Comeback would demean a true great

Steve Collins has declared that his days in the square ring are over. In the complicated world of boxing, however, the words were scarcely out of his mouth when his "comeback" was being discussed - a discussion in which he was prepared to take part. Time alone will tell if Collins's fierce ambition to fight Roy Jones is fulfilled. What we can, however, be sure of is that Steve Collins has been a decoration to boxing at a time when it has become demeaned by graft and sleaze.

We in Ireland are blessed in the number of sportsmen and women who have represented us on world stages. In this respect, boxing has given us some really magic moments in modern times when men like Rinty Monaghan, `Spider' Kelly, John McNally, Freddie Gilroy, Johnny Caldwell, `Socks' Byrne and Fred Teidt set the scene in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

When Barry McGuigan and Hugh Russell were performing their spectacular double act in the Ulster Hall and the King's Hall in Belfast, in the 1980s, some of us wondered how long it would last. McGuigan's reign at the pinnacle of world featherweight boxing survived only two challenges before that unfortunate night in Las Vegas when his world virtually fell apart.

Then came Barcelona and the Olympic Games of 1992 when, on a never-to-be-forgotten Saturday morning, silver and gold medals were hung around the necks of Wayne McCullough and Michael Carruth within a truly memorable hour.

There were also the achievements of Dave McAuley, who partially revived boxing in Belfast after the McGuigan-Russell era, and of McCullough on the world professional stage. Eamon Loughran, too, won a world title, but it was Steve Collins who, in Boston, emerged as the most exciting Irish fighter.

Collins eventually came home to make his name with two spectacular doubles over Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn, previously thought by British commentators to be invincible.

It has come as no surprise that Collins was reluctant to drop his guard against Joe Calzaghe, while still demanding the fight, he felt his exploits deserved - a unification of the WBO and IBF super middleweight titles against Roy Jones.

Collins, quite rightly, feels that he was cheated of that opportunity by the politics of the sport and admits that he became disillusioned and frustrated in his determination and desire to establish a unified title. Collins worked hard for his dream. He is proud of the fact that there was a time in the middleweight division when boxers such as Mike McCallum, Gerald McClellan, James Toney, Michael Watson, Chris Eubank, and Nigel Benn were all being mentioned as the men who could compete for the unified world title.

Collins put his name into that pantheon when he took Mike McCallum, at his peak, a full 12 rounds, prompting McCallum to declare that he didn't want to meet Collins again. In that Boston encounter, it was felt by many of those who were there that if Collins had concentrated on getting into his stride early on, instead of adopting a cautious approach, he could have been the champion there and then. On his return to Europe, Collins's luck changed and be beat Chris Pyatt for the vacant WBO middleweight title. That meant that his name was a now firmly in the line for top-class opposition and Chris Eubank was identified and beaten in Millstreet, making Collins the only Irishman to hold two world titles - middle and super middle - at the same time.

He surrendered the lower weight title and beat Eubank again and defended successfully twice against Nigel Benn. Jones came firmly into his sights and in the absence of a willingness by the American, Collins was treading water. Fighting Calzaghe, a comparative unknown on the under card of a `Prince' Naseem Hamed bill, did not appeal to him. Who could blame him? Retirement seemed the logical retreat.

Regardless of what happens next, Collins can be justly identified as one of Ireland's major sporting heroes. He is a worthy role model for many young Irish people, inside and outside of boxing. Nobody could ever accuse him of being innocent, but the pot of gold he has pursued may turn out to be a mirage if legal decisions go against him. He speaks movingly of meeting many old boxing heroes who have fallen on bad times. He has no intention of ending his days thus.

Without any doubt, Steve Collins has given boxing a better and brighter profile in Ireland. It will be very sad indeed if financial pressures from any quarter force him back into ring. For his sake, and for the sake of boxing as a whole, let us hope that we have seen the last of Steve Collins as a boxer and the beginning of Steve Collins as an inspirational figure in Irish sport.