Galway woman aims to kick up a storm in Leisureland

CORRANDULLA kickboxer Nicola Collins faces the biggest night of her sporting career when she steps up in weight to take on current European champion Carla Jessup for the vacant IFK World Bantamweight title at Leisureland this Saturday.

Although Collins has been campaigning at Featherweight for the last number of years, reaching the pinnacle of European champion, the 31-year-old Galwegian can record her own little piece of history by becoming the first West of Ireland woman to win a World full contact kickboxing title this weekend should she win at the ‘Rumble in the Bay’ event.

Certainly, the Black Dragon fighter, who competes under the name Nikki ‘The Killer’ Collins, does not lack the class or the pedigree for this one, having claimed All-Ireland titles at two different weights, and secured both the Four Nations and European Featherweight crowns in recent times.

As with all world title fights, there is also a small bit of bite to this one, with Collins having fought, and defeated, this Saturday’s opponent previously. “I actually fought her for the Four Nations title, and I won,” outlines Collins. “It was a close fight though. She is good.”

However, Collins is no slouch herself. Out of her 21 fights to date, she has won 13 – five by way of knockout – and drawn one. Another was deemed a ‘non contest’, although that particular fight is not one Collins is likely to forget as she suffered a bleed in her eardrum in the course of the bout.

“She (opponent) had a very bad technique, and she was slapping with the inside of her hand,” recalls Collins. “When she slapped the side of my ear, it popped. It wasn’t too sore, but I had a weird feeling or sensation in my ear. In the end, it was deemed a ‘no contest’ because she was pretty much holding on to me for the whole fight.”

For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.