Whether suffering from shock or disbelief, it appeared last night that two of Steve Collins's potential opponents, Chris Eubank and Joe Calzaghe, were beginning to regret the pressure they had put upon him earlier. Both suggested that his retirement was likely to be reversed before long. Eubank said that he regarded the Collins announcement as "whimsical". It could scarcely have been more whimsical that Eubank's own assessment of the situation. "Look at the record. He has been beaten by three opponents - Mike McCallum, Reggie Johnson and Sumbu Kalambay. I have been beaten only by one."

He neglected to mention that that one person was Collins and that it had happened twice.

Yet Eubank wants another chance. "I don't really think he has retired. When he comes back I'll be waiting for him," said Eubank, who has beaten only two obscure Middle Eastern fighters since "retiring" two years ago.

Calzaghe, who said earlier in the week that Collins was "slow and clumsy" and that he was afraid to take the fight because he knew he would be beaten, dismissed the reported retirement. "I can tell you for sure, he'll be back," he said.

Collins himself was tearful as he announced his retirement at a boxing awards ceremony in London. "I have been thinking about it for a couple of months. I wanted that fight with Roy Jones but it wasn't to be. Several things went wrong.

"Now I am looking forward to getting back home to Dublin. I have missed my wife and kids and I am looking forward to spending a lot of time with them to make up for the past. I am deeply grateful to the many people at home and abroad who gave me such support throughout my career. I certainly hope to be able to put something back into the sport which I love," he said.

The secretary of the British Boxing Board of Control, John Morris, was generous in his praise. "Steve liked to be known as the Celtic Warrior and to be honest he was the type of warrior I like to watch in the ring. He was a very honest fighter."

Morris concluded: "He was a worthy champion and he knows best when the time has come. I wish him well."