BOXING:
CONFIDENT and competent was the motto of WBO super-middleweight champion Steve Collins as he flew into Glasgow yesterday to wind up his preparations for his defence of the world title at the Kelvin Hall on Saturday.
The proposed head-to-head with American Craig Cummings was, however, an evasion rather than a collision. At no time did they shake hands, they hardly looked at one another during the press briefing, and Collins refused to pose for a picture with Cummings.
The Irishman's explanation was that Cummings was ''too nice a guy'' to have a head-to-head with. However, it smacked of psychological warfare.
Later, the pleasant, 29-year-old fireman from Kansas City said: ''That's no problem for me.'' He then took down a huge poster depicting Collins as the ''Celtic Warrior'' and tore it down the middle. That was as angry as it got.
It will, of course, be different on Saturday night when the Dubliner makes the seventh defence of the title he won in March, 1995, when he outpointed Chris Eubank. ''I'm still a hungry fighter, I'm still improving and I want to come back to fight in Scotland again,'' said Collins. ''All that means is I will still be champion on Saturday night.
''I never underestimate any fighter, but I only watched two or three rounds of Craig on video. That's enough to gauge a boxer's style and how to beat him.
''I don't pay attention to what an opponent does. It's what I do that counts. This fellow can't show me anything I haven't come up against before.
''His record looks impressive, but when he fights me he will feel as if he has run up against a brick wall.''
Cummings shot back: ''I won't be running into any brick wall - I'll go over the wall. Steve Collins is the No.1 super-middleweight and it's an honour to fight him, but I believe I have the ability to win the title.''
There was a humorous moment when it was pointed out that Cummings would have the support of the Rangers football fans, because Collins is a self-confessed Celtic supporter. ''My favourite Scot is Ally McCoist and he is a Rangers player, so I don't see why people should hold it against me the fact that I support Celtic,'' said Collins.
Cummings was rather bemused by this dark and disturbing sporting rift that shames the West of Scotland. ''I don't know what to think,'' he said. ''My family is a mixture of the protestant and catholic religions - I believe in God.''
Co-promoter Alex Morrison chipped in: ''And I believe in full houses.''
There are around 600 tickets left for the promotion, which will have 12 bouts, with several young Scottish hopefuls performing.
qWAYNE McCullough's manager, Mat Tinley, has dismissed Prince Naseem Hamed's next world title fight as a ''total mis-match.''
Hamed defends the WBO and IBF feather weight titles against unbeaten Argentinian Pastor Maurin at Wembley on July 19. However, Tinley slammed the challenger's credentials and predicted: ''Maurin will not go past the first round. He hasn't got a chance against Hamed. It's a joke.''
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