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Bare-Knuckle Fighter Buried With No Expense Spared
Crowds Line Streets as 'King of Sheffield' Buried With No Expense Spared
The bare-knuckle fighter's wife, Kathleen, said Sheffield will never be the same without him as hundreds turned up to pay their respects to Willy Collins, 49
Daily Mirror UK, 15 AUG 2020.
The dad-of-nine, dubbed ‘The King of Sheffield’ was laid to rest at Shiregreen Cemetery with crowds of loved ones paying their respects.
His wife Kathleen said “no expense was spared” on the funeral, with 30 Rolls Royce lined up on Pitsmoor Road along with a convoy of quad bikes and mopes
30 horses trotted behind Willy’s casket, which was delivered on a monster truck and was carried to the cemetery in a horse drawn carriage.
Willy, also known as Big Willy, died suddenly in July after collapsing on holiday with his family in Majorca.
The 49-year-old had flown to Spain to celebrate his wife Kathleen's 48th birthday on July 3.
Bare knuckle fighter Willy Collins, who was known to many as Big Willy Collins, tragically died earlier this month after collapsing while on holiday with his family
Boxers Tyson Fury and Billy Joe Saunders were among those to pay their respects at the time.
About 30 horses trotted behind his casket
Cars lined up along Pitsmoor Road to pay tribute to Willy Collins as his funeral cortege passes through his childhood home
The bare-knuckle fighter was born in Ireland but moved to Sheffield in 1980.
His met his wife Kathleen, 48, when she was 11-years old.
He was known as 'The King of Sheffield'
Hundreds lined the streets to say goodbye
They tied the knot six years later when she was 17 and enjoyed over 30 years of marriage before his sudden death.
Heartbroken Kathleen told YorkshireLive: "He was the love of my life and our children and grandchildren are devastated.
"He was the King of Sheffield and was very respected. He was very well-known and was a bare knuckle boxer but was more of a peacemaker.
"I always used to say he was smooth in the middle but rough around the edges -that's just what he was.
"I will miss him so much and my heart is broken. Sheffield will just never be the same without him."
Willy died of natural causes
He had nine children and 400 nieces and nephews
He had around 400 nieces and nephews having been the patriarch of the Collins clan.
Kathleen says his family, including his children and grandchildren, meant the world to him.
South Yorkshire Police said they were expecting “large numbers” today for the funeral on Lady’s Day - a popular celebration in the Catholic and traveller communities.
Cars lined up along Pitsmoor Road to pay tribute to Willy Collins as his funeral cortege passes through his childhood home town in Sheffield
A statement said: “This weekend, we are expecting large numbers to attend a private funeral in Sheffield, to pay their respects and celebrate the life of a local man.
“Due to the scale of the event, we have been in contact with both the family and our partners to ensure we can plan accordingly, and support the local community in the best way possible.
“This is a private event, but one which is likely to have a large attendance. Therefore, we would remind anyone who chooses to attend, to observe social distancing guidelines,to keep everyone safe while paying their respects.”
After Willy's death in Spain, his body was taken away from his family for over a week by the authorities so that a post-mortem could be conducted.
This revealed that he died of natural causes after a bleeding ulcer in his stomach burst to cause a haemorrhage.
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