Nathaniel Collins, Cristobal Lorente make weight for European featherweight title fight

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Mosope Ominiyi

RingMagazine.com |12 hours ago

Nathaniel Collins, Cristobal Lorente make weight for European featherweight title fight

GLASGOW, Scotland — Nathaniel Collins goes from main card sizzler to headline attraction on Saturday night when challenging Cristobal Lorente for the Spaniard's EBU European featherweight title on home soil.

Defending his No. 1 ranking with the WBC this weekend, their 126-pound encounter doubles as a final eliminator for Stephen Fulton's WBC world championship with moving pieces aplenty to be sorted in the coming months.

Two-division titleholder Fulton moves up in weight again when challenging O'Shaquie Foster for his 130-pound title on October 25, while interim champion Bruce Carrington awaits news - as does returning champion in recess Rey Vargas training as he anticipates a return date.

Collins (17-0, 8 KOs) and Lorente (20-0-2, 8 KOs) both weighed the same and looked in good shape flexing their muscles for the cameras, tipping the scales at 125.1 pounds.

Elsewhere, The Ring's No. 10-rated light heavyweight contender Willy Hutchinson (18-2, 13 KOs) ends a year-long layoff after injury and will box among home comforts for the first time in seven years. It's a crossroads matchup for both him and career super middleweight Mark Jeffers, keen to atone after a 'terrible' performance saw him lose a 10-round majority decision to Sean Hemphill in June.

Hutchinson received a warm welcome from the fans packed into the iMAX Theatre and came in at 174.7, just over half-a-pound more than Jeffers (20-1, 7 KOs) wearing a Rangers shirt and hoping for more luck than his football team managed in Europe this week.

Given how easily Hutchinson has verbally sparred with previous opponents - for better and worse - mutual respect is a refreshing theme this time around.

"I give him respect because he's speaking how it should be, whatever weight, he's coming to win - unfortunately against a man like myself - I do the job on Saturday night and win the world title in 2026. Whether I knock him out or just win and feel good doing it, camp went great and it feels good to be back home," the 27-year-old said in Thursday's press conference.

Glackin-Brown for British title, Brown has another step-up

In a battle of unbeaten lightweights for British honours, Regan Glackin maintains this is all about timing. "If I'm not ready now, I won't ever be," he insisted Thursday, acknowledging the titles he's collected but stressing they are a step towards bigger acclaim.

If he believes he'll make better in-fight adjustments than Louie O'Doherty, the Essex resident hopes to spring a nasty surprise.

"I'm always trying to add stuff to my game, fixing mistakes, camp has gone well and I've done a lot. I don't think I've shown my skills in the ring, got more in me that hasn't been seen yet, have shown I like a bit of a war on the inside and if that's what happens, it will have to in parts, we'll have no choice."

Aston Brown, as he did before icing Reece Porter in a round on May 24, promised another demolition job against Paul Kean in their scheduled 10-round contest for the Celtic middleweight title.

He reiterated his belief that he's at British title level now, aged 34, and the Glaswegian told The Ring he hopes for a multi-fight Queensberry contract with another highlight reel performance this weekend.

Kean meanwhile, dismissed Brown's confidence.

"He'll be surprised on Saturday night, it's the best camp I've had in a long time. He's coming off a three-fight win streak and full of confidence but I am too, ready to put on a show and upset the odds."

Best of the rest

After beating the seasoned Robbie Chapman on his OVO Hydro debut, there's no shame in finding the country's next best venue for an excited Alex Arthur Jr before his second pro appearance.

He'll have his dad, former European and WBO interim junior lightweight champion Alex, as lead cornerman going forward and expects another clean display over four rounds against Poland's Grzegorz Mardyla.

Highly-rated amateur standout John Joe Carrigan looked a svelte 153.7 pounds on the scale before his pro debut, having again pointed to successful sparring with grown men as an insight into what's to come.

Just like Carrigan, another Shelly Finkel-backed prospect in Puerto Rico's amateur star Yandiel Lozano debuts on British shores in a six-round contest against 16-fight Mexican pro Mario Victorino Vera.

Short-notice opponent or not, junior featherweight hopeful Marcus Sutherland relishes the opportunity to make a statement on his Queensberry debut.

"It's down to me to show they've done the right thing by signing me, time to prove they made the right decision and I'm looking forward to a good fight, where I'll get more credit for beating someone on short-notice. I only found out on Wednesday night but he's an undefeated fighter looking to take my contract, that's not happening."

Full weights:

EBU featherweight title, 12 rounds: Cristobal Lorente (125.1) vs. Nathaniel Collins (125.1)
British lightweight title, 12 rounds: Regan Glackin (134.6) vs. Louie O'Doherty (134.1)
Light heavyweight, 10 rounds: Willy Hutchinson (174.7) vs. Mark Jeffers (174.1)
Celtic middleweight title, 10 rounds: Aston Brown (159.1) vs. Paul Kean (159.1)
Junior featherweight, 8 rounds: Marcus Sutherland (121.8) vs. Kerim Aguis (120.7)
Light heavyweight, 6 rounds: Steve Collins Jr (178.1) vs. Javier Santana (176.1)
Junior welterweight, 6 rounds: Reese Lynch (143.3) vs. Jakub Laskowski (141.1)
Junior lightweight, 6 rounds: Yandiel Lozano-Oquendo (129.1) vs. Mario Victorino Vera (128.8)
Welterweight, 4 rounds: Drew Limond (151.1) vs. Alexeyv Mikhail Arellano Leon (149.1)
Super middleweight, 4 rounds: Alex Arthur Jr (171.1) vs. Grzegorz Mardyla (170.7)
Junior middleweight, 4 rounds: John Joe Carrigan (153.7) vs. Dawid Przybylski (154.1)