Charlie Flynn: If Ryan Collins fight had lasted another 30 seconds I'd have won

The fight was declared a technical draw in round four after a clash of heads left Flynn with a deep cut above his left eye, a carbon copy of what happened when they fought last April at the same SSE Hydro venue in Glasgow.“I think if we fought 100 times then 100 times it would end in a clash of heads!” The Mailman (24) told Johnston Press sports reporter Craig Goldthorp on Monday.“But if the fight had lasted another 30 seconds until the end of the round then I would have won, which only adds to my pain.“That’s because it’s in the rules that, if a fight lasts at least four rounds, then it’s decided on who’s ahead on points at the time.“I got him in the first round with a right to the chin in the first 30 seconds.“Then I was winning every round clearly, jabbing with lots of right hands and body shots. I was all over him to be honest.“After the clash of heads I asked the referee if the fight could go on another 30 seconds and so get scored.“But he refused, which I was gutted about at the time as a ringside doctor said he could patch me up to go for another 30 seconds.“I initially thought the referee’s decision was idiotic, but later I saw that the cut was really bad so probably in hindsight I think he did the right thing.“It is just a pity what happened but everyone there on the night saw the difference in level and the fact I was dominating.”Newarthill-based Flynn, who was born in Lanark, said that there is now no chance of a third fight with Collins.The pair had exchanged insults in the run-up to Saturday’s bout – including Collins branding Flynn ‘a Walnut Whip’ – but at least now any frosty relations between them seem to have been fixed.“I have known Ryan since the amateur ranks and he is a nice guy,” added 2014 Commonwealth Games lightweight gold medallist Flynn.“I didn’t take the bad things he was saying about me personally. There was a bit of spite from me going into the fight but when I went into the ring it was just business.“The two of us don’t seem to mix right in the ring. This clash of heads wasn’t anybody’s fault. I spoke to Ryan after the fight and everything was good.”Flynn – who had needed 25 stitches in his head wound after the first Collins fight – was unable to return to sparring for three months after that injury.He eventually returned to competitive action last October, beating Liam Richards in Manchester that month before seeing off Fonz Alexander in Glasgow two months later.But his bad luck returned for the Collins rematch, with the cut sustained being a long, straight one, compared to the arrow shaped wound of 11 months earlier.Flynn said: “This latest cut is right through to the skull, which is a gutter but I’m getting used to it now.“It was a boxing specialist who put the 25 stitches in last time, but this time it was five stitches put in by an NHS guy.”Despite his latest disappointment, Flynn said there were plenty of positives to take from it, as he continues to benefit from training under his dad Tommy.