Nigel Benn and Steve Collins lined up for Vauxhall Motors ABC dinner event

May 12 2010 by Philip Kirkbride, Birkenhead News

NIGEL BENN and Steve Collins will go toe-to-toe one more time next month.

The legendary super-middleweight rivals square up at the latest Vauxhall Motors ABC after dinner speech night.

Following American greats Sugar Ray Leonard and Mike Tyson holding court with Merseyside’s boxing fraternity in the last 12 months, it is now the turn of the ‘Dark Destroyer’ and the ‘Celtic Warrior’.

Benn slugged it out with Collins twice in 1996 as he bid to take the Irishman’s WBO super-middleweight crown but on both occasions Collins won inside the distance.

A former WBC ruler and WBO middleweight champion, Benn retired from the ring following his second loss to Collins in Manchester on November, 9 but his rival went onto defend his crown two more times before calling it a day.

Collins (36-3) started his career fighting in America and after claiming the USBA middleweight title, would claim the WBO middleweight strap having unsuccessfully gone for the WBA crown in 1990 and 1992.

The Cabra-born boxer’s career flourished after his triumph at 11st 6lbs when he moved up a weight division to strip Chris Eubank of the super-middleweight belt.

Benn’s route to glory was strikingly similar to that of the Irishman; a WBO middleweight victory over Doug DeWitt in 1990 then saw the Londoner mix it up with the 12st fighters where he scored a fourth round TKO win over Mauro Galvano to claim the WBC strap.

Holding onto the title for nearly four years, Thulani Malinga dethroned Benn who then set his sights on a clash with Collins.

Benn and Collins will be giving an after dinner speech at the Ellesmere Port Civic Hall on Thursday, June 10.

Tickets are priced at £50 which includes a five-course meal.

To book your place and for more information call 07971476605.