By Shaun Brown
WHEN PICTURING a Scottish boxer, you might imagine someone stern-faced, wiry, in need of a tan, and with looks that kill.
Nathaniel Collins doesn’t tick all those boxes, largely because he doesn’t take himself too seriously, as is evident during his chat with Boxing News ahead of his European featherweight title/world title eliminator against Cristobal Lorente at Glasgow’s Braehead Arena on Saturday.
The 29-year-old sits down in tartan pyjamas, a constant smile on his face — the polar opposite of one of his favourite Scottish fighters, Scott Harrison.
“Being my weight, being a good wee man – what a fighter, tough as nails and a fit guy,” he said of the former two-time WBO featherweight champion.
Collins’ ring moniker is ‘The Nightmare’, reflecting the switch that fires up when it matters most.
He doesn’t paint himself as a hard man; instead, he comes across light-hearted — someone who would rather share a joke than strike a pose.
“I’m not the most manly guy,” he says. “I don’t walk out thinking I’m anything [special], I’m just up for a laugh.
“I’ve never thought I’ve got this mentality, like Scott Harrison used to have. I’m not that guy. It only comes out when I’m boxing or training.
“It’s a weird situation, because now in this interview, or when I’m in a group of mates, I’m like a big jessie.”
That said, there is steel beneath the surface – forged through boxing and tested when he was rushed to hospital in May 2024 with terrible abdominal pain caused by a twisted bowel.
Collins underwent lifesaving surgery; a life-or-death moment few young, fit athletes would expect to face. Mentally, it would have broken many.
“This is going to sound like a lie, but it wasn’t that hard for me,” he recalls.
“I never, ever got down about it.
“I have been boxing my whole life. As soon as that happened, I had 12 weeks where I was just a partner and a dad, and that was it.
“I loved every minute of it. We got a camper van, I got my dog, we cut about and seen Scotland.
“As soon as I was on my feet again, I was running. I’d done ultra marathons and as soon as I could do that, I was cycling. I was doing 100-mile cycles.
“As soon as I got past that stage of, OK, I’m fit enough now to go back to the gym, I was back in the gym.”
Josh Taylor’s retirement in July left Scottish boxing without its flagbearer.
A couple of months earlier, Collins had beaten Taylor’s friend Lee McGregor in an old-fashioned east v west battle – an emphatic fourth-round stoppage in a fight deemed 50-50 beforehand.
It wouldn’t be long before Collins met McGregor again. In fact it was just one week later.
“I was going to Italy to do the Hyrox fitness thing and I was in an airport walking about, and my missus said, ‘Is that not Lee’s missus?’ And then, Lee walked up as well.
“Two minutes later, and it was like, ‘Oh, hi mate.’ At this time the highlight reels of the fight were still getting shared, and I was like, ‘Hope you’re all good and all that’.”
Collins, like some of his favourites – Harrison, Ricky Burns and Taylor – is now leading from the front.
Saturday’s show is titled ‘The Next King of Scotland.’ On the undercard is a host of local talent Frank Warren has snapped up, offering hope for the future: Willy Hutchinson, Drew Limond, Alex Arthur Jr and Reese Lynch.
Scottish boxing has always produced world-class fighters, especially in the lighter weights. Heavyweights are a rarity.
“All the Scottish heavyweights like their food too much, and they like their bevvy too much, and that’s why they become big men,” Collins jokes.
Training with Joe Ham Jr and Sr, Collins sees the next generation coming through daily in the gym.
He points to amateur Leo Church as one of many “great” young talents, though he admits Scotland’s social culture can hold fighters back.
“There’s a good few boys coming through that are really, really talented, like more talented than I ever was as youngsters,” he says.
“The biggest problem in Scotland is the drinking culture, and the party culture, and wanting to go out with your friends, so you get the kind of select few that get past that.
“It’s not even about getting them into the gym, or getting them involved. They love getting in the gym, they love boxing – but you also get to an age where you’re like, I love girls and I love this and that.”
Temptations never sidetracked Collins.
“I just wasn’t interested,” he says. “I don’t like the taste of beer, and I was never bothered too much.
“I moved around a lot. We stayed in Hamilton, I moved to Glasgow, everyone was already in their friends groups and their teams, so I had to focus on boxing.
“I never really bothered about trying to fit in, or trying to join a friend group, or anything like that.
“I was already in my 20s when I got my proper friends, so there [was] no need for me to go out drinking to find out who was my pals or not.”
Collins now carries the hopes of Scottish boxing.
The more he wins, the more chances other Scottish fighters will have to shine on his undercards. Taylor, Carl Frampton and Joe Calzaghe know all too well what it means to carry the Celtic nations’ expectations. It’s a heavy burden, but if handled correctly, it can lead to unforgettable nights on the world stage.
“I’m buzzing,” Collins says of the challenge.
“The only thing that makes me a bit sad is I feel like the magic of boxing, or the buzz of boxing being such a big sport in Scotland, is gone. Not gone totally, because we are clawing it back.
“When Scott Harrison was about, when Willie Limond was about, when Ricky was about, people were flooding through the doors and could not wait to get to the boxing, and the boxing was a night out for everyone. The buzz about a boxing night was just next level.
“I think with Covid we lost that here and there but got it back with Josh. For a while there was nobody to get behind and get out and follow. I really do think it’s something we need to bring back big time.”
Like Taylor before him, Collins dreams of fighting in America –and knows exactly which title he wants.
“The guy that I’m always associated with is [WBA champion] Nick Ball, and it’s just because it’s an all-UK thing.
“We’ve meant to have been there before. It never happened; it’s been toyed with.
“So, that’s the guy that I’m associated with. But if I had to choose, it would be for the WBC title. Get myself to America, get a big fight there – that’s the dream.”
