Michael Carruth will join Steve Collins in his Jersey gym within the next couple of weeks as both boxers complete their training for world title fights in September. Carruth is the latest Irish boxer to challenge for a world title as Collins prepares to make his eighth defence of his WBO super middleweight crown against Joe Calzaghe from Wales.

Carruth will challenge the exiled Romanian, Michael Lowe, who is now domiciled in Germany. The bout at welterweight is scheduled for September 20th in Aachen, where Lowe has followed a successful professional career with 28 wins in 28 fights - 10 of them inside the distance.

Carruth , who won the Olympic gold medal in the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, has lost only one of his 16 professional fights and that in controversial circumstances. A date and venue for Collins' defence will be announced some time next week. Cardiff is the likely venue.

Carruth said yesterday that he is in "great shape" and looking forward to the fight. "Lowe boxed in the National Stadium in Dublin a few years ago as an amateur in the World Championships and was beaten by Robert McCracken, so he is not unbeatable. He is also about my height and is a southpaw, so I believe that I have a very realistic chance of bringing another world title to Ireland," he said.