A FEATHERWEIGHT dustup between Nathaniel Collins and Michael Conlan, two fiercely competitive Celtic combatants, could soon emerge as a genuine possibility.
The former, of course, has business to take care of against Cristobal Lorente, while the latter happens to be coming off a stunning fourth-round finish over Jack Bateson.
It was only last Friday, in fact, that Conlan, 20-3 (10 KOs), kept his world title ambitions alive with an emphatic victory in Dublin, Ireland.
In doing so, the 33-year-old amassed his second win since suffering back-to-back defeats to Luis Alberto Lopez, the then-IBF world champion, and Jordan Gill.
But while, naturally, a rematch with Leigh Wood, or perhaps even an appealing showdown with Josh Warrington, both represent potential options, it is equally likely that Conlan will consider an alternative route against Collins, 17-0 (8 KOs).
The Scot comes off a ruthless fourth-round finish over Lee McGregor in a fight which, prior to it unfolding in one-sided fashion, was deemed a 50/50 clash.
As a result, Collins – who is now the WBC’s leading contender at 126lbs – has secured himself a main event slot against European champion Lorente on October 4.
Should he come through his assignment at the Braehead Arena, Glasgow, then the 29-year-old could quite possibly be tempted by a Scotland vs Ireland dustup with Conlan.
Or at least, that is a fight which Nisse Sauerland, Conlan’s promoter, hopes to explore, along with the more obvious matchups against Wood and Conlan.
“I know that he [Conlan] would love the Leigh Wood rematch, but he’ll also get a good ranking with the WBC now,” Sauerland told Boxing News.
“Nathaniel Collins is ranked number-one [with the WBC], so that could be something to look at as well.
“The Josh Warrington fight would be another massive one and, after seeing how many tickets Mick sells, we’d have to decide where to do it.”
While Conlan remains just outside of the WBC’s top-15, it is likely that, because of his win over Bateson, he will soon secure himself a more lofty position.
And victory over Collins, of course, would then only propel him closer towards a third world title shot.
“He’s a good fighter,” Sauerland said of Collins. “He beat Lee McGregor, who used to be with me, in great fashion, and a fight against Mick would make sense for both of them.”
