GLASGOW, Scotland – Nathaniel Collins was anointed the Next King of Scotland on fight posters preceding his first main event but lacked guile and, more importantly, the legs down the stretch during a 12-round split draw with Cristobal Lorente in their featherweight clash Saturday at Braehead Arena.

Each had a 115-113 scorecard in their favour, while a 114-114 draw from the third judge meant they couldn't be split after 36 minutes. Collins accepted the fact the performance wasn't good enough for his world title aspirations, lamenting his inability to stop the Spaniard after seven rounds. Afterward, both said they are open to an immediate rematch.

Collins, 29, made quick work of Lee McGregor last time out, but this wasn't a domestic assignment against a former sparring partner. Instead, he was facing an unbeaten European champion in Lorente in a matchup that doubled as a WBC final eliminator for Stephen Fulton's world title.

Did he feel pressure leading into this?

"Not really, and the reason is that for long enough I've asked to get in this position," he told BoxingScene before this maiden main event. "I didn't want journeymen at the start, then fought all sorts of domestic fights, said I don't want any more and need to move on. Don't feel you're allowed to feel pressure for something you've asked for. If I didn't think I was ready for this level, to carry or bring back big nights to Scotland, I wouldn't have asked for it."

Collins (17-0-1, 8 KOs) quickly got to work scything down Lorente. And after the Scotsman's slip had some inside the arena holding their breath at the end of the first minute, Spanish cries of delight came when the visitor countered well with subtle shots landing on the back foot.

Collins connected on two and three-punch flurries as Lorente stood waiting, and that was again the case early in round two, Lorente (20-0-3, 8 KOs) looking unsteady and Collins biding his time as openings would appear to head and body in the final stages of the frame.

The third round was another slow-burning affair, Collins connecting with a big uppercut before they exchanged right hands to finish the stanza and one you'd hope would prompt more back-and-forth action. Instead, they jostled for position at close-range, and Collins kept tagging the Spaniard, albeit with little urgency until they unloaded in the last seconds.

Perhaps buoyed by that brief success, Lorente pitched his best round in the fifth and finally starting to apply more forward pressure to make Collins work at a heightened pace while catching him clean behind the right hand.

The sixth had more ebbs and flows, though Collins was clearly the aggressor as they exchanged in centre ring with both having bright spells. Collins abandoned defence when hurting Lorente, to his detriment, when he would've been better placed to step back a touch and patiently pick punches to – at the very least – score a knockdown for all his left hands.

Predictably after a busy round, the pace slowed in round seven as Lorente reverted to type, allowing Collins to score with shots at short- and mid-range without exerting much energy.

The visitor's best bet was to engage in close quarters and bank on an overconfident Collins, given he was comfortably leading by this stage, though the knockout threat lingered.

Round nine felt like deja vu, Collins flicking out the jab and Lorente firing back furiously with two- and three-punch flurries in the latter stages to make an impression on ringside judges naturally consumed by recency bias. Given the crowd noise had quieted too, the visitor did enough to keep Collins honest by this stage and comfortably took his power punches.

Carl Frampton's 87-84 scorecard on DAZN's broadcast was visible on the big screen early in round 10, Lorente winning the last two frames by his judgment and the Spaniard's increased output – combined with less from Collins – made for an interesting finish.

The penultimate round was scrappy and stop-start with clinching aplenty as both looked fatigued, Lorente cut over the eye and Collins needing a push from somewhere – the crowd or a haymaker – to give him that renewed surge of energy he began with earlier.

He saw Josh Taylor motion for him to spin and move sharply at close-range in the final frame, though the bounce in his legs was long gone by this stage. Both corners would've known before the 12th: a gritty encounter and closer than many could have predicted through six rounds. The pair trading furiously in the pocket until the bell exemplified that.