roy jones against steve collins in 1999

[Dublindestroyer]

mcguigan said hes a fool but stevie and freddie roach still believed he will beat roy, what do you think.

http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/1999/01/14/fshead.htm

McGuigan believes Collins is silly to climb back in ring with Jones
by Rita O'Reilly
FORMER champion boxer Barry McGuigan yesterday said it was "foolhardy and silly," of Steve Collins to go back into the ring to fight Roy Jones.
Collins accepted that there was "a bit of truth" in claims that he is coming out of retirement to make money to keep up his standard of living, but he said he had always promised he'd don his boxing gloves again if a Roy Jones bout was in the offing.
McGuigan told Joe Duffy on RTE Radio's Liveline yesterday: "I think he's being foolhardy, I think he's silly taking a fight of this magnitude now. I take my hat off to him and I admire his courage...but I think he's being foolish."
Collins has credibility to gain, courage to show and money to pick up from fighting the WBC light-heavyweight champion, McGuigan admitted. But he's also got a lot to lose and he's up against an exceptional fighter, the Sugar Ray Leonard of the nineties.
In his heyday Steve would have had trouble going the distance with Jones.
"He is very quick-handed, very fast on his feet and has great hand-eye co-ordination, he's a ****er.
"Boxing is about continuity, it's about keeping going, you can't give up for two years, especially if you're the type of fighter that Steve has always been.
"There's no secrets about Steve's style. He grabs the centre of the ring, he plants his feet in the middle and pitches his toes into the canvas and lets you have it.
"There's no subtleties about his style. He's an aggressive comeatcha type fighter and those are the type of fighters that Roy Jones loves." McGuigan said Jones's fleet footedness and speed meant he likes guys to come at him because then he can display his fabulous hand speed and his power.
"Steve is normally a very wise guy, I just don't think he's being very wise here," he said.
He did not think Collins, who won nine world title fights in a row before his retirement, will be able to recapture his sharpness.
"Each dog has his day. We all have a shelf life," McGuigan, who now works as a commentator for Sky Sports, said.
"This is a dangerous game, let's not forget that. He could get hurt, there's no doubt about that."
McGuigan, who retired at the age of 29, accepted his advice might fall on deaf ears. "He's laughing the whole way to the bank and I'm delighted for him and I hope he earns a fortune in it," he said of his compatriot's decision.
But Steve Collins said he had always said he would come out of retirement if he got the Roy Jones fight. "And why not?" go back into the ring, he asked.
"I believe I still have what it takes to beat Roy Jones," he said, adding that he would not go through any warm-up fights prior to the big bout, likely to take place in April.
And he said he still hasn't finalised the deal on exactly how much he will be paid for the fight : "The Rio Hotel in Las Vegas hope to stage the fight on April 17th, its opening night, but I'm hoping that a promoter over here will bring the fight back to Europe."
Both Sky and ITV have shown an interest in bringing the fight to Britain or Ireland, and Collins said he hoped a deal would be done by the end of the week.
He rejected the question mark over his decision as people being negative.
"What I've heard is a lot of opinions from people who I've not requested opinions from," he told Joe Duffy.
"The only opinion that would make any difference to me either way would be the opinion of my wife," he added.
And Collins accepted there was a little bit of truth in the claim that he is going back into the ring to keep up his standard of living, including the cost of keeping his 11 polo horses.
"Unfortunately, I've got involved in a hobby which is probably more expensive than bird-watching or fishing," he said, but ruled out selling some of his stock.
"If anything, I would like to buy better horses," Collins said.

[Dublindestroyer]

http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/1999/01/09/fshead.htm

Boxing's fatal objective
It is a harsh reality that most fighters want to kill their opponents

by Cormac MacConnell

THE world and the crows always knew that Steve Collins would not stay retired for long. It is no surprise at all that the Celtic Warrior now proposes to tackle Roy Jones for the lightheavy championship of the world, maybe in Dublin, probably when the darling buds of May are about to burst open once again.
Win or lose Collins will earn a million pounds or thereabouts for his springtime night's work; win or lose Roy Jones will earn closer to three million pounds. Somewhere close to 23,000 people will pay a lot of money to watch the bout and odds are that the Celtic Warrior will enter the ring with a shamrock outline carved along the right hand side of his wiry hair. And there will almost certainly be a small farm of shamrocks adorning his silken robe and shorts as well. It's all showbiz until the silk slides off the bunched sweating muscles and the shuffling feet move out to meet each other in the ring of truth.
"I want to kill him. That's what I want to do, kill him," .... Tyson before his fight against Razor Ruddock in March 1991 Somewhere ringside, within blood spatter distance that night will be Barry McGuigan who did in fact kill a man in the ring one night after the showbiz stopped and the serious stuff started. There will be other ex-boxers there too in the same position.
Mike Tyson is in trouble with the boxing authorities again because of his most recently bloodthirsty utterance in the build-up to his comeback fight against Francois Botha next Saturday night. It is actually mild enough when compared to some of his other gory quotes. "I expect him to go down cold. I expect him to die," - and just for once I have the feeling that Rusty Mike is under unfairly heavy fire.
He is merely thick enough to articulate openly what most fighters must feel in the marrow of their bones when they shuffle out there to do battle.

"Y' all know what I do, when I'm right I put people in body bags," ... Tyson last month, again about Botha
At the end of the day boxing is fascinating for most of its followers because of the elemental combat that it represents. I have no doubt but that the thinking processes of many respected professionals, like Barry McGuigan for example, would reject the idea that they go out to kill their opponents.
But a knock out is nothing less than temporary death and, in the bitter heat of battle, however technical and professional, it is the hot blood and the skilled fighting reflexes of trained bodies that are in operation rather than cool heads.
Has there ever been a pro boxer with a knockout punch who has not hit his target as hard as he could when the opportunity presented itself? I doubt it. Has it not been what everybody calls the killing instinct which has separated the great ones from those who fell?
It was not Mike Tyson, was it, who said "I'll kill da bum!" and that was a long time ago. I think ringside seats are filled and television audiences bloated by the recognition that out there in the canvas square, after all the hype, it is a matter of life or death.
They try to insulate the realities with padded gloves and rules and weight equalisations but the stark realities of the profession remain.
"Evander Holyfield is lucky I didn't bite his throat," ... Tyson after the infamous ear-biting incident
We all know there is no such thing as easy money. The Celtic Warrior will earn his million quid next May when he steps out against an ebony legend reckoned, as they always say, to be the best fighter pound for pound in the world. That represents a certain heavy pounding for the Dubliner on his gutsy way towards either victory or defeat.
And the possibility, however remote, of even fatal injuries. Or paralysis. Or another shambling step, a little later, down the road which ended for one time Great White Hope Gerry Quarry earlier this week. He was punch drunk in his forties and he was 53 when they switched off the machine. There was a strong streak of Mayo in Quarry, and an iron will. He took a lot of hammerings in his time from the very best.
The Celtic Warrior is a durable veteran by now. He has done very well for himself. He learned the harsher side of his trade in the States before coming back home to ply his tough trade on this side of the Atlantic and finish on top. Though we all knew that was not the finish. I suppose we also all know that though he is a tough and canny customer nobody will ever claim of him that he is the best fighter pound for pound in the world. In some strange way they will not even say that if he succeeds against Roy Jones.
No, Jones is already past his best. The world reports of the fight, if Steve Collins win, will surely report that he beat a "fading" champion.
It's a tough world out there. But the money is good.
"I wanted to kill him, bite him, I was enraged and angry," ... Tyson about the ear-biting incident
I think I've seen the reality of professional pugilism starkly displayed once at the highest level. So did you. It came on a hot night when Tyson at his peak met England's over-rated Frank Bruno for the second time. There was all the hype and the showbiz and glitz and fanfares. And then the silks slid away.
And then you could see Frank Bruno's big expressive eyes slowly beginning to realise that the big man coming at him would kill him if he could. And when the message was driven home with a flurry of blows then those eyes, dramatically became whitely haunted and hunted. The big body froze up before the cameras of all the world. Frank Bruno was terrified.
He was not terrified of being knocked out. He was terrified of being killed. He saw the far parameters of boxing's obscured truth. Strange to think that Tyson's prediction before that fight was one of his mildest ever. He just said: "I don't see him laughing at the end!"
If Steve Collins is lucky, win, lose or draw, he will earn his May million the easy way. He will not be physically damaged or paralysed. He will not be pounded any significant distance down the road that Gerry Quarry travelled. And it is boxing's fundamental truth that we watch it because that road runs starkly and directly underneath each ring where men slip off superficial silks and shuffle out towards gory glory.

[Moschino045]

Lmfao, why didnt this fight happen then ? Collins would of got murdered!

I lost all respect for Roach is he says Collins could beat RJJ

[Dublindestroyer]

the fight didnt happen because stevie collapsed on his first day back training for roy, it was going happen may 99 in ireland in a 50000 seat stadium and they were going to announce the fight the next day and itv were going to take it- it was actualy going to be roys last ever fight and also stevies last ever fight no matter what (think they were making the fight poster called now or never or some thing like that). but stevie blacked out sparring with howard eastman and saw it a wakeup call then came to senses and called it a day and backed out so the fight was called off and didnt even get to press release. freddieroach says that roy jones was only fighting guys who he knew didnt want to fight him and knew they couldnt win, freddie says roy woulnt cope with stevies standing up to him in mid90s being fearless and believing he will win. freddie says stevie would of been at roys chest, stuck to roy like glue, lots of infighting that roy wasnt as good as stevie at and roughhouse tactics to throw him off .this is coming from freddie roach who is a great tranier. stevei wouldbt of beat him being rusty in 99 but 95-96 he beats roy trust me, roy cant hurt him

[Moschino045]

Well it's a good job the fight did nt happen then, if Eastman made him collapse in sparring then RJJ may of killed him in the ring for real !!

[Oasis_Lad]

Steve Collins Would Have Busted Up Roy Bad No Doubt About It

[dino]

roy before moving up to heavyweight would have beaten collins easy..collins isnt even in his league..eubank and benn arent in roy's league..and gerald mcclean should have beat eubank with that 1st round KO

[JUYJUY]

Collins was a very limited fighter who won all his fights by out-hussling his opponents, he was good at what he did. He certainly wouldn't of stood much chance against Jones Jr unless Jones Jr's speed and stamina wasn't up to scratch on fight night.

Collins to this day believes he'd of beaten Jones Jr though.

[Orange Sneakers]

Steve was actually a good counterpuncher,thats what he was best at really. Back in the amateurs,he had some good counterpunching ability but at other times he would just go straight forward and slug all out. It seemed to be like a Jekyll and Hide fighting each other,the counter puncher with the good guard or the hardworking brawler. Collins tried counterpunching Mccallum and came unstuck,so then he went all out attack on Mike and won three of the last six rounds. He counterpunched Reggie Johnson to a decision win,only to be robbed on the cards. He went all out attack against Kalambay fearing he would be robbed again,worked his socks off that night while Kalambay barely did anything,robbed again. After backtoback losses he counterpunched his way to wins on undercards of Eubank and Benn,then he got the chance against Eubank where he went all out attack in HIS own backyard and had Eubank robbed! But it was actually counterpunching that Steve was best at,although he didnt use that often enough.

[JUYJUY]

Steve was actually a good counterpuncher,thats what he was best at really. Back in the amateurs,he had some good counterpunching ability but at other times he would just go straight forward and slug all out. It seemed to be like a Jekyll and Hide fighting each other,the counter puncher with the good guard or the hardworking brawler. Collins tried counterpunching Mccallum and came unstuck,so then he went all out attack on Mike and won three of the last six rounds. He counterpunched Reggie Johnson to a decision win,only to be robbed on the cards. He went all out attack against Kalambay fearing he would be robbed again,worked his socks off that night while Kalambay barely did anything,robbed again. He counterpunched his way to wins on Eubank and Benn undercards after backtoback losses,then he got the chance against Eubank where he went all out attack in HIS own backyard and had Eubank robbed! But it was actually counterpunching that Steve was best at,although he didnt use that often enough.

I remember Collins on undercards when he was an unknown journeyman circa 93, I never remembered him fighting like he did against Eubank, I remember him being lacklustre. I seem to remember him cautiously punching to the body, I also remember him using a pawing jab to set up a big right hand (a big right hand with little power! and not a one-two) but mainly remember him looking lacklustre and abit depressed to be honest lol. He seemed competent, but nothing special at all. So I was damn suprised when he threw the kitchen sink at Eubank and looked like a world-beater that night at Mill Street (even though Eubank was robbed).