Boxers don kid gloves for press conference

HAVING TWICE beaten his two top British challengers for the World Boxing Association super middleweight, title in recent times Steve Collins had every reason to feel that he was the main event at the post fight press conference in the Nynex Centre in Manchester on Saturday night.

It was not to be as his two victims, Chris Eubank in Cork and Nigel Benn in Manchester, practically hijacked the affair with busy help from "Prince" Naseem Hamed.

Collins, however, had left nobody in any doubt about his superiority in his bout against Nigel Benn and strode into the press conference to complain about the way the fight had ended. "The public have been cheated" he said.

"Nigel was giving me a very tough battle and he deserved to be allowed to continue. I was confident that I was in control but Nigel was much better than in our previous meeting. Quite honestly he surprised me. He was very fit and it was a shame that he was not allowed to finish his career in a more appropriate way".

The promoter of the unique bill involving three world title bouts, Frank Warren, described the end to the fight as "bizarre" after Benn's corner men, led by Peter DeFreitas, indicated to the English referee, Paul Thomas, at the end of the sixth round that they were not willing to allow their man to continue.

"It was the most bizarre end to a fight that I have had anything to do with. It isn't fair to the people who paid a lot of money to watch to have a man pulled out in such inappropriate circumstances.

"I believe Steve was slightly ahead at the end but it was not by any means a one sided fight and Nigel Benn deserved a better end to his career than this farce," he said.

When Benn joined the press conference he was applauded when he said that his girlfriend had given birth to twins, a boy and a girl, recently and both he and Collins were very complimentary of each other. For a short time it seemed like a mutual admiration society as they embraced and shook hands.

"Nigel Benn has been one of the most exciting British boxers of all time," was Collins's contribution, to which Benn responded: "Steve is a good fighter and a good champion. I wish him well in the future."

It was only when Chris Eubank, twice beaten by Collins in Millstreet and Pairc Ui Chaoimh, strode into the conference in his dandified way, complete with silver topper cane, that a note of aggression surfaced "Here's a two time loser," said Collins, before gathering his bits and pieces and leaving with considerable dignity.

Earlier he was asked about his next step and repeated what he has been saying for some time. "Where is Roy Jones. He is becoming to be regarded as the man who is afraid to meet Steve Collins. He talks about everybody but me," said Collins.

The promoter Frank Warren, however, would appear to be more interested in putting on a challenge for Collins from Robin Reid, the Englishmen who holds the WBA title. "That would be another sell out and I will do my best to put it on," he said.

Meanwhile, Steve Collins can smile and laugh all the way to the bank as all that he has sacrificed down the years seems to have resulted, in a rich harvest of which he can be proud.

Now he says he is concentrating on getting some unfinished business out of the way in regard to his training camp in Jersey before returning to Dublin to spend Christmas with his wife, Gemma, and his family in their new home.