Rumours that Steve Collins might be lured out of retirement to fight light-heavyweight champion Roy Jones Jnr appear at the moment to be a case of wishful thinking, but that doesn't mean it couldn't happen. In fact, we may unwittingly haven given it a nudge toward reality yesterday.

Reports from Ireland yesterday morning had Collins in Las Vegas to negotiate with Jones' representatives about a lucrative bout which would be televised by HBO. Collins is in Las Vegas all right, on holiday with his family and members of his wife Gemma's family, but if he went there looking for Jones then he overshot his mark by some 2,500 miles.

Jones is in Pensacola, Florida, where he will defend his World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association titles against Ricky Frazier on Saturday night.

Moreover, HBO vice-president Lou Di Bella, whose network has Jones under long-term contract and who would be in charge of overseeing such an arrangement, said there have been no talks between the network and either Jones or Collins about a proposed meeting between the two.

Murad Muhammad, Jones' promoter, said he has not spoken with Collins or anyone representing him, but added that "we'd be happy to welcome Steve Collins if he wants to come to the fight" this weekend.

"We're on record as offering (WBO champion) Dariusz Michalczewski a chance to fight Roy in Poland in May or June," said Muhammad, "but if Steve wants to fight again, he can be on the list for later in the year.

"We'd like to get rid of Michalczewski first," said Muhammad, "but I like Steve. I've known him since I promoted the WBA title fight between him and Reggie Johnson in the Meadowlands half a dozen years ago."

Two years ago, when Collins still held the WBO super-middleweight title, there were brief negotiations about a meeting with Jones, but they quickly disintegrated when it became clear that Collins had a vastly inflated expectation of his worth in such a bout.

"I find it difficult to believe they could put the fight together now," said Jones' attorney Fred Levin.

Levin's recollection is that between his operation, Square Ring, which then promoted Jones, and HBO, there was an offer on the table to Frank Warren of $4 million for a Two-fight package which would have included bouts against Robin Reid and Collins.

Collins turned it down flat.

"And the money today would be a lot less than there was two years ago," said Levin. "Collins hasn't exactly been in the spotlight, you know."

Not unless one counts the Phoenix Park polo pitch, anyway.

Fred Levin's brother Stanley is the only representative of the Jones camp to have spoken with Collins or his people. Stanley Levin confirmed yesterday evening that Collins and his Dublin solicitor Brian Delahunt were expected in Florida tomorrow.

"We've agreed to talk," said Levin, "but that's as far as it's gone right now."

"But everybody SAYS they want to fight Roy until they start negotiating in earnest," explained Muhammad. "You see, there are two ways of saying `No'. One is to just say you don't want to fight. The other is to demand so much money that it can't possibly be made. Then you turn around and say the other guy won't fight YOU."

By the time a bout could be pieced together, if it could, Collins would have been away from the ring for nearly two years. At 35, he is no spring chicken, but he is still considerably younger than Frazier, an 18-year veteran of the New York Police Department who is taking time off from his day job at the precinct house to fight Jones this weekend.

Trainer Freddie Roach said yesterday that Collins dropped by his Wild Card Gym in Hollywood earlier in the week.

"He was in Los Angeles with about 12 family members. Steve said he might be going to the Jones fight," revealed Roach, "but other than that he was kind of secretive."

Arguably the world's best pound-for-pound boxer, Roy Jones is in the end his own man, and calls his own tune. Collins' earlier attempts to challenge Jones out of pride fell on deaf ears, and it is difficult to imagine a scenario which would make a stand-alone Collins fight economically attractive to the champion.

Jones is, however, guided by an unmistakable sense of loyalty to his friends, and therein could lie the key to this mystery. While Collins doesn't bring any more to the table (considerably less, in fact) than he did a few years ago, Frank Warren, who remains his promoter-of-record, might.

Derrick (Smoke) Gainer is a light-punching super featherweight from Pensacola. He is also Roy Jones Jnr's boyhood pal, and as Jones made his ascent through the boxing ranks, he made sure he took his buddy Smoke with him. Gainer has fought in a supporting role on 18 of Jones' under-cards, and will fight in another Saturday night when be faces Harold Warren for the vacant USBA 130 lb title.

Warren also promotes Britain's Prince Naseem Hamed, and since Collins last fought has signed the Prince up to his own long-term deal with HBO.

Just thinking out loud, it occurred to us that while Jones-Collins might be pure fantasy, a Jones-Collins/Hamed-Gainer doubleheader might be another matter entirely, and one that would surely appeal to the 175 lb champion.

"That's the only way I can think of that the fight could be made," said Fred Levin when we proposed it to him yesterday.

"Now you're talking," Muhammad enthusiastically agreed. "That's a pay-per-view show. That's a great pay-per-view show! Oh, sure, we'd do that."

So there you have it. When and if Collins shows up in Pensacola, the bill will be waiting for him.