Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/864549
21 Sport BOXING TENNIS maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 23 AUGUST 2017 McGregor must stick to what he knows, says former sparring partner CONOR McGregor should rely on the skills that have made him a two-weight UFC champ and not try to out-box un- beaten American Floyd May- weather when the two clash in Las Vegas on Saturday, former sparring partner Steve Collins Junior said. The Irish mixed martial arts fighter turned up at the Dub- lin gym run by Collins Jnr's uncle Paschal about two years ago looking to hone his boxing skills, and the 27-year-old light heavyweight was happy to go toe to toe with him. "I arrived early as my un- cle told me to come in to do some pad work before the place opened and Conor came up. He must have cleared it with my uncle as he had the place to himself, he had the gym closed off," Collins Jnr said in a tel- ephone interview. "He started off sparring a guy for a round or two but the guy couldn't keep up with Conor's pace, so my uncle asked me if I'd spar him. I said fine, and got in there for five, six, seven rounds," he explained. "Conor didn't care about the size difference between us, he just kept going. He barely took a break in between rounds, he'd just take a sip of water or what- ever." The Collins family are as close to boxing royalty as it gets in Ireland, with Steve Collins Senior a former WBO middle- weight and super-middleweight world champ, and uncle Pas- chal a renowned boxing coach. Collins Jnr, who has 10 wins, one loss and one draw in his 12 professional fights, was im- pressed by the offensive skills of the 29-year-old McGregor, who has never fought as a pro boxer. "As an MMA fighter his box- ing skills were brilliant - great stance, great balance, great shot selection and timing, he judged distance very well, superior to most MMA fighters." However, the boxer did find chinks in the armour of the UFC lightweight champion. "His only weakness really was his defence. I didn't find it to hard to land leather on him, and if you've got a guy like Floyd, he may find it even easier. If I had to pick one thing, it was that his defence wasn't brilliant," he said. The boxing world has scoffed at the notion that McGregor can bring himself up to Floyd's level in the space of a few weeks, but Collins says he may not have to. "I think he'll have to rely on what he already knows. There is so much to learn in boxing, even Mayweather is still learn- ing, so Conor has to work with what he has. "It takes years to be a com- plete fighter, and it will all be new to him on the day," he said. Mayweather, who has not fought in nearly two years, needs a win to surpass Rocky Marciano's record and reach 50-0 for his career, while McGregor, who is making his professional boxing debut, is 21-3 in mixed martial arts. Currently in training for a fight in Belfast in September, Collins Jnr says he will watch the fight but he won't travel to Las Vegas or stay up into the small hours to do so. "If I was on Mayweather or McGregor money I'd go to Ve- gas, but I'm not! "I'm in training so I can't af- ford to stay up all night, but we're going to record it and watch it together at the gym the next morning," he said, adding that he expected an exciting fight. "Things Conor never expect- ed are going to happen to him in the ring, and how he reacts to that will say a lot about him." Conor McGregor ATP chief hails Nadal's 'unprecedented' return to world number one RAFAEL Nadal's return to the top of the world rankings is a testament to the Spaniard's longevity in the game and is as impressive as any of his career achievements, men's tennis chief Chris Kermode has said. The 31-year-old Nadal be- came the world number one for the first time since July 2014 after replacing Britain's Andy Murray at the top spot on Monday. "To regain the No. 1 ranking nine years after having first reached it is unprecedented," ATP president Kermode said in a statement. "Rafa has been setting re- cords throughout his remark- able career and this one is as impressive as any. It shows incredible dedication and lon- gevity, and we congratulate him on this amazing achieve- ment." Nadal, a 15-times grand slam winner, came back from a se- ries of knee and wrist injuries to reach the Australian Open final and claimed a record 10th French Open title this season. "Being No. 1 after all the things that I have been go- ing through the last couple of years is something unbeliev- able, so (it) is, for me, an amaz- ing achievement to be back to that position after three years," said Nadal. Nadal has claimed four titles on tour this season, winning 49 matches and losing nine in a stellar 2017. Rafael Nadal