Smash-hit Clay Collard show held over in Las Vegas

Clay Collard has enjoyed his wild ride as arguably the most-popular fighter during the coronavirus pandemic.

One of the hottest shows in Las Vegas — The Clay Collard Extravaganza — continues its run on the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Teofimo Lopez card Saturday.

“Cassius Clay”, who also is an MMA fighter, was seen as a curiosity going into his fight against then-unbeaten prospect David Kaminsky on the June 18 card inside the “bubble” at the MGM Grand. He emerged with a victory and the beginnings of a cult following.

The Kaminsky victory was his third in a row over an unbeaten prospect, after which he won two more fights in Las Vegas. And he returns to the bubble against the unbeaten Quincy LaVallais, with whom he drew in June of last year.

“It’s been amazing,” Collard said on a zoom call Tuesday. “I’m fighting so often, fighting tough opponents. I’m loving all the fans, all the love that I’ve been getting from them. It’s just exciting, man.”

So what is it about Collard?

The 27-year-old resident of Burley, Idaho, has an awkward style, one that might lead viewers to think he’s a novice even though he started as a boxer before moving to MMA. He somehow doesn’t look the part of a effective boxer.

Clay Collard (right) put Maurice Williams away in less than two rounds on Aug. 22, his third KO in his last four fights. Mikey Williams / Top Rank

And he’s vicious in the ring, leaving no doubt that he intends to hurt his opponents and ultimately stop them. He has knocked out three of his last four opponents.

“I think a lot of it has to do with my story,” said Collard, referring to his undeniable fan appeal. “I have a Rocky story. I’m the guy who’s not supposed to win  and does it anyway.

“And I think I’ve captured fans because I’m exciting. I don’t necessarily fight safe, I guess. I’m going in there for the kill nonstop. I think they just like to see that.”

The fans might not be aware of a few things when it comes to Collard (9-2-3, 4 KOs). One, again, he was a boxer before he went into mixed martial arts. He started when he was 11. And even in MMA competition he is known as a striker.

If he does down in MMA, his objective is to get up as soon as possible and get back into his comfort zone: “punching people in the face.”

And, two, he’s getting better. He’s had only 14 pro fights but 13 of them have occurred in the past 17 months, which followed a long stint in mixed martial arts. The scheduled eight-round middleweight fight against LaVallais (9-0-1, 5 KOs) will be his sixth this year in spite of COVID-19.

That kind of activity is bound to make you a better fighter. Collard said he’s light years ahead of where he was when he fought LaVallais the first time.

Collard has gotten used to having his hand raised. Mikey Williams / Top Rank

“It’s night and day,” he said. “I’m still trying to figure things out, how to box again. The range is different, the timing is different than mixed martial arts. In mixed martial arts you stay a little further away and a throw a kick.

“In boxing you’re in that phone booth and fighting completely different. I’m just getting back into the swing of things.”

Indeed, Collard plans to dabble in both sports going forward but he made it clear that he’s only getting started in the sweet science, which couldn’t have been sweeter to him during the pandemic.

He was asked to describe his 2020 in one word. His answer: “Surprising.”

“I think I surprised myself by what I was able to do,” he said. “That’s why I said, ‘surprising,’ because it was surprising to me. And it was surprising to have all the exposure and all the people getting behind me. Wow, all this is real

“… Top Rank surprised me. Did I ever think I’d be fighting on a Top Rank card? Not in a million years. I was a mixed martial arts fighter. That just the way things played out. And I’m loving every minute of it.”

[lawrence-related id=14642,14629,14625,14621,14306]

Smash-hit Clay Collard show held over in Las Vegas

Clay Collard has enjoyed his wild ride as arguably the most-popular fighter during the coronavirus pandemic.

One of the hottest shows in Las Vegas — The Clay Collard Extravaganza — continues its run on the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Teofimo Lopez card Saturday.

“Cassius Clay”, who also is an MMA fighter, was seen as a curiosity going into his fight against then-unbeaten prospect David Kaminsky on the June 18 card inside the “bubble” at the MGM Grand. He emerged with a victory and the beginnings of a cult following.

The Kaminsky victory was his third in a row over an unbeaten prospect, after which he won two more fights in Las Vegas. And he returns to the bubble against the unbeaten Quincy LaVallais, with whom he drew in June of last year.

“It’s been amazing,” Collard said on a zoom call Tuesday. “I’m fighting so often, fighting tough opponents. I’m loving all the fans, all the love that I’ve been getting from them. It’s just exciting, man.”

So what is it about Collard?

The 27-year-old resident of Burley, Idaho, has an awkward style, one that might lead viewers to think he’s a novice even though he started as a boxer before moving to MMA. He somehow doesn’t look the part of a effective boxer.

Clay Collard (right) put Maurice Williams away in less than two rounds on Aug. 22, his third KO in his last four fights. Mikey Williams / Top Rank

And he’s vicious in the ring, leaving no doubt that he intends to hurt his opponents and ultimately stop them. He has knocked out three of his last four opponents.

“I think a lot of it has to do with my story,” said Collard, referring to his undeniable fan appeal. “I have a Rocky story. I’m the guy who’s not supposed to win  and does it anyway.

“And I think I’ve captured fans because I’m exciting. I don’t necessarily fight safe, I guess. I’m going in there for the kill nonstop. I think they just like to see that.”

The fans might not be aware of a few things when it comes to Collard (9-2-3, 4 KOs). One, again, he was a boxer before he went into mixed martial arts. He started when he was 11. And even in MMA competition he is known as a striker.

If he does down in MMA, his objective is to get up as soon as possible and get back into his comfort zone: “punching people in the face.”

And, two, he’s getting better. He’s had only 14 pro fights but 13 of them have occurred in the past 17 months, which followed a long stint in mixed martial arts. The scheduled eight-round middleweight fight against LaVallais (9-0-1, 5 KOs) will be his sixth this year in spite of COVID-19.

That kind of activity is bound to make you a better fighter. Collard said he’s light years ahead of where he was when he fought LaVallais the first time.

Collard has gotten used to having his hand raised. Mikey Williams / Top Rank

“It’s night and day,” he said. “I’m still trying to figure things out, how to box again. The range is different, the timing is different than mixed martial arts. In mixed martial arts you stay a little further away and a throw a kick.

“In boxing you’re in that phone booth and fighting completely different. I’m just getting back into the swing of things.”

Indeed, Collard plans to dabble in both sports going forward but he made it clear that he’s only getting started in the sweet science, which couldn’t have been sweeter to him during the pandemic.

He was asked to describe his 2020 in one word. His answer: “Surprising.”

“I think I surprised myself by what I was able to do,” he said. “That’s why I said, ‘surprising,’ because it was surprising to me. And it was surprising to have all the exposure and all the people getting behind me. Wow, all this is real

“… Top Rank surprised me. Did I ever think I’d be fighting on a Top Rank card? Not in a million years. I was a mixed martial arts fighter. That just the way things played out. And I’m loving every minute of it.”

[lawrence-related id=14642,14629,14625,14621,14306]