FOUR YEARS AGO, a boxing novice from an Irish pugilistic dynasty found himself anonymously touring Dublin’s gyms in a bid to learn the fighting game on his own feet, and on his own terms.
Using Comiskey, his mother’s maiden name, Steve Collins Jr craved a litmus test without expectation or special treatment as he weighed up a life-changing switch from rugby to boxing, only months after stepping in the ring for the first time.
Still carrying the protective muscular shell of a front rower who had won an AIL title with Lansdowne, and tried his hand in England with Wasps, Collins also felt weighed down by the expectation that comes with having a former two-weight world champion for a father.
The Collins boxing bloodline is bound to open doors for a young, aspiring fighter but from day one Steve Jr has been determined to cross those thresholds unassisted and at his own pace.
A latecomer to the boxing game at 23, Collins has had an injury-plagued start to his professional career but remains undefeated [10-0-1, 4KOs] and is just one victory away from being crowned an Irish champion.
If he can overcome Westmeath southpaw Paddy McDonagh [10-2-0, 0KOs] and capture the light-heavyweight title tonight, Collins will feel his father’s shadow shifting off the canvas from under his boots, and at the same time continue a remarkable family history at the National Stadium.
When AC/DC’s ‘Hells Bells’ fades out after the 27-year-old’s ring-walk, blood will be pumping through his veins.
Those hells bells, the temperature’s high
Hells bells, across the sky
Hells bells, they’re taking you down
Hells bells, they’re dragging you under
Hells bells, gonna split the night
Hells bells, there’s no way to fight
“I got a lot of stick when I first turned over. People were saying: ‘stick to rugby, you can’t start being a boxer at the age of 23′.
“I had a lot of naysayers but when I watched boxing I knew it was something I could do and nobody could have told me otherwise.
“Our country is so small but the standard of boxing is world-class. So to go out and win an Irish title, to me, would be very prestigious.
“I think it’s a great milestone. It would also be a great achievement for someone who started boxing four years ago and I spent two years not boxing due to four different surgeries (on both shoulders, a bicep and a knuckle).
“Whether you think an Irish title is big or small, to me it’s a good milestone and if I get that it’s kind of a fuck you to the naysayers. And I’m not finished there, I’m going to keep going.”
A national title just over four years since he laced on a pair of gloves with real intent for the first time, in his uncle Paschal’s Celtic Warrior Gym, would signify remarkable progress on any barometer.
“There were always gloves hanging around the house when I was a kid and you’d be messing about with them. But it was the first time I had been in the ring sparring,” says Collins of his maiden session in the boxing gym that is curiously hidden and unsigned down an alleyway beside a small shopping complex in Corduff, Dublin 15.
The musky, windowless gym could be anywhere; dance music bounces off the graffiti-covered walls in soft light while outside, the capital enjoys an afternoon of blazing sun that would please Mediterranean residents.
Taking a seat on the edge of the stained, blue canvas, as Paschal works a young fighter only a few feet away, Collins Jr clearly feels at home. Leaning back against the ropes, he recalls how his sporting and professional ambitions took a major detour within these four walls.
“What I did was, after I came in here, I did a few bags and a few pads. Then I jumped in with one of the pros.
“He punched the head off me but I thought ‘I can take this guy’. I knew I had a lot of work to do but I knew I could beat him eventually.
“I started going around to amateur gyms just to really make up my mind and see where I was at.
“I gave them my mother’s maiden name because I didn’t want the attention. I remember I went into St Matthew’s [Boxing Club, Ballyfermot] and there were two heavyweights.
“I went and was blown out after one round but was still coming back after two weeks and I kept progressing.
“Then it was about getting a couple of fights, let’s just win them. And then after I started winning more and more my goals just started getting bigger and bigger. Then it just snowballed.”
The ‘Wolfhound’ may have trimmed down from his 102kg days in the middle of the Lansdowne front row to a fighting weight of 79kg, but he still has the appetite of a man much bigger.
He insists the weight loss isn’t particularly taxing, it just happens to get in the way of something else that brings him great pleasure — eating.
Excited, speculative talk of a drop to super-middleweight and a bout against Chris Eubank Jr was bound to happen, even though both fighters are operating in different plains — on the scales and the rankings.
“I think I have a fucking eating disorder because I put on too much weight after my last fight,” jokes Collins, who has retained his stocky, muscular frame.
“The last fight I made title weight and then I went fucking mad. I didn’t stop eating and I just ballooned up.
“If I wanted to I could get to light-middleweight but I’d want to be getting paid quite well because it would take up a lot of my time. It wouldn’t be easy. I’d be miserable but I could do it.”
The Collins-Eubank connection was inevitable after the two fights Steve Sr and his contemporary Chris Sr served up in 1995.
Collins Sr became an Irish and global sporting icon in the ’90s, his two later victories against Nigel Benn cementing his legacy as one of the nation’s greats.
As kids across the country shadow-boxed in school yards simulating their Irish idol, it mostly went over Steve Jr’s head. He was, after all, only seven years old when his father hung up his gloves 20 years ago next week.
“It was just normal. Even today, if I walked down the road and I happened to be with him, you’d see people looking from their cars. People would stop and ask if it was him, looking for autographs and taking photos.
“I remember when I was 7, 8 or 9 years old and every second person would come up to you. He was like Conor McGregor in those days.
“Your ma knows who Conor McGregor is, your nanny knows who Conor McGregor is. They have no idea what MMA stands for but they know him because he’s in the paper, he’s on the TV, everyone’s talking about him. And that was like my dad in the ’90s.”
McGregor has visited the Celtic Warrior Gym on a number of occasions, and uncle Paschal has previously claimed he can help him mastermind an unlikely victory against Floyd Mayweather Jr in August.
His uncle may be confident, but Collins can’t see an upset on the cards, despite the respect he holds for his fellow Dubliner.
“As a boxing fan, I think boxers should be boxers and mixed martial artists should be mixed martial artists.
“There is so much attention on him and the way social media is, the way the world has gone it’s all about entertainment.
“I hope McGregor does well. I don’t think he’s going to win. I’d love to see him go out there and shock the world but I wouldn’t put anything on it.
Conor’s been up here a couple of times. He’s a good mover, he’s a nice guy. A lot of people will give him shit about what he’s like. The times I’ve met him, he’s a fucking down-to-earth guy, that’s why I always liked Conor.
Successful code-hopper Collins once seemed to have a professional rugby career within his grasp, and played alongside future Ireland internationals Jordi Murphy and Marty Moore at Lansdowne.
Collins was always certain Moore was destined for the big-time, ever since he started binding his right arm around the tighthead, who was one year his junior, in Castleknock College.
Steve Jr looks back on his rugby days with fondness, but boxing gave him something the attritional 15-a-side game couldn’t quite satisfy.
“I watch rugby, I love rugby. I miss going on the pitch and hanging out with my buddies,” adds Collins, who currently works as a tree surgeon.
“I originally wanted to be a rugby player. I started rugby when I was seven years of age. It’s what I wanted to do.
“If I was to break my hand and I couldn’t throw a punch I’d probably go back playing rugby just because I love it. But I had to put that life behind me and focus on boxing.
“Boxing suits my personality. I have a bit of an aggressive streak in me. When I first started boxing I did it because I liked hitting people.
“I like to be the aggressor, I’ve learned to box in the meantime but if it was up to me — and I’m not trying to sound super egotistical or a hard man here because I’d do this if there was no audience around me. I’d like to sit there, both of us within half a metre of each other and just exchange. But you won’t have a sharp mind at 40 or 50 by fighting like that.”
Making the switch to boxing has already proved Collins has more up top than he gives himself credit for.
He’ll always be Steve Collins’s son but he believes a win tonight wouldn’t confirm he’s following in his father’s footsteps, just making the next move on his own path.
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Didn’t Donegal play Tyrone in the first round? And Dublin will play Kildare in the next round, as will Cork and Kerry, and it’s not the GAAs fault that Galway have melted into a shambles. We would then have had Mayo v Galway too in the first round. All of this before the end of June. Then you have the real payoff, the excitement of seeing the very best teams against each other in August and September, the way any worthy competition should be. The GAA has plenty of flaws but I think this article is a very unfocused knee-jerk reaction to a few hidings dished out by teams on top of their game.
Dave agree entirely
A Dubs fan
Lot of people talking about Mayo this year but where have we heard that before
Wouldn’t write off Kerry either S a lot of people seem to be doing
I’m a Dubs man meself Declan. I think this Mayo team is a different proposition from previous years, there’s a hard edge to them which I think makes them serious contenders.
I think Dublin, Donegal, Cork and Mayo are all around the same level (one from each province too, which is nice) then there’s Tyrone, Kerry and Kildare a level just below that. 7 realistic contenders for the All Ireland, there’s nothing wrong with that.
Yes agree 7 teams with varying degrees of optimism
If they had that in the premiership they would be laughing!!
Mayo have new fitness coach so let’s see
A dubs fan passing a comment about another team being over hyped early in the year.. Oh the irony!
San Marino get hammered every time they play but you don’t see fifa changing around the format of the European/world cup qualifiers so they can win a few games
If counties are not up to the standard why should the gaa change around the format to try and suit them, the football championship is very strong and some teams will get left behind
They change the format every few tournaments! And they do it to allow a more desirable geographic spread off WC finals competitors
The fact that there are eight competitive teams places the Gaa in an enviable position . It can’t be said of other codes. How many EPL winners have there been since its inception . The GAA championship compares very Favourably. It’s not long since Dublin and Donegal were on the wrong end of a few such drubbings . In 2011 London almost beat mayo who then made an all Ireland semi final , beating the all Ireland champions en route. Louth contested a Leinster final . Wexford likewise on a couple of occasions. Similar knee jerk reaction were pedalled out in 2010 when none of the provincial finalists reached the semi finals . September is the time to make a more considered judgment
GAA is fine as is.
If other counties want to perform they can pay for more training sessions and try and get more people to come to the matches.
I agree in part. But I don’t think it means we need to rearrange the format of the championship. Every time a team gets hammered some people talk about the need to level the playing field. The system is fine. It has been changed once, with the back door, if they change it again like they did with the league over and over again people will lose interest.
We had years of Galway hurling people blaming the structure of the championship for them not winning, now it’s the championship structures that Galway footballers are rubbish,
Derry were not well beaten, in fact they played some of the best football of the championship to date in the best game to date. Diagonal balls to Bradley and his destruction of Down defense in first half was a joy to watch.
Westmeath got a day out in croker they saw the level they need to aspire too its all a learning curve / and that’s always the way it’s been how else are you going to improve
The money and the people involved with the Dublin team vs small counties like w.meath is very unfair.Maybe a large populace county like Dublin should field two teams a city and county team.
As Kerry do each year and how All Ireland’s have they won with a small population
The whole thing is a farce lets do away with the provincials 8 groups of 4 top 2 into the the A final bottom 2 to a B Final and in the last 16 -an open draw when your out you are out at least the teams in the final get to play the same amount of games.
Yeah, everyone would get three games and the eventual finalists would get 7. Seems fair
I wouldn’t do an open draw for the last 16 though. I’d run it like a Heineken Cup. The best performing team plays worst and so forth, to reward consistent good play
The championship is fine the way it is. They should give division 3 and 4 teams home advantage when playing division 1 teams.
The championship format is fairly rubbish to be honest. It’s not fair in my opinion to the Ulster teams especially. The Connaught and Munster Championships and somewhat Leinster are absolute dire. They should have a Champions League style format of 8 groups of 4 teams and the top 2 from each group enter the Last 16 of the All Ireland with the top from each group playing a 2nd placed team. The groups would also be seeded from their National League position meaning all Division 1 teams would be in a separate group and so on. At least every team would get 3 Championship games, the prospect of an open draw would also do much to enhance the game….and I’m not from Ulster!
I don’t see how ulster is any better. Donegal are near certainties for ulster this year and that will be 3 in a row and before them Tyrone and Armagh shared it for the previous ten years.
Leinster and ulster have to win more games to win an all Ireland however which is definitely unfair.
Kerry and cork basically don’t have to do anything until August because the rest of Munster are light years behind them. This is extremely unfair on the rest and plays a large part in Kerry’s success in my opinion despite their producing some excellent teams.
Some people suggest that it’s better for Kerry/Cork to take the back door route as they get more competitive games. As it is they get to play Each other in their only tough match before Aug and arrive untested into the Knockout stages.
These two scenarios get played out whenever Kerry/cork reach the QF and either win easily or lose comfortably.
If they get to QF by winning munster and win easily its cos they are fresh from easy matches. If they lose its cos they are untested.
For decades ulster was the weakest province, now it’s the most competitive. Why, they work hard but helped as all the counties place football number one. In Munster only Kerry place football 1, all the others are hurling or 50/50 in corks case. Munster will never have 6 strong teams
Maybe picky, but Derry WERE Division 2 and Down WERE Division 1, but Derry got promoted, Down got relegated, so division 2 team beat division 1 team.
(Best game if championship so far – great advert for GAA)