Pure ambition
Collins and Beech Jnr are eager to be crowned the champion of Britain in a tasty-looking affair in Glasgow, writes Matt Bozeat
NATHANIEL COLLINS gets the chance on Friday night to add his name to the list of 10 Scottish men who have held the British
featherweight title.
The 26-year-old southpaw from Bearsden meets James Beech Jnr for the vacant belt in Glasgow’s Double Tree Hilton Hotel. Collins also makes his third defence of the Commonwealth championship on a non-televised show promoted by Sam Kynoch. This fight is deserving of a wider audience.
Collins, 11-0 (5), is a talented box-puncher who was crowned Commonwealth champion in only his eighth fight, while Beech Jnr, 15-3 (2), is an ambitious pro from Walsall who’s making his second bid for British and Commonwealth honours.
In July 2020, Brad Foster beat him with a strong start and finish at 122lbs, before Beech went on to suffer losses to Chris Bourke (pts 10) and Dennis Mccann (rsf 8).
For some, those results suggested Beech, whose father was also a pro, may have settled into the role of tough opponent, but the 25-year-old, living in Bloxwich, is way too proud for that and handed Birmingham’s Raza Hamza (17-0-1) his first loss, over 10 rounds in Coventry in December to secure this shot.
Both Collins and Beech are tidy technicians and though Beech is listed as two inches taller, Collins appears to have the edge in most departments.
The 26-year-old looks to have quicker fists and feet and there’s more weight behind his punches. The southpaw stance has troubled Beech, as well. The last two left-handers he faced – Bourke and Mccann – beat him well.
Bourke (9-0) hurt Beech early and went on to dominate, while Mccann (120) dropped him twice and stopped him in eight.
Those two fights were made at 122lbs and 124lbs, respectively. Collins is a solid 126lbs, hard to hit and always in range or on the edge of it to keep opponents under pressure.
The 2018 Commonwealth Games rep stepped up to championship level in only his eighth pro fight and dominated long Ghanaian southpaw Felix Williams (292) for the vacant Commonwealth belt, pushing him back from the opening bell and then keeping the punches coming in the third to drop him for the stoppage.
Collins then broke down South Africa’s Thembani Mbangatha (11-0) in his first defence and, last time out, he kept Welsh southpaw Jacob Robinson (9-0) quiet for most of the 12 rounds. He had Robinson down in the eighth after the challenger mounted a rare attack and barely took a punch himself until the ninth when he held his feet more and suffered a bloody nose.
Collins has done everything that’s been asked of him so far, but Beech would no doubt think that everyone the Scot has beaten, he could beat as well.
Collins made Williams and Robinson look like novices with his hand speed and ring generalship, and Beech will surely bring more than them. He’s a gritty competitor whose dreamt of wearing the Lonsdale Belt since he started watching boxing on television with his father as a boy.
Beech is sure to give his all, but we don’t think it’s going to be enough on Friday night. Collins can win a very watchable encounter on points.
In a well-matched chief-support, Airdrie’s Ben Mcgivern, 4-2-1, tackles Drumgoon’s Dominic Doneghan, 7-4-1 (1). The vacant Celtic middleweight title is on the line over 10 rounds – a distance that neither fighter has been scheduled for before.