Is Steve Collins greater than Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank?

Starie wasn't much.

 

Difficult as both Benn and Eubank were past their prime when those fights were made. Eubank slightly past it but Benn was definitely shot and struggled to gain rhythm or put punches together which is the sign of a shot fighter.
Prime Eubank edges Collins on points but i suspect he would always have beaten Benn, possibly by late round stoppage, similar to the Watson fight.

 

Have both benn and eubank ahead of collins. If you go back and watch the eubank v benn fights i dont think collins did or could have got to them heights. Just think both benn and eubank we,re on the downward slide he caught them at the right time. Eubanks weight making busy schedule and the watson affect caught up with him...you need a good rest before fighting someone like collins. And benn was defo on the downward slide at that point. Benn/watson and eubank all took it out of each other in the end. Not saying collins career was much easier to that point but he seemed the fresher fighter even though i think he might have actually been marginally the older man against eubank

 

I agree. Collins just happened to catch them at the right time. That being said, there is not a particularly large gap between the overall skill sets of any of these men. All 3 were very good fighters.

 

All 3 were close in skill being 4-0 against them does give Collins an argument as the best man.
Kind of like Lennox Lewis he defeated Holyfield and more shot version of Tyson than either Eubank or Benn and he now ranks above both men on many all time lists.

 

Eubanks was afraid to fight michael nunn or herol graham during this mythical pre Watson peak ....you think he would want to fight hagler much less be "cocky" about it....eubanks didnt possess a quarter of the skills of the great duran 1983 .....eubanks was a level below a graham/kalambay much less a nunn or above him a hagler.

No four fighters have had their reputation blown into something it wasnt as eubanks/benn/collins/watson...apart from the benn of 92-95 these were essentially second tier fighters at 160-168 none of them were ever even the best in britain or europe (graham and kalambay were better) or even the commonwealth (julian jackson was better much less the world (nunn/mccallum/toney/jones jnr/hopkins) level......they were all very good but never top level...apart from benn

 

To say Eubank and Benn were anywhere near their best when they fought Collins is hilarious. They weren't all that close at all.

 

You greatly overrate eubanks.

He was one of my favourites a brave intellectual maverick with incredible physical strength,and good in all areas....but he never really tested himself at elite level apart from the benn rematch.

He preferred fighting frequently at a level below....malinga,watson, benn ,holmes,rocchigiani are excellent wins but id like chris to have fought and beat two of the following ....kalambay,barkley,graham,jackson,olajide....and one of the following mccallum,mclellan,nunn,toney,jones before lavishing the praise u do.

 

I see your point in retrospect dont seem to be too many names on grahams win column
He beat kaylor and rod douglas easily chris johnson and paz as an.old man but with graham its more what he could do...he was avoided....he would have wiped tje floor with benn/watson/eubank during 88-91 and all 3 knew it.they avoided him.

Unlike benn and eubank ,graham was willing to fight st the very highest level....his 5 losses to mccallum,kalambay,jackson and brewer were as close as any losses could be...i had him winning the mccallum match and the cards had it a draw if u ignore the ridiculous pts deduction. The kalambay rematch he floored sumbu twice and was robbed.brewer he floored twice and was four mins from a win.jackson was floored and bloodied and about to be stopped.

 

Certainly not better than Eubank, who lost his edge after the Watson fight. Had that tragedy not happened, history would have seen Eubank in a whole new light.

 

At middle Benn beats Collins at super middleweight Collins wins .Eubank beats both at both weights depending on what mood he's in.

 

I stand to be corrected but i personally think both Benn and Eubank rate above Collins when looked at overall. Obviously Collins holds victories over both of them but they were past their prime when those proposed match ups took place and Benn was pretty much finished by that stage. Toney, McCallum and Jones Jnr were better than any of them.

 

Collins wasn't even close to Eubanks or Benn in terms of skill or standing .
Hell he only SQUEAKED by a past his prime Eubank AND if Eubank hadn't paused Collins would have gotten stopped .
Benn in his prime stops Collins. And so does Eubanks .

 

Eubanks was younger than Collins and boxed on well afterwards, Steve always beats him, too busy, too fit and too tough mentally. Benn was gone when Collins beat him, but prime for prime, a great fight, could Nigel knockout Collins? IMO he would have to, to win, I don't think so but...Collins very underrated, smart, strong, fit, tough, good boxer, adaptable, fair power, fast hands, mentally strong, very, very, hard to beat. Bit like Froch, nothing special, but the sum of the parts...

 

He didn`t look great in any of those wins.