Floored Collins roars back to gain victory

Tommy Collins….showed he’s got the heart to be a champ

TOMMY Collins – the fighter with a fanatical Bluenose following - had to overcome unexpected drama before notching up his eighth straight win.

At Edgbaston’s H Suite last night (Friday) the 26-year-old was dropped in the opener of his six rounder with tough Nicaraguan Eduardo Valverde. He picked himself up, saw out the crisis and blazed back to take a clear win, 58-56 on referee Ryan Churchill’s cards.

I wasn’t ringside for the BCB Promotions show – flu thwarting my attendance, but Tommy Gun certainly appeared to feel the left hook that momentarily dropped him.

Critics will point to the fact Tommy has now been dropped twice in his fledgling career: the first was a mere flash knockdown.

There are two ways to look at that statistic. It is something of a curate’s egg.

Collins possesses the old fashioned “minerals” to pick himself up and fight back. That show’s a champion’s heart.

And even the greats get floored – Joe Louis made a habit of it. They, like Collins, got up and fought back.

Tommy – an outstanding amateur – is a talent – an exciting talent at that.

If I have a criticism, it’s the fact he appears, at times, too eager to provide his army of fans with a spectacular spectacle. And Collins enjoys phenomenal support from Birmingham City supporters: he’s one of the few local boxers to tap into a football fanbase.

They turned the H Suite into a noisy corner of St Andrew’s.

Valverde, who has won three of 14 (one draw), spent the rest of the contest looking to connect with the same left hook that reaped such rich rewards in the opener. Make no mistake, he came to win.

He failed to find it as Collins kept the action at distance, used his superior speed, then engaged in a fifth round war. By the sixth, he was rampant.

Tommy’s dad and trainer, Dean, discusses his son’s career to the press with admirable honesty. He doesn’t dodge or swerve the difficult questions, he wears his heart on his sleeve. That is to be applauded.

He told me: “Another win. He wasn't Tommy for me, a bit drained. He employed a dietitian who got him on the ‘water loaded’, I won’t let him do that again. It didn’t suit. Some fighters it works, some it doesn't.”

For those unaware of “water loading”, it’s the practice of drinking large amounts of water before restricting it in a bid to lose weight.

Dean added: “But these are learning fight and it’s about learning outside (the ring), too. But no excuses, won every round.

“In the first, Tommy got knocked over, he lost his balance - the shot landed but never hurt him.

“He hit the floor, jumped straight up and won that round even though it was still a 10-8 round.

“He won the other five rounds. Good learning fight. - some boxing and some scrapping. Great for the fans, I thought.

“The guy come to win, which I loved. So another win, make some adjustments, go again.”