GLASGOW, Scotland – Cristobal Lorente believes his draw with Nathaniel Collins for the European featherweight title is a great result on away soil.
Lorente traveled to Collins’ backyard to defend his EBU belt with a hope of securing a shot at the WBC featherweight title. It was always going to be a big ask away from home, with Collins full of confidence after wiping out Lee McGregor inside four rounds back in May. Lorente knew the task at hand and although the fight was scored a draw, Lorente seemed the happier of the two with the result.
“Well, I think that when you go out of your country, it’s much more difficult,” Lorente said through a translator. “I think I made a good fight and enough to get the victory. Outside [my country] it’s a great result.”
It was a fight of two halves at Glasgow’s Braehead Arena. Collins built a healthy lead at the halfway stage, with Lorente doing little. Collins seemed to tire down the stretch and Lorente’s workrate was key in picking up the later rounds.
“I started the fight slowly. I put my style on the ring,” the champion added. “After the sixth round, I needed to do more than the first part of the fight because I needed to increase the result in the judges' [eyes].
“That was the plan and the strategy. We started slowly and [made it] difficult [for] Nathaniel Collins in the last part of the fight. But you know, it's a difficult fight and I needed to make an extra effort to make a good result.”
And would Lorente be interested in making another trip to Glasgow to face Collins again?
“Yes, of course. Why not? Who pays?” Lorente said. “I will return here and make the fans stand up again, and for me it's a great year.”
