If Steve Collins had come along earlier against Benn -Eubank?

Collins is underrated. He lost to ATG McCallum young & was jobbed against Johnson.. he was every bit as capable as both men just in different ways... some make out like Eubank & Benn were some mythical beats in their primes yet they had plenty of poor performances.. Collins just had that grit, keep coming.. keep working.. i think he'd always have been in with a shout.

 

I think Eubanks beats Collins in his prime. He almost did when he was past it. Benn Im not sure about. I would lean toward Benn but not confidently.

 

How was Eubank ‘past it’ exactly? Guy had his domestic ring wars, while shielding himself from the top opposition. Collins never had that luxury early on. He fought the great mike McCallum while holding down another job, and lost a disputed decision against Reggie Johnson when not happy at camp. Neither Eubank or Benn would have touched them with a ten foot pole.

 

Collin was at a similar level than others .All good fighters but a level lower than the very best at that time ..Collins lost to McCallum as did Watson .Benn and Eubank would of t oo if they faced him .Collins lost Kalambay as would the others I think the same with early Nunn RJj and Tony . Any of them could beat each other in the right night.

 

Collins is a negative counter puncher type. Wily guy, patient and effective. I think he would always beat Benn but would lose to Eubank. However, Eubank is a mental midget when it comes to Collins and perhaps he would always lose to him because of that. I think Collins just had his number mentally.

 

Disputed decision against Johnson?????? The fight where Johnson rocked him??? What are you even talking about Johnson beat him up there was no controversy in that fight.
And then what sealed it for Collins is that he gets matched up with a SHOT Kalambay and LOSES in a bout he was suppose to win. The same Kalambay that Graham bounced off the canvas earlier that year only to get robbed.
Mike beat the hell out of Collins early and then put it on CRUISE CONTROL and coasted to a decision that was never in doubt.
And before you think I'm jumping on Collins because I dislike him I'm not. I have tremendous respect for Collins for reinventing himself upon his return into a rugged boxer that ended up salvaging A boxing career that had faltered badly and for Collins not to quit but to give it another go shows his determination and grit.
But that being said Collins experiment in the United States FAILED. He didn't hit hard enough to be a slugger and he didn't have the skills enough to be a boxer so he was caught being an ordinary boxer that didn't posses power or top shelf boxing skills but was durable and in very good shape.
KEVIN WATTS who was a pretty soild pro dropped and almost STOPPED Collins. And somehow in your mind Collins could have withstood a PRIME Nigel Benn?
I respect Collins but let's get a grip he was never in the class of a prime Eubank or a Benn in any terms other then his heart and durability.
And this whole BS with Collins saying ROY JONES ducked him at SUPER MIDDLE is utterly ridiculous- Collins would have literally been massacred and stopped inside of 5 rounds.

 

A prime Benn? Who did he ever beat?
He hit Collins flush and couldn’t make him blink. I remember Frankie Liles saying that he was surprised that people in Britain were surprised that Collins beat Eubank, and that in the states in was an even money fight.
It makes me smile when I see that interview
When Eubank said ‘I came up the hard way, I didn’t have an Ambrose Mendy.’ No, but he had Barry Hearn, while Collins had to hold down a construction job while simultaneously pursuing a boxing career.
Neither Benn or Eubank faced Kalambay, but in a roundabout way one could compare Michael Watson (who beat both) performance against McCallum to Collins’s.

 

Eubank before the Watson tragedy could've maybe finished off Collins in the 10th round of their 1st fight he just held back as he often did after the Watson fight.

What is not often talked about is that Eubank actually legitimately floored Collins twice in their 1st encounter and the referee messed up the call. If you watch the 2nd round you'll see Eubank hit Collins with a clean right hand and he goes down to his knee.

 

First off Eubank beat Watson TWICE which unfortunately resulted in Watson getting injured.
Kalambay was shot when he fought Collins and couldn't even move laterally that much and Collins still lost.
Second when Collins fought Watts MANY people had scored that fight a DRAW including Al Bernstein who was calling the fight. Kevin Watts the same boxer Michael Nunn toyed with.
Eubank and Benn fought and bested much better opposition then Collins did and that is just a fact.
Hell Benn beat Gearld McClellan late in his career and that win is greater then ANY win Collins ever achieved.
And your going to sit here and pretend Benn was in his prime after all those ring wars prior to Collins?
Collins made his entire career off the backs of 2 boxers that had seen better days and that is just a fact. And he squeaked by a Eubank who was never the same after the 2nd Watson bout years prior to even meeting Collins.
And Collins is utterly ridiculous in even THINKING he had a "shot" at a Roy Jones. Wanna know why nobody wanted to see a Jones vs Collins bout? Because Jones would have beaten the hell out of Collins and yes Jones would have easily stopped Collins.

 

Jesus in both Collins bouts Benns legs were all over the place and Benn was moving like he was on the deck of a ship during a storm.
Eubank had Collins OUT on his feet and just stood there.

 

Collins went 4-0 against these guys in real life. He probably does about the same a few years earlier. Eubank may split with him and he sweeps Benn.

 

Collins was a tough guy, and a decent boxer. But, nothing special. Like Bernard Hopkins, his late career longevity flatters him. It looks a lot better on paper than in real life when I watched these fights. Collins was fortunate to fight Benn and Eubank when he did. They were done as top level fighters. It happens. The great Julio Cesar Chavez lost to guys like Willie Wise and Grover Wiley for Christ's sake. Tyson was stopped by the hapless Danny McBride. Unfortunately, this indignity is suffered by many once great fighters who keep going for money alone.

 

If REGGIE JOHNSON had Collins walking funny I assure you Benn would do worse.
Eubank would have stopped Collins hence when he DROPPED Collins and just stared at him. Not only did he drop Collins he dropped him TWICE.
Pat Lawlor holds wins over BOTH Wilfred Benitez AND Roberto Duran and yet it isn't seen as a great accomplishment because why?
Hell Benn looked drunk the 2nd Collins fight because his legs were so shot.