That is the best yet from light-heavy Ben

Ben Collins has Sniedze covering up. Picture: BCB Promotions

I WAS very impressed by Ben Collins’ work on BCB’s show at the Hangar, Wolverhampton, on Friday night.

Forget the win – 57 of the 64 men who have faced Edgars Sniedze have beaten him. It was the manner of Collins’ shut-out, 40-36 four round victory on BCB Promotions’ show.

The Stourbridge 20-year-looked pin-sharp. When the tall Latvian attempted to be a nuisance – and he knows how to make things messy, Collins put him in his place with precision. Jabs snapped Sniedze’s head back, right hands to the body reddened his flank.

As an all-round performance, this was the best I’ve seen from the man called “Pumpkin”. I don’t know what changes have been made during the near seven months Collin has been out, but they’ve made a difference.

In the final fight of the night, Ben (13st 1lbs) opened with piston power jabs and connected with one cracking right downstairs.

That was a taste of things to come. The body attack continued in the second and Sniedze (13st 2lbs) also soaked up a right hook to the head.

To the visitor’s credit, he attempted to turn the tide in the third with swinging shots, but it was like trying to stop a Churchill tank with ping-pong balls.

By the last, Ben was again drilling him with hard jabs and connected with a strength-sapping left hook to the body.

Before the fight, Collins, who registered his fourth win in five, told me: “Looking at the champions today, they’re 28-29. I’m 20 and how much I can develop over the next eight years is scary. I’m still to get that man strength. It’s all about keeping the ball rolling to the top.”

It’s early days, but he’s going in the right direction.