, wet, dark winters morning you get out of bed to run because you have desire, drive and a point to prove. When there were no more points to prove and no more challenges, I stayed in bed, Laurence. I knew straight away that it was time to retire!

Not sure a prime Benn would have beaten Steve. Benn still had the power and thought he could have KO'd Collins. He didn't, Collins broke his heart.

I'm not sure what a prime Benn would have done so much differently, those wins were pretty emphatic.

Prime Benn would have outworked and outhustled him. Collins was a lucky man he came along at the right time. Not as good as he thinks he was clearly.

Jones would have tore him a new arsehole.

nickd wrote:Prime Benn would have outworked and outhustled him. Collins was a lucky man he came along at the right time. Not as good as he thinks he was clearly.

Jones would have tore him a new arsehole.

I'll agree to disagree on Benn, I just don't think he would have outworked Collins - the man was a huge Super Middle and had a big engine on him.

What I fail to understand is that Calzaghe gets load of credit for the Eubank display, yet Collins set the standard on how to beat Eubank, a younger less rusty Eubank, but doesn't get the same credit as Joe.

It is a pitty that Steve didn't have a longer career at Super Middle because I really cannot understand how he could make Middle. I think fights with Benn / Eubank / and Watson in their primes would have been good fights. I think Watson and Eubank would have been too smooth but Benn I think style suited Collins.

Max Molyneux wrote:Why did he really retire?

I read that he had injuries or something and thats why he retired.

QUESTION: Hi Steve, Can you please tell us the moment when you first knew that you wanted to retire?
Laurence Butler
STEVE COLLINS: On a cold, wet, dark winters morning you get out of bed to run because you have desire, drive and a point to prove. When there were no more points to prove and no more challenges, I stayed in bed, Laurence. I knew straight away that it was time to retire!

Collins retired as he realised he was going to probably lose to Calzaghe. Thats my take on it anyway. At the time it was supposedly because be blacked out in sparring yet he makes no mention of that these days.....

Calzaghe called him the Celtic Worrier after he pulled out.

nickd wrote:

Max Molyneux wrote:Why did he really retire?

I read that he had injuries or something and thats why he retired.

QUESTION: Hi Steve, Can you please tell us the moment when you first knew that you wanted to retire?
Laurence Butler
STEVE COLLINS: On a cold, wet, dark winters morning you get out of bed to run because you have desire, drive and a point to prove. When there were no more points to prove and no more challenges, I stayed in bed, Laurence. I knew straight away that it was time to retire!

Collins retired as he realised he was going to probably lose to Calzaghe. Thats my take on it anyway. At the time it was supposedly because be blacked out in sparring yet he makes no mention of that these days.....

Calzaghe called him the Celtic Worrier after he pulled out.

Slightly wrong there.

Collins pulled out of the Calzaghe fight with an injury - there was talk that he was going to be stripped of the title (as Calzaghe was the mandatory).

Collins made a press conference (on crutches if I am not mistaken) and said "I am still the champion" but then shockingly announced his retirement.

Eubank and Calzaghe fought for the vacant title.

The blackout occured when Collins started training for a comeback. I think date and venue where confirmed but Collins thought "something is not right" after the blackout and retired. I'm sure (although don't quote me) he had some scans which might have influenced his decision further.

I have to agree with Stu, Collins could have very well outpointed Benn. I don't think even Benns power would have knocked out Collins because Collins was certainly tough. The older Benn may have outpointed him, but the young Benn would have went out trying to demolish Collins in a couple of rounds and if that did not happen Collins may have actually put Benn out because Benn would have been totally spent going on the early knockout. The later Benn knew how to box and reformed himself to that style very successfully.

I always had Collins beating Calzaghe, god knows where Boxing Monthly pulled their "Calzaghe in 8" prediction from. That granite chin didn't suddenly go just because Collins suffered a knockdown in his previous fight.

Eubank was puffing and blowing early and he still gave Calzaghe all he could handle for 12 rounds. Collins would have been all over him.

Kilburn wrote:I always had Collins beating Calzaghe, god knows where Boxing Monthly pulled their "Calzaghe in 8" prediction from. That granite chin didn't suddenly go just because Collins suffered a knockdown in his previous fight.

Eubank was puffing and blowing early and he still gave Calzaghe all he could handle for 12 rounds. Collins would have been all over him.

On a similar note, I got a letter published in BM over the Calzaghe vs Eubank fight saying that it was great to see Eubank back in the boxing big time and fighting so well. I added that I thought a less rusty version of Eubank would win a rematch with Joe and a Eubank of a few years previous would have won also.

Some replied (probably Glyn Leach) saying, Yes is it was great to see Eubank fighting well and so well recieved with the public, but he will never beat Calzaghe, the Welshman would always beat Chris.

They are clearly big Joe fans.

stujones wrote:The blackout occured when Collins started training for a comeback. I think date and venue where confirmed but Collins thought "something is not right" after the blackout and retired. I'm sure (although don't quote me) he had some scans which might have influenced his decision further.

As I remember this was around 2001, there was no fight or date booked but Collins' plan was to take a "warm-up" with Calzaghe in preparation for a fight with Roy Jones. Not that Jones had expressed any interest, this is just a recurring obsession with Steve, but Calzaghe was keen enough. Collins was sparring at one of the London gyms with Howard Eastman, and somehow Collins ended up on the canvas and out of it. There was some conjecture as to whether that was related to Eastman or whether there was a medical problem.

Chopping Right wrote:

stujones wrote:The blackout occured when Collins started training for a comeback. I think date and venue where confirmed but Collins thought "something is not right" after the blackout and retired. I'm sure (although don't quote me) he had some scans which might have influenced his decision further.

As I remember this was around 2001, there was no fight or date booked but Collins' plan was to take a "warm-up" with Calzaghe in preparation for a fight with Roy Jones. Not that Jones had expressed any interest, this is just a recurring obsession with Steve, but Calzaghe was keen enough. Collins was sparring at one of the London gyms with Howard Eastman, and somehow Collins ended up on the canvas and out of it. There was some conjecture as to whether that was related to Eastman or whether there was a medical problem.

I'm pretty sure it was a medical thing. Apprently Collins collapsed from a jab from Eastman. Afterwards he was told he had a shadow on his brain and that while he would probably get licensed to fight it wasn't worth the risk.

By the way this topic (i.e. Would Collins have beaten Benn/Eubank in their primes?) seems to pop up on boxing boards once every couple of months. It was actually posted here just last week: http://www.boxrec.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=28556

stujones wrote:

nickd wrote:

Max Molyneux wrote:Why did he really retire?

I read that he had injuries or something and thats why he retired.

Collins retired as he realised he was going to probably lose to Calzaghe. Thats my take on it anyway. At the time it was supposedly because be blacked out in sparring yet he makes no mention of that these days.....

Calzaghe called him the Celtic Worrier after he pulled out.

Slightly wrong there.

Collins pulled out of the Calzaghe fight with an injury - there was talk that he was going to be stripped of the title (as Calzaghe was the mandatory).

Collins made a press conference (on crutches if I am not mistaken) and said "I am still the champion" but then shockingly announced his retirement.

Eubank and Calzaghe fought for the vacant title.

The blackout occured when Collins started training for a comeback. I think date and venue where confirmed but Collins thought "something is not right" after the blackout and retired. I'm sure (although don't quote me) he had some scans which might have influenced his decision further.

Sorry you're right. I've obviously popped a few too many brain cells since then!! ;)

Collins is an underrated fighter in my opinion, look at his resume, and look at who he fought. He went the distance with a prime McCallum, the same McCallum who battered Watson to defeat in his next fight in a one sided exhibition.

The guys he lost to, Kalambay, McCallum and Reggie Johnson, were all either very good or in the case of McCallum, great fighters.

I don't agree that either Benn or Eubank would have battered Collins, and there's no evidence to support it. Neither man ever KO'd a man as physically strong, technically good, and tough as Collins was.

I think it was clear in their fights that Benn and Eubank were past their best, but Eubank went on to give some good performances. Benn's balance wasn't there any more and his power had dissipated, but Collins was so tough I don't think Benn could have stopped him at any stage in his career.

Watch Collins fights with Eubank, Eubank was a massive guy for a SM, and Collins dwarfs him, he looks like a big LH compared to Eubank.

Calzaghe may have been too busy for Collins, the one thing Joe has always had in his favour is his tremendous workrate, but I would have picked Collins over Benn and Eubank even in their primes. Benn was always vulnerable, and struggled if someone could take his punch, and Eubank used to go to sleep, and didn't like being pressured.

I always figured it must have been something medical that caused that Blackout, I cannot see how Eastman would have had the power to knock Collins out in sparring gloves.

One thing that has not been mentioned, I seem to remember some kind of managerial dispute at the time with old "Alledgedly" that played some part in Collins' decision to retire.

Chopping Right wrote:One thing that has not been mentioned, I seem to remember some kind of managerial dispute at the time with old "Alledgedly" that played some part in Collins' decision to retire.

It was actually a court case with ex manager Barry Hearn who had alleged that Collins had breached his contract with him by accepting the Eubank rematch which was actually promoted by allegedly. Can't remember the details but Collins won the case when it was heard in Dublin just a couple of months after he retired.

Steve Collins is praised more because of the fights he lost than the ones he won

Good fighter but never gets the respect he would have got by beating Benn and Eubank because by the stage he fought them they were both well over their best days.

I`m sure he could have given them tough fights when they were at their best though