Collins declares Sellier bout still on

STEVE COLLINS last night dismissed rumours that his world title fight with Frederic Sellier of France was in danger of being cancelled.

"The fight is on and that is certain," Collins told The Irish Times. "What I want to be sure of is that the fight after that will be against Roy Jones (the American who holds the International Boxing Federation super middleweight title). I don't really care where it happens," he said.

Doubts about the Sellier fight arose because Collins and his promoter, Frank Warren, were closeted for several hours in a meeting in London yesterday.

This prompted speculation that a problem had arisen between Collins and Warren, but yesterday the rumours were denied by Collins, by the Frank Warren operation and by Sky Sports, which will show the fight live from the London Arena on February 8th.

Collins was back in Dublin last night, having left his training base in Jersey. Asked if this was a rather unusual development given that the fight is so close, Collins replied: "Everything I do is unusual. I am in top shape and I am going back to Jersey in the morning (today). I had some matters to clear up here, but I haven't broken my training rhythm. Everything is under control.

I want to be sure that the fight after the Sellier fight will be against Roy Jones. He says he is prepared to fight me and I can assure him that I am prepared to fight him and beat him in the United States, in Ireland or anywhere else. All I am interested in for the Jones fight is that the money is right.

"The television companies decide these things at the moment, and that is OK with me provided that the price is right. I want to be the undisputed super middleweight champion of the world, and I know that nobody around at the moment can stop me achieving that aim," Collins said.

Yesterday the Warren office in England announced that speculation about the cancellation of the Collins-Sellier fight was merely "rumour". Sky Sports, too, denied any cancellation. But that Collins had left Jersey and had returned to London to have a lengthy meeting with Warren was regarded as significant.

It was also surprising that Collins returned to Dublin yesterday for "personal reasons", but since he is a very strict trainer and disciplinarian as far as his regime is concerned, his preparations should not have been disrupted in any significant way.

The bill at the London Arena on February 8th includes no fewer than four world title fights. Apart from the Collins-Sellier super middleweight fight, there will be a heavyweight bout between Lennox Lewis and Oliver McCall; "Prince" Naseem Hamed, the WBO champion, takes on Tom "Boom Boom" Johnson, the IBF champion, at featherweight; and Robin Reid will defend his WBC super middleweight title against Giovanni Pretorius from South Africa.

Should Reid win, and if Collins were to unite the WBO and IBF super middleweight titles, a match between Collins and Reid would be well-nigh inevitable for the undisputed title.

The doubts about the Collins Seillier bout are as much about the Dubliner's determination to retain control of his destiny. He has seen many boxers before him being manipulated by managers and that is why he now manages his own affairs.

His lengthy meeting with Warren, his promoter, on Monday is yet another illustration that Collins is every bit as difficult to master outside the ring as he is inside.