Nathaniel Collins' world title dreams posptoned as he is held to a controversial draw in Glasgow

Nathaniel Collins’ wait for a world title shot will surely go on as he was held to a controversial draw against Cristobal Lorente in Glasgow. 

The local favourite appeared to boss large portions of the contest, but Lorente was relentless throughout and it is possible the judges at ringside may have been swayed by his aggressive approach. 

Collins made a fast start and was racing ahead on the cards and after making the fight look easy there came a change in his tactics as he started to trade more frequently with the tough Spaniard. 

A memorable round six saw both men exchange huge shots, and it looked like that session was where Lorente drew some confidence from. 

In the closing stretches, Lorente began to push forward more, but his work in the championship rounds appeared to come a little late as Collins had been in charge during the fight’s early stages. 

After 12 enjoyable rounds, the judges could not be split as one verdict for each man followed by a 114-114 score meant that the bout was ruled a draw with Lorente keeping his European featherweight title. 

Victory for Collins was intended to set up a world title fight at some point in 2026, but that dream is on hold for the time being as he will likely have to contend with Lorente again as the demand for a rematch will be there due to how entertaining the fight was. 

Collins may still get his showdown with a world champion like Nick Ball or Stephen Fulton, but where those opportunities were originally planned next, Lorente’s guts and desire have thwarted them for the time being. 

All the highlights from Glasgow can be found below.