By Graeme Young

Copyright dailyrecord

Nathaniel Collins understands the assignment. There’s a vacancy for a marquee Scottish boxing hero to rally around and he is more than willing to fill it. Trepidation? Not a chance for the 29-year-old who has lived a life less ordinary en route to becoming a bonafide world title contender in the jam-packed featherweight division. Collins was born with gastroschisis and that condition led to surgery after birth and an eight-hour operation last year to fix a twisted bowel. A short spell on the sidelines did little to dim his emerging star status and he appears primed for a new level of stardom. The Bearsden fight hero was never going to shirk his opportunity to follow the succession plan which has rewarded fight fans on these shores with Scott Harrison , Ricky Burns and Josh Taylor mixing it with the world’s best over the past 20 years. Now he takes the next step in his career after pasting fellow Scot Lee McGregor in four rounds and now aims to rip the European featherweight title away from highly-rated Spaniard Cristobal Lorente. With the Tartan Tornado hanging up his gloves, Collins is itching to show a nation he’s the type of fighter fans can rally around. There’s not a chance of nerves for a man who is craving the bright lights after turning heads against McGregor as chief support to what turned out to be Taylor’s final fight against Ekow Essuman at the Hydro. Collins, speaking to Record Sport , said: “I’m more excited about it because the names you mentioned, Scott Harrison, he was my weight so it’s like he’s somebody that I looked up to, he’s an absolute animal. Back then boxing was something that people got excited about. It was a household sport, it was like ‘oh Scott Harrison’s fighting’, ‘Ricky Burns is fighting’. “I almost feel like that’s when that went a wee bit away when Josh was coming through just because of the covid situation and stuff so it’s like if i can get that back and people want to get excited about going to the boxing nights again.” Collins was broadcast across the world and fight fans couldn’t get enough of his style as he outclassed McGregor before the referee mercilessly stepped in after a heavy knockdown in the fourth. And The Nightmare guarantees there is more where that came from as he aims to climb the ranks. He added: “I don’t think I’ve ever been in a boring fight. You want to come watch you fight because i’m exciting because i would say it’s an exciting watch with me, you don’t know what you’re going to get I’m either knocking somebody out or i’m in a 12 round war, but either way you’re getting value for your money, it’s just entertainment. “I’ll be trying to give them another knockout because i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again, people want to see knockouts, that’s why people watch the heavyweights, that’s why people watch the cruiserweights, people want to see knockouts so if you’re at my weight knocking people out then that’s how people like Scott Harrison and Alex Arthur became household names.” Collins is keenly aware the crown will only be passed on the basis of his success inside the ring but he admits Taylor is firmly in his corner as he believes the apprentice has all the tools needed to go all the way. He said: “Josh has always messaged, just general encouragement.I spoke to him at the press conference and and he sees a lot (in me), he just knows that my feet are on the ground and I train hard and I live the life, he knows I live the life so he’s like he wants you to do well. “He’s like you’re doing everything that you should be doing ,just keep it going and don’t don’t just slip up just because you’re getting into a position now.” “Collins’ rise to prominence has British fans eyeing up a marquee dust-up between Collins and featherweight kingpin Nick Ball. The Scouser has earned acclaim for his fan friendly style and the Scots hero sees no reason why he can’t mix it with one of Britain’s best if he sees off Lorente and continues his ascension in one of boxing’s hottest divisions. He said: “The guys from Queensberry saying what he’s got above everyone else is extreme fitness and an extreme engine but I train like that. i’ve got an engine like that so what will separate us is my boxing ability, plus the engine, that is what will separate me and him. “I think the blueprint was Ray Ford because had Ray Ford not tried to say ‘for the first six rounds i’m not going to let Nick Ball outmuscle me out strength me, i’m going to fight him at his own game’. I think it was totally the wrong thing to do. As soon as he changed it after six rounds he was very comfortable.”