What’s next for Clay Collard?

A lot of takeaways for the Top Rank shows inside “The Bubble,” but quickly, the first one in the ring was the emergence “Cassius” Clay Collard on these shows.

To anyone watching the former UFC fighter Collard (8-2-3, 3KOs), this has been his year in the ring. It all began back in February when Collard took on undefeated prospect Raymond Guajardo, which gave everyone arguably a Round of the Year candidate. It also led to a second-round TKO victory for Collard.

Round 1 between Raymond Guajardo and Clay Collard from Saturday's #PBConFS1 card deserves another look, because WHOA. ?? pic.twitter.com/4pOVHhIfVq

— PBC (@premierboxing) February 3, 2020

From there, Collard battled in June then-undefeated prospect David Kaminsky and snatched his 0, as well, winning by split decision over him. That split decision wasn’t as close as the scorecards said, and Kaminsky had to get checked out for a CT Scan, which tested negative after the mugging Collard dealt out.

The Clay Collard wins continued as he took out last Tuesday Lorawnt T. “Smash” Nelson in a battle of mixed-martial-artists. That contest saw Nelson hit the deck three times before the ref finally put a halt in it mercifully in two rounds.

28th Amendment: Clay Collard Shall Fight on Every Single Show Until 2021.

Clay Collard: As Soon As Top Rank Wants Me Back, I'll Be Ready – Boxing News https://t.co/tS1k3fe7fQ

— Evan Korn (@KornerMan44) July 19, 2020

So what’s next for Collard in the ring?

Collard spoke with Jake Donovan for Boxingscene pretty much said he didn’t care about the opponent,

“As soon as Top Rank wants me back, I’ll be ready,” Collard said to Boxingscene. “Next month on ESPN, let’s go! This whole ‘A-side’ and ‘B-side’ thing doesn’t matter to me. I’m a fighter. I’ll fight anybody.”

The next round of Top Rank Shows are slated for Thursday’s in August after Tuesday’s show to wrap up the first wave of bubble shows that have taken place.  While we don’t have the matchups listed yet of who is facing who, Collard is willing to put his name back in the mix.

“The key is just staying consistent,” Collard said about his performance against Nelson. “I work hard every day. I listen to my coach every day. He yells at me every day. It’s just about staying consistent and keeping the ball rolling.”

In a summer where COVID-19 tests have stricken down scheduled fights, injuries have pulled others out, or fighters just coming in two weight classes overweight, Collard during these shows has shined in these, and it’s great to see and will be even greater when he’s back in the ring soon.