Conflicting assessments emerged from either side of the Atlantic last night about the possibility of a return to the ring by Steve Collins. The key television player in America, Home Box Office (HBO), were still not fully convinced last night about the financial merits of a bout between the Dubliner and WBC and WBA light heavyweight champion Roy Jones.

As Collins and his wife and children were setting off for home in Dublin after a holiday in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, a date and venue for the fight, if it does go ahead, had also to be agreed.

Suggestions that a bout between Jones and Collins had been fixed for April 17th seemed little more that aspirational. Both camps suggested that this was a possibility, but the lack of any agreement about a venue cast major doubts on the suggestion. Central to the entire situation was the HBO station which would be the major backer of such a contest. A spokesman for HBO, Lou Di Bella, said he had strong reservations about the idea. "The American public doesn't care about a Jones-Collins fight and the public over there (in Ireland) doesn't seem all that interested either.

"Both boxers have to understand what we would be willing to pay for such a fight and I think they will both be disappointed," he said.

A date and venue would also have to be agreed between all the interested parties and it is doubtful if the major broker (HBO) in such a situation would be interested in the fight taking place in Ireland or Britain.

The main reason would be that to sell the fight to HBO customers in the United States it would have to take place at 2.30 or 3.0 in the morning Irish time.

A venue in Ireland, either indoor or outdoors, for such a show would appear to be out of the question. Suggestions that Croke Park or Lansdowne Road might be made available are simply ludicrous, given the problems which both venues have had with objections by local residents, not to mention security problems.

While the possibility of a Jones-Collins world title championship fight cannot be dismissed out of hand it would appear that it would have to take place in the United States.

Madison Square Garden in New York would, surely, be an attractive venue and might easily become available.

Yesterday Collins's solicitor, Brian Delahunt, confirmed that the boxer would be giving a press briefing in Dublin tomorrow afternoon. A clearer picture may emerge then.

Collins and Delahunt were in Pensacola in Florida for Saturday night's title fight between Jones and the New York challenger, Ricky Frazier. It was not an inspiring contest and Frazier was stopped in the second round of a very one-sided bout. It was the second time that Jones had defended against obviously weak opposition and some of his connections felt that it was necessary for him to take on a more realistic challenge if he was not to lose his credibility.

Delahunt dismissed a suggestion that Collins would need at least two warm-up bouts before taking on Jones. "Steve has always kept himself in great shape. He has been training several other fighters since he announced his retirement, and don't forget that after he beat Chris Pyatt to take the world title in Sheffield it was 10 months before he took on and beat Chris Eubank in Millstreet.

"Steve has always wanted a fight against Jones and I have no doubt that he could be in top condition within two months," he said.

Many of the Jones camp believe that a bout against Collins would be a realistic contest, and Collins stepped into the ring in Pensacola on Saturday night to make a verbal challenge to Jones after he had beaten Frazier. Jones looked at Collins and said "You're next". It appears, however, that Jones also invited at least two other light heavyweights to be his next challengers while HBO's Kery Davis rejected the idea of an immediate challenge by Collins, who has not boxed seriously for nearly two years.

What will decide all of this, however, is the amount of money which a promoter and a television company will offer the contestants. Ability and credibility no longer mean a lot in boxing.

Collins has always hankered after a fight with Jones and it now seems to be within his grasp. A lot more will have to be agreed before such an event is put into place. Money alone will decide the outcome of the present welter of publicity and some further light will be shone on the situation when Collins returns to Dublin and tells his side of the story.