LIGHT heavyweight talent Ben Collins is claiming to be in the best shape of his life – as he makes the jump to his first six-round contest next month.
The 21-year-old from Stourbridge fights at BCB Promotions’ ‘Infiltrate’ show on December 5 at the Dudley Town Hall.
It will have been seven months since Collins last stepped through the ropes, but he is brimming with confidence and looking to end the year on a high.
“This has been a long camp,” said Collins.
“I’ve been training since August. I was meant to be boxing in September, then it was going to be October, but the show was cancelled.
“But it’s put me in a good frame of mind. I feel like I’ve matured so much, both mentally and physically. I’ve been able to work on a lot of things, and being that bit older now, my man strength is there to see.”
Preparation for fight number six has seen Collins test himself with one of the hottest talents in the sport in light heavyweight Ben Whittaker as well as the world-ranked Zach Parker.
He added: “The sparring has been cracking, getting six good rounds with Ben and doing all the rounds with Zach. I get to share the ring with guys who are at the top of their game, and it’s good to gauge how much I’m improving.
“When I first sparred Zach, I could only do three, maybe four rounds, but now I can do the six or the eight, and they are good, competitive spars.”
After winning his first two fights and signing with Queensbury Promotions, everything was looking good for the Haringey Box Cup winner, but a surprise loss to Patryk Polasik in his third forced him to make a few changes, and after winning two fights in a row against veterans Harry Matthews and Edgars Sneidze, he and his coach have decided now is the perfect time to step up to six rounds.
He said: “Maybe I did get ahead of myself a little bit thinking I had already made it, but I wouldn’t change anything that happened.
“I’ve been able to take my time, and not being overly active has done me good. I’m fortunate to have great sponsors who allow me to do this as a full-time job, and my learning is taking place every day, not just on fight night. I realised I’m young; there is no need to rush and make mistakes.”
The show will be headlined by former English and European middleweight champion Tyler Denny’s clash with Grant Dennis. Both men train together at the BCB gym in Wednesbury, and for Collins, getting to share the bill with someone he works with day in day out is something he is looking forward to.
He added: “I’ve got so much respect for Tyler and what he has achieved. I met him at the BCB gym when I was a sixteen-year-old amateur, and now we are on the same card together. The atmosphere is going to be electric in the Town Hall with all his fans, and hopefully they also cheer me for being a local lad like he is.
“This has easily been my best camp; I’ve never seen myself in such shape, and I can’t wait to show these improvements.”
The rest of the card sees unbeaten Liam Carey take on Khya Preston in a potential show stealer, as well as the unbeaten Mia Holland and the professional debut of amateur talent Brandon Fells.
Tickets are available now, priced at £45 for general admission and £85 for VIP, from the boxers directly or by emailing info@bcb-promotions.com.
