Collier Swings for Recognition, State Title in Reseda

Most boxing fans know that it was Randall (Tex) Cobb who, by virtue of using his face to stop an estimated 250 of Larry Holmes’ punches in a 1982 fight, caused Howard Cosell to retire from broadcasting professional boxing. This one is for trivia buffs: Who finally pounded Cobb into retirement?

The answer is Dee Collier, a wild-swinging heavyweight from Los Angeles. If you answered incorrectly, don’t feel bad. Collier did indeed score a stunning, four-knockdown, first-round technical knockout over the ultra-durable Cobb last year. Roberto Duran was nicknamed Manos de Piedra (Hands of Stone); Cobb should have been nicknamed Cara de Piedra (Face of Stone).

Despite that big win Oct. 29 at Reseda’s Country Club, only Collier’s family and close friends instantly recognize his name.

Collier, 26, returns to the ring tonight for the first time since that crushing victory over Cobb. He will face Mark (The Sheriff is Back in Town) Wills, also of Los Angeles, in a scheduled 12-round bout at the Country Club for the California heavyweight championship. The title was vacated when the state boxing commission took it away from Stan Ward because he would not fight.

It will be the first state title fight to be held at the Country Club.

Collier, a 6-4, 233-pound boulder, has been devastating in some fights and devastated in others. In a fight before he met Cobb, Collier was soundly beaten by 190-pound cruiserweight Bash Ali in Reno, Nev. Collier’s official record is 8-4 with four knockouts.

Wills, at 6-3, 230 pounds, is 7-4-1, according to the official state boxing records. All seven of his wins were by knockout, including his most recent fight, in which he knocked out Canadian heavyweight champion Ken Lakusta in the fifth round in Jakarta, Indonesia. Wills, 25, was stopped last March by former World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Tim Witherspoon in the ninth round of a fight at the Forum. Wills was ahead on all three judges’ score cards when Witherspoon scored a technical knockout.

Promoter Al Goossen has added an event to the program for those who dislike violence: The finals of the Ms. Ten Goose round-card girl contest. The program starts at 8:15 p.m.