Ben: fighting to end horror of knife crime
Ben Collins…looking for third win at Dudley. Pic: MSN Images/BCB
IN the gym and fight arena, Ben Collins – a light-heavy who carries the strange nickname “Pumpkin” – is doing everything in his power to realise his childhood dream of being British champ.
On the streets of Stourbridge, the teenager is committed to end the scourge of knife crime. To that end, he has met with his MP, police, community groups and continues to give talks to vulnerable children.
Ben, who looks for his third straight pro win at Dudley Town Hall on July 19, is, through his community work, emerging as one the game’s true good guys.
And he is becoming an increasingly powerful voice in the battle to end the harrowing trend among some young people of carrying blades. Too many have been killed or injured in our region.
His talks to pupils in danger of treading the wrong path are making a difference, Ben insisted.
“I’m only 19, so I’m around their age and they look up to me,” he said. “It’s a little different from their teacher telling it to them. I grew up in the same area so I tell them there’s no reason why they can’t achieve something.
“What’s happening around the kids is scary. Some say the reason they carry a knife is because the shoes they are wearing are worth £200 and someone will try to take them.”
When Ben learned there was a problem finding locations for knife bins, where blades can be anonymously surrendered with no questions asked, he acted immediately.
He and his father immediately placed one of the West Midlands Police bins outside their own gym, “Team Pumpkin”.
“We’ve got nothing to hide,” Ben said. “It’s not a negative thing, it’s a positive thing.
“I said if we took two or three knives off the streets, I’d be happy. In two months we had 30. It’s working.”
Poster for Collins’ forthcoming contest
Ben’s proving equally successful between the ropes. He’s unbeaten, backed by a big promoter, headlines for the first time at Dudley and has a growing fanbase. Two hundred tickets are expected to be sold for this month’s contest.
When he was only a child, his dad placed a £100 bet at odds of 150-1 that Ben would one day be British champ.
Today, those odds would be considerably slimmer. A big windfall may await the Collins family.
“This (BCB’s Dudley bill) should be the last one before we move to the TV shows,” said Ben.
“I’m growing and maturing and working on my strength. I’m still young and can see the changes in my own body. I’m hitting harder – the shots are there now, I’m feeling it myself. One punch can change a fight and that’s why we’ve been working on it.
“I’m buzzing, there’s no rush at my age. In sparring, I’m mixing it with some of the best. I know the improvements from this time last year to where I am today.”
Last time out, at Birmingham’s Eastside Rooms in April, Ben shrugged off the handicap of a chest infection to outpoint Pavol Garaj. The Black Country lad dominated the action, but understandably faded in the fourth round.
“One of my best attributes is my jab,” he said. “I knew I wasn’t 100 per cent and had to win the fight with the jab. For three rounds everything was fine, in the fourth I gassed out a bit. For a week I wasn’t feeling the best.
“This time I want to give my best performance.”
Much, much bigger nights and bigger fights await “Pumpkin”.
He added: “As a child, I dreamt of winning a British title – I wrote it in my schoolbook. I now think we could be doing the things I dreamt about as a child.
“I seriously think I’m going to be a champion.”