Tommy Collins believes a gut-check could be the making of him as he prepares for more six-round action.
He’s scheduled to appear at the Eastside Rooms, on Woodcock Street in Birmingham, when BCB Promotions return to the venue on Saturday June 17.
The popular Brummie, who is from Northfield, boxes over six for the fifth time in succession, but had to survive a scare last time out.
Collins was put on the floor by Eduardo Valverde, in the very first round, after walking on to a left hook, but rallied and went on to dominate, during the rest of the contest.
The 58-56 scoreline was his closest call to date, though, as ‘Tommy Gun’ moved to 8-0 and continued to close in on a first pro title shot.
His first six-rounder turned out to be a test, too, as he beat Des Newton, by a 58-55 verdict. Collins then landed a first round TKO over Chris Adaway, dropping him with a right hand.
The 25-year-old welterweight has also scored a six-round points whitewash against Georgi Velichkov, bossing proceedings for all of the sessions.
He’s additionally notched up another four points shut-outs, over four rounds, with 40-36 results at the expense of Paul Ducie, MJ Hall, Clayton Bricknell and Vitalii Maksymiv.
Collins is looking to emulate the exploits of his amateur career, which was spent with Hall Green Boxing Club, and gave him a grounding of 76 bouts.
In the process of amassing 66 victories, he won 17 area titles in national competition and was a finalist in the 2016 England Youth tournament, representing England at youth level.
Collins said: “It’s good to get out again, I’ve got another six-rounder to fine-tune a few things and then I’ll be knocking on the door of a title shot.
“Me and my team have talked about what’s on the horizon and we’ve drafted up some ideas. I’ll get to 9-0 with another win and that could take me in a few different directions.
“I’d love to do it the old-fashioned way and box for the Midlands, English and British (titles). No matter what route I take, it’s going to be a 50-50 trade-off, as there’s a lot of competition.
“The fighters at super lightweight are of a good calibre, that’s for sure, but I believe that, on my day, I’ll be firing on all cylinders and able to compete.
“You are always learning in this sport. I had 70 amateur fights, but the pros are a completely different game and I’m still picking up things.
“I was disappointed with my last performance, I felt sluggish when the bell went and got caught in the first round. I went over, but I got straight back up and I wasn’t fazed.
“It was a bit of a flash knockdown, really, and then my superior fitness got me through, even if I wasn’t getting out of second gear.
“I’d never got off the floor like that before, so I know what it’s like now and maybe that is a blessing in disguise. If I stick to my boxing, it shouldn’t happen again.”
Tickets for the Eastside Rooms bill are available, priced at £40 standard or £75 VIP ringside, directly from the boxers or by visiting myfighttickets.com.
