Boxing: Collins shaken by knock-down

Knocked down for only the third time in his professional career, Steve Collins made a meal of his World Boxing Organisation title defence against fireman Craig Cummins, and almost saw the end of his super-middleweight unification dreams.

When Collins was knocked down by the unknown American after only 12 seconds, the crowd at Glasgow's Kelvin Hall fell silent as the chances of a massive upset became apparent. Collins recovered to knock down the game Cummins in round two, but not before slipping to the canvas again and looking distinctly uneasy on his feet.

When he opened up after another knock down in the third round, Cummins' legs had gone and the referee, Roy Francis, made a perfectly timed decision to stop the contest.

An honest Collins rejected suggestions that the American's flash punch had caught him off balance and instead put his lacklustre performance down to lack of motivation. "When he hit me he caught me totally by surprise. I thought: `This fellow's come to fight'."

Evander Holyfield yesterday offered forgiveness to Mike Tyson for biting off part of his ear - but ruled out a rematch on foreign soil. When asked if he would fight an overseas rematch if Tyson is banned from boxing in the US, Holyfield said he would not. "I will live with the rules and regulations," he said. The Nevada State Athletic Commission meets on Wednesday to decide Tyson's fate.