Boxing: Collins to fight in Glasgow but not at Parkhead

Steve Collins will fulfil a life-time ambition when he defends his World Boxing Organisation super middleweight title in Glasgow on 5 July. However, even that will not satisfy the 32-year-old Dubliner for he is desperate to fight at the home of his beloved Celtic. Instead, Collins will fight at the Kelvin Hall against an opponent who has yet to be signed up.

"The man we want is a Scandinavian, Leif Keiski, who is managed by Angelo Dundee," the promoter, Frank Warren, said. "He has only one defeat in 21 contests with 18 of his wins inside the distance." The Americans Simon Brown and Charles Brewer are also in the frame.

"I have been pleading with Frank to get me a fight in Glasgow for a long time," said Collins, who has many Scottish connections, "but what I really want is to fight at Parkhead."

Darren Corbett, the new Commonwealth cruiserweight champion, has sent out a pounds 400,000 challenge to the former world champion Chris Eubank.

Corbett's manager, Barry Hearn, insisted that the Belfast fighter is ready to step on to the world stage following his three-round defeat of Croydon's Chris Okoh on Monday.

Hearn, who guided Eubank to world titles at middleweight and super-middleweight, said: "I'll give Eubank pounds 400,000 to fight Corbett in Belfast and he'll fall just like Okoh. That is a genuine offer. Chris Eubank should stop fighting in the desert and have a real contest.

"Darren Corbett will make history by becoming the first fighter to win three world titles dropping down the weights instead of going up."

The 24-year-old Corbett was considered slight underdog against the formerly unbeaten Okoh, but his punching power was the decisive factor as he floored his opponent twice in the second round and again 83 seconds into the third.

Okoh, who was taken to hospital with concussion and detained overnight, had won the opening round convincingly with his tidy counter-punching.

"I was just feeling him out, seeing what he had," Corbett said. "But he punched like a girl. When you come to Belfast you must fight like a man. He didn't like the body shots and once I landed them he folded up."

Corbett expects to make his first defence early in September after he enjoys a holiday in Spain at manager Hearn's expense. "I had a bet with Barry that if I won he would give me a holiday," the champion said.

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