Tom Collins

Tom Collins, “The Bomb”, was a British light-heavyweight who also boxed at cruiserweight, born on 1 July 1955 in Willemstad, Curaçao, and long based out of Leeds. An orthodox who stood 5ft 11in, Collins carved out a career in the hard British manner, the sort where you learned your trade on the road and then took your chances when the titles came calling. He finished with a professional record of 26 wins, 22 losses and 2 draws, with 19 of those wins inside the distance.

He turned professional on 17 January 1977 and made a brisk start, winning his first six before tasting defeat in May 1978 against Harald Skog. He crossed paths early with Dennis Andries twice in quick succession at the end of 1978 and the start of 1979, losing both, but the rivalry would later swing his way when the stakes were much higher. In February 1980, Collins won his first belt, stopping Greg Evans in one round for the BBBofC Central Area light-heavyweight title, a sign that he carried real authority in his punches.

By 1982, he had advanced to national level. After beating Karl Canwell in an eliminator, Collins took the British light-heavyweight title vacated by Bunny Johnson by outpointing Andries in 1982, then made successful defences against Trevor Cattouse, stopped in four, and Antonio Harris. Andries eventually took the title from him on points in January 1984 and repeated the result in a rematch three months later, but Collins’ persistence brought him back around: in March 1987, at the Royal Albert Hall, he stopped John Moody in the tenth to become British champion again.

The peak years came in the late 1980s, when Collins stepped from domestic honours into European class. In November 1987, he took the EBU European light-heavyweight title by stopping Alex Blanchard in the second round. A proposed challenge for the IBF world light-heavyweight title against Charles Williams was later shelved amid a dispute over the number of rounds, but Collins stayed busy at the top end, defending the European crown by knocking out Mark Kaylor in the ninth in May 1988 before losing the title in September when Pedro van Raamsdonk stopped him in seven. He still had enough left to regain the British title for a third time in March 1989, stopping Tony Wilson in two rounds.

World titles proved a step too far, though Collins got his nights on the big stage. In October 1989, he went to Australia to challenge Jeff Harding for the WBC world light-heavyweight title; after two heavy opening rounds, he did not answer the bell for the third. He rebuilt once more, knocking out Eric Nicoletta in the ninth in August 1990 to regain the European title and defending it against Christophe Girard that December, before another world chance arrived in May 1991 for the vacant WBO light-heavyweight belt against Leeonzer Barber, a fight Collins ended by retiring at the start of the sixth. His final stretch included a move up to cruiserweight, and his last bout came on 11 August 1993 when Johnny Nelson stopped him in the first round in a challenge for the World Boxing Federation cruiserweight title. That was the end of a 16-year professional career built on heavy hands, repeated comebacks, and a willingness to fight the best available, wherever the work took him.