Re: Benn v Collins III - it's on !
British boxing chiefs will not sanction a third fight between Nigel Benn and Steve Collins, says BBC Radio 5 live pundit Steve Bunce.
Benn, 53, and Collins, 52, have told BBC Sport they have agreed to meet again, 21 years after their last fight.
"If it was a charity match, the British Boxing Board of Control might turn a blind eye," said Bunce. "But neither would make enough money."
Benn told 5 live there were "other avenues" for getting a licence.
British fighters David Haye and Dereck Chisora obtained clearance from Luxembourg's boxing federation prior to their fight at Upton Park in July 2012.
"They will not fight in this country under BBBofC rules," said Bunce. "You can forget that.
"That means it will take place under a Maltese licence or some other foreign body."
Londoner Benn feels he could convince the BBBofC that he is fit enough to compete.
But Dublin-born Collins, who beat Benn twice in 1996, and leading promoter Eddie Hearn do not think the organisation will sanction the fight.
BBBofC general secretary Robert Smith said on Thursday that neither Benn nor Collins had applied for a licence to fight again.
He said the only age limit imposed on those applying is they must be over 18, but added: "The older you get, the more unlikely it is."
Smith said he would be "surprised" if anyone wanted to promote the fight.
Benn, nicknamed 'The Dark Destroyer', held the WBO middleweight title and the WBC super-middleweight belt before retiring as a fighter following his second defeat by Collins at the Manchester Arena in November 1996.
First fight - 6 July 1996, Manchester
Collins ended Chris Eubank's unbeaten record to win the WBO super-middleweight title in 1995, and successfully defended the title seven times, include twice against Benn.
Benn came into the first fight in July 1996 having lost his WBC World super middleweight title to Thulani Malinga.
Collins stopped his opponent in the fourth round, with Benn suffering an ankle injury, but the pair then had a rematch just four months later.
Second fight - 9 November 1996, Manchester
Benn went into the rematch seeking revenge, but Collins was relentless in his attacking strategy.
The Englishman battled through to the end of round six before retiring in his corner. Collins had two more fights, retaining his WBO title, retiring in July 1997.
How did we get here?
Benn, whose son Conor made his professional debut in April 2016, has talked up the possibility of a return to the ring before.
An attempt to organise a rematch with old rival Eubank came to nothing, but both Benn and Collins have indicated that they are ready to fight each other again.
If the British Boxing Board of Control refuses to sanction the bout, both fighters have said they would seek a boxing licence from abroad.
"It's about the final chapter," Benn said. "It's about closure.
"I was going backwards and forwards with Chris and I thought: 'I wouldn't have a problem with Steve.' So I asked him if he wants to fight. He said yes. No mucking about."
Collins has not fought in almost 20 years, with an attempt to come out of retirement in 1999 halted when he collapsed during a sparring session.
The Irishman has also talked of fighting again in recent years, saying in a 2013 interview that he wanted to take on Roy Jones Jr.
Collins, whose son Steve Jr has been a professional boxer since 2013, said his motivations for taking on the fight with Benn were financial.
"It's just about money, a payday which will allow me to buy some more land," he said.
"I have no problem with Nigel. I have a lot of respect. I like him."
Since his retirement, Benn has helped train young boxers, and has also made a career as a DJ - while in 2002, he appeared as a contestant in the first series of ITV's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here.
He said that he feels in the best shape of his life, comparing himself to Benjamin Button, the F Scott Fitzgerald character who becomes younger in appearance as he gets older.
Benn added that he felt fitter now than he did at his professional peak, a time during which he said he was smoking cannabis and struggling with troubles in his personal life.
"I'm not angry any more and I can have everything I ever want," he said. "I am Nigel 'Benjamin Button' Benn. I feel like I am in my thirties."
Collins, nicknamed 'The Celtic Warrior', has worked as an actor since his last professional fight, appearing in the 1998 film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
He is confident that he will be cleared medically to fight Benn, despite the collapse that prevented his comeback in the late 1990s.
"I am not fighting a 20-year-old-guy," he said. "I'm fighting someone the same age as me. There's no disadvantage to anybody.
"I get medicals every year and the most impressive part is my MRI. 'Excellent' was how the neurosurgeon described it. I'm very healthy and very fit."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/40434050
Do not let success go to your head and do not let failure get to your heart.
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