Scotland's Nathaniel Collins (17-0-1, 8 KOs) and European champion Cristóbal Lorente (20-0, 8 KOs) of Spain will face off in the ring once again, but this time with a much larger prize on the line. The winner of the April 17th rematch in Glasgow will become the WBC mandatory challenger for the featherweight title (currently held by Bruce Carrington). Their first encounter at the Braehead Arena ended evenly. After twelve intense rounds, the scorecards reflected absolute technical equality: a majority draw (115-113, 113-115, and 114-114) that allowed Lorente to retain his European crown and Collins to keep his undefeated record, but left no one satisfied.

 

Collins dominated the early stages with speed and incisiveness, but Lorente proved his championship pedigree by adjusting the distance and dominating the second half of the fight with solid, precise boxing that emptied his rival’s reserves. When the bell rings in Glasgow, the British atmosphere and the anthems will take a backseat. In the center of the ring, only two men with a clear mission will remain. Collins seeks to prove that his slump in the second half of the first fight was a mere slip and that he has the authority to close the fight in front of his home crowd. Lorente arrives with the certainty that he already knows how to dominate on enemy turf, aiming not to give away a single inch of the canvas from the very first round.