After Nathaniel Collins drew with Spaniard Cristobal Lorente, the popular Scot already had his next challenge lined up.
A couple of weeks after headlining in front of 6,000 supercharged fans for the European title, the superfit featherweight took on the Golspie Backyard Ultra, a running race that sees its entrants complete a 6.7km loop every hour on the hour.
After 16 laps, and having totalled around 115km, Collins was forced out when his achilles started to tighten on the first hill and the pain in his knees and calves started to bite.
As a professional fighter, long-term injuries are not something Collins would welcome. Even though he fell short of his 160km (100 miles) target, he was content to nearly break the top 10 of a field of some 150 runners.
Collins is well-healed now, and heading into a rematch with Lorente on Friday night, this time at the Hydro in Glasgow and not the Braehead Arena.
“I’m fine after that,” Collins told BoxingScene of his running exploits. “I’m well over that. I love that stuff, definitely, and do you know what? It’s actually quite funny because I’ve went in a different direction this training camp, away from that. Normally I’m just doing mad stuff and then this time it’s all been just boxing.”
That has included a trip to the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles for sparring and the overall focus has been on boxing and intervals. Usually, Collins has a base of Hyrox training and strength and conditioning, but he’s gone back to basics this time.
“It’s been a proper 180 this time, so we’ll see how that goes,” said the 31-year-old.
That said, Collins’ fitness levels rarely falter. Because he enjoys his work so much, he trains all of the time between fights. Camp doesn’t start and finish. Training is part of his active lifestyle.
“Absolutely,” he agreed. “It’s certainly not easy, but it’s actually an enjoyable, it's almost like training away from [boxing] training that’s enjoyable, that keeps making it feel fresh, and then, when it’s time to go into camp, it’s time to go into camp, or what people call camp, that kind of time period.”
Training in other domains also adds a community element to his training, rather than the solitude that so many associate with boxing.
“Boxing’s a lonely sport and you can only carry yourself. Obviously, your coach is there, you’ve got other boxers there, a lot of this camp I’ve been working myself, which is fine, I like that, I like being in the dark places by myself, but when you’re out of camp or in that, kind of community environment, there’s loads of people to push around you. You feel a bit of an extra kind of something. It’s like camaraderie.”
What is particularly astonishing about Collins’ fitness regimen is that less than two years ago he’d had lifesaving surgery after suffering a twisted bowel, and a career-threatening spell in hospital.
As the darkness consumes Collins and the fight draws near, the headphones go on, he zones out, and goes on runs with his border collie – who makes him run faster.
Going into the first fight, Collins was seen to be the new face of Scottish boxing. Following the retirement of former world junior welterweight champion Josh Taylor, and Collins’ impressive stoppage victory over countryman Lee McGregor, much was expected of the 17-0-1 (8 KOs) Scot against the Spaniard in October. The pressure was on, as he was charged with bringing through a new generation of Scottish talent on his undercard.
“I didn’t feel the weight on my shoulders or pressure,” Collins explained of the burden. “I just felt the need to show entertainment or the need to provide a knockout or... It wasn't pressure as such. I just felt like I had to go out there and give everybody a show.”
At the expense of strategy?
“Absolutely. I felt like, ‘oh, this is your show. You can’t box to a decision here. People are coming out to see you. This is a big... This is your chance. This is your big headliner.
“Whereas I don’t really feel that this time. I feel like, actually, a win’s necessary by all means.”
Collins is on the cusp of some very big nights, and having dismantled McGregor so emphatically, he felt the momentum from that night last May. It certainly raised expectations for him in that many felt he would kick on and impress each and every time.
“Definitely,” he agreed.
“I actually think that’s been sometimes a thing in my career where I’ve actually chinned a few people and everybody thinks, ‘oh, you’re just going to chin everybody.’ And then I start believing that hype also of, ‘oh, I can just chin anybody.’ And that’s honestly what I thought about Lorente. I thought, ‘I’m just going to knock this guy out.’ Whereas, because I did knock Lee out and I know how tough he is, I was just like, ‘I can do this to anybody,’ and that’s not always the case.”
Lorente is a seasoned pro.
He’s 20-0-3 (8 KOs), and mutual opponent Francesco Grandelli recently told BoxingScene he felt Lorente was the better fighter.
But Collins felt he learned a lot from their first bout and he will be better this time around. He also believed it was an important part of his education.
“I think I needed that at this time,” he admitted. “Just before I step up to world, elite world level. I’m not saying that Lorente’s not a good fighter, but I needed that lesson at this time because I think if I was to fight that way against a [Bruce] Carrington or a [Nick] Ball or somebody like that, it could have been a different story. So it was a great learning fight and a great lesson for me.”
As of about a month ago, Collins had not watched the fight back but he did feel like he had won by “a round or two” when the final bell sounded.
“I don’t think that he’d done enough to win,” Collins said. “One of the scorecards had him a round or two up. I don’t think that was possible, but again, I’m not a judge.”
And like Grandelli, Collins knows well that Lorente can fight.
“You just look at a guy because you don’t know him and think, ‘oh, he’s 20 and 0, let’s say. “Who’s he actually fought? But actually, if you look at who he’s actually fought, he’s fought three different European champions, he’s beat some handy opponents. It’s not as if he’s beat dumplings. He’s probably beat the equivalent of what I’ve beaten, but it’s just the people I’ve beat have got bigger names because we’re in the UK.”
A couple of years ago, Collins was offered a fight with another unsung boxer, at junior lightweight, in Lamont Roach. The American wound-up fighting Fergal McCrory and, of course, went on to draw with Gervonta “Tank” Davis.
Collins is now ranked by the IBF and WBO at No. 9, but he’s No. 1 with the WBC and Lorente is at two. The champion is Carrington.
Collins can’t afford to slip up if a bigger fight is to follow.
“Again, [it’s a] final, final eliminator for a world title, so in theory the winner of this fights Bruce Carrington. Whether that happens or not, who knows, but we can only take it as the word of the WBC, the winner of this fight’s got a world title shot.”
That might also be helped now Bob Arum and Frank Warren, often cordial business associates, share a broadcast platform in DAZN.
“There’s not massive obstacles at all, it’s there to be made there,” said Collins.
First, however, comes an obstacle, and Lorente must be made to suffer his first loss before Collins can look any further forward.
