The former defender of “West Ham” and “Aston Villa” James Collins will enter the ring on October 10.
Defender James Collins was a fan favorite during his two spells at West Ham United and earned a reputation as a tough guy. He will now put those credentials to the test in the boxing ring against content creator Big Stacks.
The pair are due to meet on October 10 at the Copper Box Arena. This is part of a Misfits Boxing card headlined by a fight between Joey Essex and Dapper Laughs.
Self-proclaimed ‘Britain’s Toughest Man’, Big Stacks was originally due to take on Strictly Come Dancing star Thomas Skinner. However, with Skinner’s departure for undisclosed reasons, Collins became even more powerful.
Misfits Boxing posted on social media: “Big Stacks finds his biggest challenger in ex-Welsh footballer James ‘Ginge’ Collins.” “A huge card opens in London on October 10th. You won’t want to miss it.”
A number of former teammates and colleagues of Collins responded. They include former Hammers striker Carlton Cole and ex-manager Sam Allardyce.
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During his playing career, Collins played over 200 West Ham games. Only 65 of those came in his first spell, but he was part of the side that reached the 2006 FA Cup final (where he was an unused substitute at the Millennium Stadium) and played his part in the following season’s Great Run.
After three seasons with Aston Villa, the defender returned to Upton Park following West Ham’s promotion back to the Premier League under Allardyce. His second stint cemented his cult hero status and he bid farewell to the club after a cameo on the final day of the 2017/18 season under David Moyes.
Affectionately known as ‘Ginge’, he also played 51 times for the Welsh national team. Two of those appearances came at Euro 2016, where he was part of a side that reached the semi-finals under Chris Coleman.
Collins played a handful of matches for Ipswich in 2019 before hanging up his boots. “I really didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to the people at the club I’ve known for 11 years and to say goodbye to the fans properly,” he said of his departure from West Ham.
“If they didn’t want me, that’s fair enough and that’s football. But I would have liked more time and a bit more awareness that I wasn’t going to be taken. It literally came down to the last game against Everton and I didn’t know if I was going to stay or go.”