The SSE Hydro Arena in Glasgow was the stage for the bout between Nathaniel Collins and Lee McGregor, contested for the vacant WBC Silver featherweight title. The fight served as the co-main event, preceding the headline clash between Josh Taylor and Ekow Essuman.
Collins emerged as the clear winner, conducting the fight with authority and intelligence — first neutralizing his opponent, then stopping him with great ferocity.
Nathaniel Collins is a 28-year-old southpaw from Bearsden, Scotland, with an unblemished record of 16-0-0 (7 KOs). A highly technical boxer, Collins’s strengths lie in his footwork and timing, which make him a difficult target. In his last two outings, he had defeated Darwin Martinez and Italy’s Francesco Grandelli in a tough, intense match.
Lee McGregor, the same age and also from Scotland — though born in Edinburgh — entered the ring with a record of 15-1-1 (11 KOs). He is a hard puncher with an aggressive style, known for applying heavy pressure. He typically prefers close-range exchanges, where he throws powerful hooks and uppercuts. Nonetheless, he has shown adaptability, as in his last fight against Isaac Lowe, where he boxed off the ropes to avoid being a stationary target.
The two fighters were already familiar with each other, having shared the ring several times as sparring partners and even as amateur opponents. As a result, when the opening bell rang, they met at center ring cautiously, almost waiting for each other to make the first move. McGregor tried to close the distance and bring the fight to his preferred range, but Collins handled the situation well, neutralizing the initiative and working effectively to the body. By the end of the round, a well-timed uppercut from Collins caught McGregor coming in, showcasing the unbeaten fighter’s excellent timing.
Right from the start, McGregor looked tight and uncomfortable against Collins’s speed. His actions were somewhat disorganized, and his game plan seemed limited to forcing inside exchanges — a strategy that proved ineffective, especially given the contrasting attributes: Collins appeared more physically built, while McGregor had the height and reach advantage.
A good left hook by McGregor at the end of the second round suggested the fight could be more competitive than it seemed early on. However, Collins had clearly managed the first two rounds wisely, conserving energy, clinching smartly, and blunting McGregor’s close-range attempts. But that moment proved to be just an isolated spark.
Collins resumed command immediately, striking and moving around the ring with excellent balance. Midway through the third round, another uppercut followed by a jab caught McGregor off guard. Unlike his previous outing, McGregor seemed one-dimensional — unable to implement any plan other than forcing the inside fight, and even that strategy was ineffective. From mid-range, he suffered from Collins’s faster, sharper, and more accurate punches. Defensively, he looked vulnerable, his guard anything but airtight.
The first knockdown came from a Collins burst: a quick combination of a right jab, straight left, and a right hook at close range, followed by more punches as McGregor struggled to stay upright.
He rose immediately, refusing to use the count to recover, but was dropped again by a sharp left to the head. Clearly overwhelmed, McGregor courageously got back up, only to be floored for good by a powerful body shot — a left hand right into the pit of the stomach. The referee stepped in and waved off the contest, awarding Nathaniel Collins a knockout victory in round four.
A brilliant performance by the 28-year-old Scotsman, who now moves on to more challenging matchups against the top contenders. A tough setback for McGregor, who will need to regroup and find new motivation after a fight in which he never truly seemed capable of taking control.