BIRMINGHAM — Nathaniel Collins heads into this Saturday’s European title clash against Liam Davies with a dismissive view of his opponent’s punching power. Despite Davies recording four stoppage wins in his last five outings, Collins, who has sparred with the Donnington fighter in the past, maintains that the threat has been overstated.
“I think [the familiarity through sparring is] a benefit to us both – we’ve felt each other’s power; we’ve felt each other’s pressure. But a fight’s totally different: there’s a lot more on the line, the gloves are smaller, there’s no headguards and no friendly stuff,” Collins told Boxing News. “I never felt much power in sparring but I do have a good chin, so maybe I don’t feel it the same as others.”
Both fighters enter the bout at 30 years old, each holding 19 professional bouts of experience. Collins is looking to rebound from the first defeat of his career against Cristobal Lorente, a fight week complicated by the birth of his daughter. The Scotsman noted that he feels less pressure entering this contest than he did during his previous headlining appearances in Scotland.
To prepare for the challenge, Collins traveled to Southampton to spar with Ryan Garner, whom he described as an underrated and high-level training partner. While the bout is viewed by many as a 50/50 encounter, Collins remains focused on proving that his previous performance was not representative of his true capabilities.