STEVE COLLINS has no doubt about the outcome of his defence of the World Boxing Organisation super middle weight title in the Nynex Centre here in Manchester tomorrow night. "I have never been in better shape. I am much better mentally and physically than in my first fight with Nigel Benn last July," he said yesterday.

On that occasion, also in Manchester, Benn stumbled out of the ring in the fourth round, leaving some doubts as to his fitness and mental attitude at this level.

Doubts linger as to whether it was Benn's ankles or his spirit which gave out on that occasion. But Collins welcomed the rematch and is leaving nobody in any doubt about his determination to remove any reservations which may persist in the mind of the boxing public.

Given that tomorrow night goes to plan, Collins is determined to prove himself the best super middleweight in the world by going to Las Vegas to take on Roy Jones, the current holder of the International Boxing Federation title at that weight.

"I have heard a lot of talk about Jones's fame to be the best pound for pound fighter in the world at the moment. Well I haven't heard him or any of his people mention my name in that context. That suggests to me that he is not interested in meeting me.

I will take him on in Las Vegas at super middle or light heavy, and I believe that such a fight would be a huge money spinner and I would be confident of winning it.

"He hasn't fought against people of the calibre that I have fought up until now," Collins continued. "All right, he beat Mike McCallum not long ago, but I took McCallum to 12 rounds six years ago in Boston when he was at his prime and I was an apprentice, and I lost narrowly on points.

"If Jones wants to challenge me at super middle or light heavy I am ready. I want to fight and beat the best, and if Jones believes he is the best let him prove it," Collins said, with some considerable passion.

Collins, still trading as the Celtic Warrior, and Benn, the Dark Destroyer, meet before a sellout 22,000 crowd paying up to £200 for ringside seats. They will also meet this afternoon in what promises to be an interesting "head to head" press conference, where Benn is expected to have some harsh words to say in regard to a recent Collins suggestion that the Dark Destroyer should be in retirement before he destroys himself.

In the meantime, the most hyped British boxer of the moment, "Prince" Naseem Hamed, had his own flamboyant attack on the challenger for his WBO featherweight title, Remigo Molina from Argentina. He practically dismissed Molina's pedigree as a boxer, suggesting that he was "a joke".

Naseem also made several pretty weak puns about his opponent's trade as an electrician, such as "he's in for a big shock". He forecast that it would take no more than two rounds to dispose of Molina.

The Argentinian has 27 professional wins and no losses, including 12 knockouts.

In fairness, it has to be said that Molina is fighting outside of Argentina for the first time and has not met anyone near the calibre of Naseem. The young Sheffield man is coached and trained by Brendan Ingle from a renowned boxing family from Ringsend in Dublin.

Yesterday Ingle tried to bring some sanity on to the scene at the press conference. He pointed out that, in spite of Naseem's dismissive assessment of his opponent, the match was being taken seriously as a further step on Naseem's attempt to break into the world limelight as a featherweight, something which he has not yet done as far as American boxing enthusiasts are concerned.

On that note, Naseem and the fight promoter, Frank Warren, repeated a challenge to Wayne McCullough to accept a million dollar fight "anywhere any time".