Steve Collins facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Steve Collins |
|
|---|---|
Collins in 2010.
|
|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Stephen Collins |
| Nickname(s) | Celtic Warrior |
| Rated at |
|
| Height | 6 ft |
| Reach | 71 in |
| Born | 21 July 1964 Cabra, Dublin, Ireland |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 39 |
| Wins | 36 |
| Wins by KO | 21 |
| Losses | 3 |
Stephen Collins (born 21 July 1964) is a famous Irish former professional boxer. He competed from 1986 to 1997. People knew him as the "Celtic Warrior."
Steve Collins is one of the most successful Irish boxers in recent times. He held two major boxing titles at the same time: the WBO middleweight and super-middleweight titles. What's amazing is that he never lost a fight while he was a champion!
His first 19 professional fights happened in the United States. In 1988, he won the Irish middleweight title. The next year, he won the American USBA middleweight title. He defended this title successfully in Atlantic City and Las Vegas.
Steve Collins tried to win world championships twice for the WBA middleweight title. He had close fights but lost to Mike McCallum in 1990 and Reggie Johnson in 1992. He also tried for the European middleweight title in 1992 but lost.
He became a world champion when he was in his early 30s. In 1994, he won the WBO middleweight title by beating Chris Pyatt. Then, in 1995, he moved up to a heavier weight class. He defeated the undefeated Chris Eubank to win the WBO super-middleweight title. He defended his title successfully against Eubank in a rematch later that year. Collins defended his title six more times. He retired in 1997 because he really wanted to fight Roy Jones Jr., who was considered the best boxer at the time, but that fight never happened.
Steve Collins fought against some of the best boxers from both America and Europe. He is often remembered for his exciting fights against British boxers Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn. Collins fought and beat both of them twice towards the end of their careers.
Contents
Steve Collins' Boxing Journey
Starting Out in Boston
Steve Collins was a very successful amateur boxer, winning 26 Irish titles. He became a professional boxer in Boston, Massachusetts (USA) in October 1986. He trained at the Petronelli Brothers gym, where famous boxer Marvin Hagler also trained. In his first professional fight, he won by knockout in the third round.
In 1988, in Boston, he beat Sam Storey to win the Irish middleweight title. Then he defeated Kevin Watts to win the USBA middleweight title. After winning 16 fights in a row, Collins got a chance to fight for the WBA middleweight title against Mike McCallum in 1990. It was a very close and exciting fight, but McCallum won.
In 1992, Collins fought Reggie Johnson for the vacant WBA middleweight title. It was another tough fight, and Johnson won. Later that year, Collins lost another close fight for the European title. But he kept going! In 1993, he won the WBA Penta-Continental middleweight title by beating Gerhard Botes.
Becoming a World Champion
After these fights, Collins moved to England and joined Barry Hearn's Matchroom Boxing team. He trained hard and was ready for his big moment.
In May 1994, Steve Collins finally achieved his dream! He won a world title by defeating Chris Pyatt in five rounds. This made him the WBO middleweight champion. However, in early 1995, he gave up this title. It was becoming too difficult for him to stay at the 160-pound middleweight limit.
So, he decided to move up to the super-middleweight division. In March 1995, he got a huge opportunity. He stepped in to fight the undefeated champion Chris Eubank.
WBO Super-Middleweight Champion
Steve Collins faced Chris Eubank in Millstreet, County Cork, Ireland, in March 1995. Eubank had never lost a fight before. Collins won by a unanimous decision, meaning all the judges agreed he was the winner. This made him the WBO super-middleweight champion!
Before this fight, Collins and his team made people believe he would be hypnotized, which seemed to make Eubank a bit nervous. During Eubank's entrance, Collins sat still in his corner, listening to headphones. Collins even knocked Eubank down in the eighth round. Eubank fought back hard and knocked Collins down in the tenth round, but Collins held on to win.
There's even a film about this famous fight called One Night in Millstreet.
In their rematch in September 1995 in Cork, Collins changed his style and fought very aggressively. Eubank struggled to deal with it. Collins won again, this time by a close split decision.
Collins successfully defended his WBO super-middleweight title seven times. This included two exciting fights against Nigel Benn in 1996, both of which Collins won.
By the summer of 1997, Collins felt he had nothing left to prove. He had spent years trying to get a fight with Roy Jones Jr., who was considered the best boxer in the world. Collins said he would fight Jones anywhere, even "in a phone box." But the fight never happened. A fight against Joe Calzaghe was planned for October 1997, but Collins got injured. He then announced his retirement, saying that fighting Calzaghe wouldn't give him the challenge he wanted from Jones.
In 1999, Collins thought about coming out of retirement to finally fight Roy Jones Jr. However, during a training session, Collins collapsed. Even though tests showed no problems, he felt it was a warning. He decided to retire for good.
Steve Collins retired in 1997 with an impressive record: 39 fights, 36 wins (21 by knockout), and only 3 losses. He was inducted into the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame in 2025.
Life After Boxing
After retiring from boxing, Steve Collins didn't completely disappear from public life. In 1998, he appeared in the movie Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. In 1999, he was in a music video for the band U2.
In 2014, Collins joined the British Army Reserve. He later transferred to the 4th Regiment Royal Military Police in London. He became a Lance Corporal and qualified as an army boxing coach.
He also appears in the film One Night in Millstreet, which tells the story of his famous fight with Chris Eubank.
Professional Boxing Record Summary
| 39 fights | 36 wins | 3 losses |
| By knockout | 21 | 0 |
| By decision | 15 | 3 |
Steve Collins had a total of 39 professional fights. He won 36 of them, with 21 wins coming by knockout. He only lost 3 fights in his entire career.
