Scottish featherweight boxer Nathaniel Collins was held to a bitterly disappointing draw by Spaniard Cristobal Lorente before a sold-out Braehead Arena on Saturday.
Aiming to add the European title to the WBC silver strap already in his possession, Collins ducked between the ropes as a firm favourite with bookmakers, pundits, and fans. The unbeaten 29-year-old from Bearsden had to settle for a share following a dozen pulsating rounds. The scorecards at the end of the contest read 115-113 Collins, 115-113 Lorente, and 114-114 draw. The result meant that both men left holding the same titles they arrived with.
Cristobal fought back from a slow start to bank a share of the middle and most of the latter rounds. The boxer from Barcelona raised his hands at the end of the contest, believing he had done enough to win. But a second draw on the bounce and retaining the title by default looked a fair result.
Fans are already calling for a quick rematch, ideally before the end of the year, and the post-fight interviews suggest both warriors are game. It’s now in the hands of Frank Warren and his staff to make it happen.
Nightmare started brightly
The night couldn’t have started any better for Nathaniel Collins. The popular featherweight entered the ring to a wall of noise from his loyal supporters, and the Nightmare immediately got down to business.
Collins raced into an early lead, impressing the scoring judges with his fast feet and hands to match. He skipped into range behind the jab before offloading hurtful hooks to the body, filling the gaps in play with three-and-four-punch combinations.
Lorente barely had a friend in the house, and it looked like he would be blown away by his more aggressive, confident and accurate rival. The majority of those packed into the converted home of the Glasgow Clan ice hockey team prepared for a stoppage, but it didn’t come. The Spanish underdog began warming into the contest, and things were about to catch fire as they entered the middle rounds.
Spaniard battles back
With a cushion on the scorecards and his opponent struggling, Collins opted to change tactics as he aimed to go through the gears. Nightmare slowed his feet and began to remain in the pocket following the exchanges.
In the opening round, when Collins was tagged, he immediately fired back with punches in bunches. If he had kept it up, the Scotsman would’ve undoubtedly got his opponent out of there early. But moving less and opting to fight and push Lorente back didn’t work as well as Team Collins had planned. Instead of driving the Spanish hardman against the ropes and finishing him off, Nathaniel played into his hands, and the European champion settled into a groove.
Lorente no longer had to go looking for Collins; he lingered too long in front of him, meaning the visitor had time to fire back, using his solid jab and strength on the inside. The tide began to turn, with Cristobal managing to nick a share of the middle rounds. The Glasgow fight fans couldn’t quite believe what they were seeing. All of a sudden, we had a fight on our hands.
Grandstand finish levels the score
Despite the confidence that comes from nicking rounds and watching his opponent slow, few expected the underdog to get anywhere close to winning. It was obvious he’d need to grab the majority of the later rounds to stand any chance of getting even a draw from the night. That’s exactly what happened.
Lorente rallied, scoring with simple jabs and hooks to the body. A grandstand finish brought the bout to a close in the 12th round, with both gladiators standing and trading, leaving it all in the ring. The plan wasn’t to trust the judges, but both Collins and Lorente saw the scorers sat at ringside tasked with declaring a champion.
The first card announced gave Collins the fight by two rounds, much to the delight of the fans who had remained in their seats. Then came a two-round win for Lorente. Cue the boos and jeers around the stadium, but there was still time to edge it. There was a feeling of inevitability when the final card was announced at 114-114, signalling a split decision draw.
A fair result
Speaking to fellow writers sitting in the press row and members of the crowd at ringside, a draw was a fair result.
I felt there could’ve been no complaints if Collins got the win. It would’ve been massively unfair if Lorente’s hand had been raised. The draw made perfect sense in a bout that swung back and forth throughout.
Collins will likely feel that he missed a huge opportunity to advance his career, but he must remain grounded and look at the bigger picture. A win would’ve moved him up the rankings and towards a crack at the world title. I don’t think he’s ready for that step up in class yet, and Saturday proved it.
Nathaniel will get his shot at the number one slot, but it’ll be when the time is right. He learned a lot from Saturday, including the importance of sticking to the plan and doing what’s working. For me, that was jabbing his way in, landing flurries, and moving off at angles, just like he did in the opening rounds on Saturday.
The draw also proved Collins can cut it at this level, and I have no doubt there’s plenty more to come from the likeable warrior. It won’t feel like it on Monday morning, but Collins has a bright future in the game, and the draw with Lorente isn’t so much a bump in the road, but a golden opportunity to learn and improve before returning better and stronger.
Spotlight on the undercard
Fight fans who took their seats early were treated to a magnificent undercard and the most competitive night of British boxing I’ve seen in years.
Credit must go to Warren and all at Queensberry Promotions, and in particular, matchmaker Steve Furness. There were no one-sided contests, with every bout interesting and exciting. It was one for boxing fans to enjoy, with plenty of hard-hitting fighters included to keep the neutrals happy.
Here’s the pick of the support acts.
Drew Limond beat Alexeyv Mikhail Arellano Leon TKO round four
A mouthful for the ring announcer, but Drew Limond made light work of his Mexican opponent.
Drew - son of former British boxing favourite Willie Limond - moved his record to 5-0-0 and two knockouts by forcing a stoppage in the final round of a bout scheduled for four. I’ve followed the 19-year-old Glaswegian’s career since his first amateur bout, and was delighted to see his improvement continue.
Limond led with sharp left hooks that often found the target and rocked the head of his opponent. Drew gets credit for his tidy work, perfect distance throughout, and an eye-catching range of sharp punches to head and body.
Keep your eyes on Drew Limond, UK fight fans.
Reese Lynch beat Jakub Laskowski on points
Reese Lynch is one of the hottest properties in British boxing. He’s sharp, patient, hits hard and brings bags of bottle. His handlers already know they can push him through the ranks, matching him with stronger and better opponents.
He faced experienced Polish fighter Laskowski on Saturday and did exactly what was expected and asked of him.
In the opening seconds of the first round, it looked like the Pole was making his debut as Reece made him miss and made him pay. But the 30-year-old had contested 44 bouts prior to his visit to Scotland, and it began to show as he settled.
Lynch controlled the pace and forced his stronger opponent back to win 60-54 on referee Kevin McIntyre’s card. The Scotsman was a tad lazy at times, moving off with his hands down after trading on the inside, but that’s an easy fix. There’s more to come from Lynch, and he's good enough to keep learning on the job.
He may have lost every round, but credit must go to the well-travelled Laskowski, who was fit, weathered an early onslaught, and asked questions of the local. The Pole gave Reese four educational rounds, banked the money and survived to fight another day.
Alex Arthur Jr beat Grzegorz Mardyla on points
Another talented son of another famous fighting father brought the crowd to their feet when Alex Arthur Jr out-pointed Poland’s Grzegorz Mardyla over four rounds.
Mardyla wasn’t as experienced as countryman Laskowski, but he was just as game, coming determined to cause an upset. However, the muscular Polish orthodox boxer was static, which played into the hands of Arthur, who was too smart and too sharp.
Young Alex set a fast pace that Mardyla couldn't live with. The Edinburgh man’s shot selection and strength on the inside ensured he coasted to a 40-36 full house. Alex looked like he could’ve scored a late stoppage, but stuck to the basics, got more valuable rounds in the bank, and showed he has more in the tank.
Arthur needs to be kept busy, and he'll race through the British ranks.
Marcus Sutherland beat Kerim Agius TKO round one
Shotts super bantamweight Marcus Sutherland wasted no time moving his record to a perfect nine fights when destroying Dagenham’s Kerim Agius inside one round of a clash scheduled for eight.
The fight was warming up nicely when Marcus rocked his opponent with a sharp combination. Once he had him hurt, Sutherland showed the kind of finisher’s instincts you see from talented operators and much more experienced champions.
Sutherland timed his shots to perfection and pushed his dazed opponent into a neutral corner before unloading left hooks and backhands. England’s Agius seemed to complain he couldn't see hooks coming after referee Kevin McIntyre stepped in to save the beaten man from any further punishment. There were no arguments from the visiting fighter or his corner.
Willy Hutchinson beat Mark Jeffers TKO round seven
The ever-popular Willy Hutchinson stretched his CV to 19-2-0 with 14 wins coming inside the distance when stopping Lancashire’s Mark Jeffers before the end of round seven.
Last seen losing a split decision to Joshua Buatsi at Wembley Stadium in summer 2024, Willy reminded us of his class when controlling a scrappy opener with his snappy jab and fluid head movement. He made Jeffers miss at will and had the experience to counter, hurting the Englishman. Hutchinson soon took full control, so much so that he could get away with putting on a show and entertaining the crowd. A dangerous tactic, but Hutchinson was the stronger fighter and much the better boxer.
When putting his shots together in round seven, the Scotsman hurt Jeffers with explosive power and reminded the division he’s a genuine finisher, turning an attack into a stoppage in the blink of an eye.
Speaking to the crowd from the centre of the ring following his first stoppage win since March 2024, Willy called out Buatsi for a big fight before the end of the year. Let’s hope those pulling the strings behind the scenes can make it happen.
Louie O'Doherty beat Regan Glackin TKO round 10
All eyes were on local fighter Regan Glackin as he moved up in class to challenge for the vacant British lightweight title. The 27-year-old entered unbeaten in 16 bouts, but slipped to a first career defeat when he was stopped in round ten by Halstead’s new champion, Louie O’Doherty. The winner moves his stats to 11 wins from as many bouts.
Both fighters started well, with Glackin happy to box from range, but he lacked the power and accuracy needed to halt a relentless opponent who didn't stop punching or coming forward for ten rounds. O’Doherty was massively impressive. He's a big, strong, and fit lightweight who didn’t take long to stamp his authority on the night.
The more eye-catching work was delivered by the puncher from Essex, and as they entered the championship rounds, Louie began to pile on the pressure. Much of his best work came off a basic but strong jab, and when he brought the backhand into play, Glackin’s eye began to swell and close quickly.
As O’Doherty found a home for his power shots with concerning ease, Glackin's corner threw in the towel, sparing their man additional damage.
He upset the Scottish crowd, but the purists in the audience appreciated what they had seen from Louie. He left Glasgow with a Lonsdale strap and a few more fans north of the border, myself included.
John Joe Carrigan beat Dawid Przybylski TKO round one
There was much excitement as Carlisle’s John Joe Carrigan made his long-awaited debut. The super welterweight got to work early, landing heavy shots to the head, but it was a well-timed blow to the body that forced a stoppage on 2:56 of round one.
Both fighters suffered cuts following what looked like a clash of heads, and it seemed clumsy on the winner's part as he got too eager and too close. The sight of a bloodied opponent and the cut encouraged Carrigan forward and he won this one without ever getting out of first gear.
Aston Brown beat Paul Kean TKO round two
Aston Brown promised to prove he was a level above fellow Scotsman Paul Kean, and he did just that in devastating fashion to win the vacant Celtic middleweight title.
Despite being well fancied, Aston took his time in the opening round, but soon found his range near the end with right hands against a static southpaw.
Brown picked up where he left off in the second, pinning Kean against the ropes near his corner, dropping him with a heavy right hand. Kean was allowed to continue but the writing was on the wall and the bout was quickly waved off by referee Lee Every who gets credit for timing the stoppage to perfection.
With a Celtic title fastened around his waist, 34-year-old Brown from Glasgow promised followers his best is yet to come. He hopes to use Saturday quickfire win to catapult him up the British rankings. There’s certainly no lack of big fights in the division for a Scotsman that now appears to be tuned in, dedicated, and enjoying his boxing again.
Myself and the team at Flashscore would like to extend our thanks to all at Queensberry Promotions for press accreditation and providing everything needed to cover a fantastic evening of championship boxing. The fighters put on a show, and Scottish boxing fans braved storm Amy, turning out in force and making their voices heard.
Here's to many more big shows in Glasgow.