Liam Davies vs. Nathaniel Collins press conference quotes and fight prediction
Liam Davies (18-1, 9 KOs) will soon put his European featherweight title on the line against Nathaniel Collins (17-1-1, 8 KOs).
Their bout headlines a Queensberry Promotions card at the bp pulse Live in Birmingham, England. Fight fans around the world will be able to catch the action live on DAZN.
Both men spoke at a press conference ahead of their Sept. 26 contest. Below is some of what they had to say.
Liam Davies vs. Nathaniel Collins press conference quotes
Liam Davies
“He’s a worthy challenger, Nathaniel,” said Davies. “Great fighter. I’m sure this is like my fifth, sixth, seventh European title fight [note: it is his fifth]. I won it in 2022. My last nine fights have been 12-round fights. Championship fights. This is nothing new to me. He’s a worthy challenger. It’s going to be a great fight. I know he’s hungry. He’s coming off a loss. But like I said, look at my resume, man. I’m about it. Don’t know how good I am, but if you look at my resume it speaks volumes. I’m excited. Looking forward to it. Main event and I hope Nathaniel is just as hungry as me cause we’re in for a cracker.”
“I don’t walk around fight week so gaunt anymore. It’s a massive help [being at featherweight instead of super bantamweight]. But, I’d say outside the camp it’s a lot different. I’m older now. I’ve been around the game a long time. Feels like a long time. Out of camp I used to blow up, not train. I’m more consistent now and that’s done me dividend. Preparation has been great. I love the sport. Sitting here now is a blessing. From a young kid, this was always the dream and a win Saturday night, there’s only one direction I can go. Go and capture a world title, but as I’ve said, this is a great challenge. Me and Nathaniel will be fireworks, I’m sure.”
Nathaniel Collins
“Yeah, definitely [a chance for me to show what I am capable of],” said Collins. “I feel like there’s a lot of similarities to that Lee McGregor fight, camp, performance, to what’s coming on Saturday night. Again, it’s somebody I’m very familiar with and you know the parallels are just almost exact. I’ve probably had the best camp of my life, which is cliche to say, but I’m back enjoying boxing again after the two [Cristobal] Lorente fights. Right after that was back in the gym and just doing it for the love of it rather than doing it for the sake of it. I’m here. It’s a massive fight and it’s got an old-time classic written all over it.”
“[My mental state is] a happy one. Before it was like ‘boxing is a job, boxing is a slog, I need to do this, I need to do that.’ Whereas this time it’s just been like ‘I’m here, I’m happy to be here, I love training, I love boxing, don’t make it an issue, don’t make it a thing.’ I’ve had such a relaxed camp and everything just fell into place perfectly.”
Fight prediction
From Big Fight Weekend’s Ricky Carroll: Davies is at his best when able to force the pace against opponents. His punch accuracy is impressive, and what stood out most was his recent win against Francesco Grandelli. He needs to use his jab, and the only fight he’s lost was a bout when Shabaz Masoud didn’t allow him to dictate the tempo. Davies is a good fighter who picks his punches well.
Collins proved how good he was against McGregor, and how tough he was in the first fight against Lorente. When he’s in his groove, he’s a sharp puncher, capable of fighting at a high tempo for 12 rounds.
Davies will look to control the distance with his reach advantage, while Collins will look to close the distance and mix it up in the pocket with Davies. This has all the makings of a good scrap, and we are backing Davies to retain his European title on the scorecards.
Full press conference
For the press conference in its entirety, click here or the play button below. Video courtesy of Queensberry Promotions.
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Featured image credit
Queensberry
S Saadeq Ahmed
Currently writing out of Toronto, Canada, Saadeq first became a boxing fan while living in Doha, Qatar. Looking to become more involved in the sport, he began writing about boxing and has had work published in outlets such as Seconds Out and Boxing Social. He looks forward to continue covering boxing on Big Fight Weekend.